Puriscal is the 4th canton in the province of San José, Costa Rica. In Spanish, a “puriscal” is the flower of the common bean. Puriscal covers an area from the Río Chucás delineates the canton’s northernmost boundary, while the Río Chires marks its far southern border, with the canton of Parrita in Puntarenas Province. Puriscal includes a major portion of the Coastal Mountain Range. Puriscal has a population of 31,202. Only 18% of the canton’s population live in urban areas. Among its inhabitants, 20.2% are under 10 years old and 7.4% are over 65. The city lies at an elevation of 1,105 metres above sea level in the coastal mountain range, 42 km southwest of the national capital city of San José and 77 km north of the city of Parrita on the Pacific coast. The old cathedral was built by Fr. Juan Cortez de Paja who took a vow of celibacy after an Indian Princess died from Influenza that she had caught from him. On the centennial of her death an earthquake destroyed the edifice.
