Zarcero 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 Zarcero canton, in the

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela (canton), Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of ...

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 ...

History

Zarcero was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law on 24 July 1918.

Geography

Zarcero has an area of km² and an elevation of metres. It is located in the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

(Central Mountain Range) of Costa Rica, 50 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of

and 27 kilometers southeast of

Ciudad Quesada Quesada is a district of the San Carlos canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. It is the head city of the canton of San Carlos. Although Ciudad Quesada is the official name, it is commonly referred to by the area name of San Carlos. Ciu ...

. Zarcero, known for its brisk mountain climate, lies in a dairy and agricultural area also noted for the local enterprises that practice organic farming. Distinctive jams, cheese and other dairy products are among the items produced.

Locations

* ''Barrios'' (neighborhoods): Cantarranas, Santa Teresita

Demographics

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

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes: * CR RNS 141

National Route 141 * CR RNT 741

National Route 741

Places of interest

Parque Francisco Alvarado: The park sits in front of the church at the town center. It is noted for its

topiary Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...

garden produced and maintained by Evangelista Blanco since the 1960s. Shrubs in the park have been trimmed into the shapes of various animals, including some that are quite abstract and bizarre. Iglesia de San Rafael: Zarcero's pink and blue church was constructed in 1895. The interior features very nice paintings of the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

. Materials for the construction of the church are not what they seem. Columns are painted to look like marble, and the exterior is metal siding, not brick as it appears.

External links

Municipality of ZarceroZarcero as it looked in 1988Photos of Zarcero

References

Districts of Alajuela Province Populated places in Alajuela Province {{Alajuela-geo-stub