San Marcos, Costa Rica

San Marcos or San Marcos de Tarrazú is the capital city of the canton of Tarrazú in the province of San José in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito (district) that includes the city. The district of San Marcos covers an area of 42.07 km²,Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), 2001] and has a population of 8,817.Estimates of Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), May 2003]

The city lies at an elevation of 1,429 meters above sea level in a mountainous area known as Los Santos, 70 kilometers south of the national capital city of San José.

History

The city was founded by Spanish immigrants looking for gold in the 1860s. Instead of gold, they discovered a rich highland valley where fine coffee grew in ideal climate conditions. Cattle ranching was also introduced, and soon after, grassland gave way to coffee plants.The rugged terrain made agriculture very difficult, but after the widespread building of bridges and roads, development started to take place around the population centers. By the 1930s, much grassland was already converted into coffee fields and the first successful coffee mills were created thanks to the green coffee trade.

Geography

San Marcos de Tarrazu is located in the north bank of the Pirris River, in a highland valley surrounded by mountains that are part of the Talamanca Sierra in southern Costa Rica. Downtown San Marcos is 1350 meters above sea level but is surrounded by peaks as high as 3000 meters above sea level.

Its geography is suited to growing coffee, mostly because the slopes of the mountains face the morning light and the cloud cover protects the coffee trees in the afternoon. The red soil found in the valley is of volcanic origin. All this plus the altitude make ideal conditions to grow the coffees harvested by locals.

Politics

The Tarrazu county or canton is divided in 3 districts: San Marcos de Tarrazu, San Lorenzo, and San Carlos. The first district is the commerce center of the entire valley. You can find coffee processing mills, coffee roasting facilities, pizza parlors, restaurants, a hospital, city hall, several elementary schools and the county high school. Most cultural activities in the county are held in the central district.

Economy

Traditionally, cultural and economic progress have been directly tied to the coffee industry. More recently, however, tourism and other agricultural products, plus money sent by locals forced to immigrate to New Jersey, USA, have created more economic development in certain parts of the county.

Flora and Fauna

The district of San Lorenzo has been almost overlooked by coffee farmers mostly because of its lowlands and tropical weather. However, more recently tourism has flourished thanks to its pristine forests and clean rivers, the proximity to the Quepos plains and Manuel Antonio National Park. Giant pre-historic ferns and hardwoods can be found here. Birds such as the Quetzal and small mammals are abundant.

Demographics

The city of San Marcos, located in the highland valley of Tarrazu, has a population of approx. 12,000 people. The majority of its people grow coffee in the mountains surrounding the city. San Marcos de Tarrazu has been known in the green coffee trade industry as a source of coffee beans. Nearby towns of Santa Maria and San Pablo are also sources of specialty coffee beans. Roman Catholics comprise approx. 90% of the local population. Due to coffee picking, Nicaraguans and Panamanian Indians are settling in the valley in record numbers.

Culture

Local culture is a product of Indian and Spanish influence. Life rotates around coffee growing and Christian activities. Caribbean music can be heard in local bars and dance halls, although influence from North America is evident given the mass migration of people from this valley to New Jersey starting in the 1980s.

References