Santa Cruz is the third canton in Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of, and has a population of 60,495. Its capital city is also called Santa Cruz. The heart-shaped canton is on the northern Pacific coast between Bahía Potrero to the north and the mouth of the Río Montaña to the south. It includes Cabo Velas, the furthermost western point on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Río Tempisque delineates a small portion of the eastern border.
History
Santa Cruz was first mentioned as a canton in a decree dated December 7, 1848. On September 5, 2012, Santa Cruz was struck by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake, destroying houses in the canton.
Festivals
The capital city of Santa Cruz, named Santa Cruz, is a typical Costa Rican rural town. Its inhabitants are very diverse and consist mostly of farmers, fishermen, workers or employees of several of the many hotels located in the vicinity. The town is known within Costa Rica for its cultural heritage and many historical traditions. These traditions include the Fiesta de Semana Santa and the traditional bullfights as well as many others. Every year in Santa Cruz there are a number of festivals which include bull riding ceremonies. These ceremonies, though traditional at heart, lack most of the features seen in Spanish bullfighting traditions. Usually the ring in which the bull is let loose is open to anyone, tourists as well as locals – man, woman or child. The bull riding usually starts with a man being placed on the bull with nothing but a string to hold on to. This man is inevitably, after some time, thrown off. Even though there are always medical personnel in place to supervise the bull riding, severe injuries or even death among the bullriders are not uncommon. The bulls are treated with respect and dignity and in no bullring within Costa Rica is it ever alright to deliberately injure or kill a bull in a bullfight, whereas in Spain or Mexico the very purpose of the bullfight is for a trained professional to kill the bull. The canton also includes the town of Santa Bárbara, known for its traditional annual dance of the calabashes. Since 2000 the activity has been considered of cultural interest to the community and all participants receive a hand-painted calabash vessel to thank them for their economic contribution.
Districts
The canton of Santa Cruz is subdivided into nine districts :
