Tres Ríos () is a

district 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the La Unión canton, in the Cartago 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 ...

. Its name is derived from its location at the confluence of the Tiribí, Chiquito and Cruz rivers. According to the 2011 census, Tres Ríos had a population of inhabitants. The district has an area of km² and an elevation of metres.

History

During the

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

era, the region of La Unión was part of the Eastern Huetar Kingdom and was inhabited by the Huetar people. At the time of the arrival of Spanish conquistadores, the region's chief was Correque. Significant colonial settlement of the region did not take place until the 18th century when priests from the Church of the Holy Spirit of Esparza settled in the area. The priests had been traveling with indigenous peoples from the

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

region towards Cartago and stopped in what was then known as the Valley of Three Rivers (Spanish: ''Valle de los Tres Ríos''). The priests built a small chapel which they dedicated to the

Our Lady of the Pillar Our Lady of the Pillar () is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 40, AD 40 while he was pre ...

, whose image had been given to them by Bishop Heredia. Their presence in the area attracted permanent settlement and a stable population, and the fledgling town became known as (English: Our Lady of the Pillar of the Three Rivers).

Infrastructure

Education

Tres Ríos has one school, the

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes: * CR RNP 2

National Route 2 * CR RNS 202

National Route 202 * CR RNS 221

National Route 221 * CR RNS 251

National Route 251 * CR RNT 409

National Route 409

Rail transportation

The district is covered by the passenger Interurbano Line operated by Incofer. There is an unmanned platform stop in the north of the district at Plaza Barcelona shopping center.

Economy

The agricultural area surrounding Tres Ríos is one of the eight recognized coffee production areas in the country. The regional coffee flavor is associated with high fertility soil that is enriched by minerals from eruptions of the Irazú Volcano. The volcano last erupted in 1963. This flavor is balanced by moisture from the rain and warm summers. Due to dynamic urban growth in the metropolitan area of Costa Rica in the late twentieth century, land use has progressively changed from agricultural to suburban development. The expansion of urban areas has force the closure of dozens of coffee farms. However, regions within La Unión, including Tres Ríos, Concepción and San Ramón, continue to grow coffee beans for the gourmet market. The economy of Tres Ríos has become increasingly diversified and is no longer solely dependent on coffee production. Because of the region's location between the cities of San José and Cortago, the economy has become linked to their outward development and now caters to trade and development. Urban development has also led to the foundation of several private schools.

External links

Official site of the Civic Movement Association of La Unión Canton

References

{{Districts of Cartago Province Districts of Cartago Province Populated places in Cartago Province