Bagaces is a

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

in the Guanacaste province of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. The head city is in

Bagaces Bagaces is a district of the Bagaces canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. Geography Bagaces has an area of km² and an elevation of metres. Communities The district includes the towns of Bagaces, Pijije, Montenegro, Montano, a ...

district.

History

In the Pre-Columbian era, Bagaces was home to the

Nicarao people The Nicarao are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous Nahua people who live in western Nicaragua and northwestern Costa Rica. They are the southernmost Nahua group located in southern Mesoamerica. They spoke the Nahuat language, Nahuat ...

who settled in Guanacaste after migrating from Central and southern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Evidence of

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

n style markets and Jade showed that Bagaces had flourished during Pre-Columbian times. Bagaces was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167. Bagaces is also one of the oldest settlements in early Spanish conquest in the 1540s. It became an important town after 1601 when the "Mule Trail" was established communicating Cartago, the capital of the province, with Guatemala, the capital of the Captaincy General. Bagaces was a necessary night stop and later acquired fame because of its dry bisquist (Biscocho) and cheese (Queso Bagaces), an important supply for the long ride.

Geography

Bagaces has an area of km² and a mean elevation of metres. The Salto River on the west and Tenorio River on the east delineate this canton, with the Tempisque River as the southern border and the northern border high in the Cordillera de Guanacaste. Miravalles Volcano sits near that border's midway point.

Districts

The canton of Bagaces is subdivided into the following

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

: #

Fortuna Fortuna (, equivalent to the Greek mythology, Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular thr ...

Mogote A mogote () is a generally isolated, steep-sided residual hill in the tropics composed of either limestone, marble, or dolomite. Mogotes are surrounded by nearly flat alluvial plains. The hills typically have a rounded, tower-like form. Overv ...

# Río Naranjo

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Bagaces had a population of inhabitants.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

References

Cantons of Guanacaste Province Populated places in Guanacaste Province {{Guanacaste-geo-stub