The City of Heredia

One of the most lively towns in Costa Rica is the city of Heredia. The city has enough attractions worth a visit for those who are looking to have a glance at the everyday common folk lifestyle. Let’s take a look at what this place has to offer.

Basic information and brief history of the city of Heredia

Heredia City is the main town of the canton of Heredia and the capital of the province of Heredia. According to the last census, more than 138000 people live inside the canton borders, according to a census done in 2017.

The city was founded as Cubujuqui, the name local indigenous peoples gave to the area, around the century XVIII.

The city grew around the parish until it got the title of “Village” in 1763 and changed the name to Heredia, as we know it now.

In the third decade of the XIX century, the city was briefly the capital “de facto” of the whole country of Costa Rica. This was during a period of turbulence in which many cities were engaged in a civil war.
Then, in 1848, the area around the city was proclaimed as the canton of Heredia, with the town as its head.

Transition to modernity

During the first part of the XX century, thanks to the presidency of Alfredo Flores, who happened to be from Heredia, the city grew more with the construction of many respectable schools and other educational institutions.
Many of this heritage remains in the city as many of these buildings are still present and being used, surviving many earthquakes and the inclemency of the years. Because of this, Heredia has still this early XX century feeling, making it worth visiting.

What to visit in Heredia City

Parks

Let’s start with the parks. Parks are the meeting place of folks. These meetings happen for many reasons; practicing sports, chatting, kids playing, and some casual readers wanting to breathe fresh air. Downtown Heredia has four parks, Alfredo Gonzales Flores Park, El Carmen, Jose Flores, and the Central Park.
The Alfredo Gonzales Park has a nice view of the capital city of San Jose at night. For practicing sports or eating an ice cream while sitting, Jose Flores Park’s very good. El Carmen is a lovely small park with a fountain, best suited for couples. Central Park is the biggest and the most attractive, with plenty of space to sit, next to one of the oldest churches in the country and it is surrounded by centennial buildings, like the El Fortin.

Historical Buildings

As previously mentioned, Heredia has plenty of buildings from previous centuries. The church of Inmaculada Concepcion has almost 220 years of existence. It has been restored many times since then.
While the facade remains from the XVIII century, its inside has a modern era look, with stained glass made in France.
Near there, El Fortin, a tower constructed in 1876, is now the official icon of the canton.
Other buildings worth visiting are the High School named Liceo de Heredia, the municipal building, the school Escuela Republica de Argentina, and the post office, among others.

The Market

To finish this article, let’s speak about the Municipal Market. People can obtain groceries and other goods from there. Not looking attractive to visit for you yet? Food! You can buy meals with local recipes at very affordable prices there. Even seafood is present in an array of obtainable dishes. As with every other market around Costa Rica, you can find the typical “casado”, the traditional lunch of the Costa Ricans.
You can buy some souvenirs if you feel in the mood. For example, a few stores sell home decorations and hats, including the “chonete”, the typical hat from our farmers.

Epilogue

There are more things I would like to talk about Heredia, but I leave those for a second part. For instance, I would like to check into the nightlife of the city and see what options fit most for those looking for fun and security at the same time. Stay tuned to my blog. If you want to know about other places in Costa Rica, visit my article section.