Tarrazú is the fifth canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The head city of the canton is San Marcos. It is part of Los Santos Zone, together with Dota and León Cortés Castro.

History The canton was established by a legislative decree of 7 August 1868. It was part of the Desamparados canton by that time.

Government Mayor According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the Social Christian Unity Party candidate, Fernando Portuguez Parra, was elected mayor of the canton with 50.15% of the votes, with Marjorie Castro Barrantes and Alejandro Javier Bonilla Herrera as first and second vice mayors, respectively.

+ Mayors of Tarrazú since the 2002 electionsPeriodNameParty2002–2006José Rodolfo Naranjo Naranjo PUSC2006–2010Iván Suárez Sandí PLN2010–2016Bernardo Barboza Picado2016–2020Ana Lorena Rovira Gutiérrez PUSC2020–20242024–2028Fernando Portuguez Parra

Municipal Council Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called ) are elected every four years. Tarrazú's Municipal Council has 5 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor () is absent. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:

+ Current composition of the Municipal Council of Tarrazú after the 2024 municipal electionsPolitical parties in the Municipal Council of TarrazúPolitical party Regidores№OwnerSubstituteSocial Christian Unity Party (PUSC)3Keisy Daniela Gutiérrez ValverdeMaría Victoria Naranjo AbarcaCarlos Luis Abarca CruzJuan Diego Blanco ValverdeMelania Chaves ChantoKaren Lizeth Vargas NavarroNational Liberation Party (PLN)2Karol Tatiana Navarro MongeMaría Rosario Umaña RetanaWilmer Alvarado FonsecaIsaac Facundo Madrigal Vargas

Geography

Tarrazú has an area of and a mean elevation of .

The Pirrís River (also known as Parrita River) establishes much of the northern boundary of the three-pronged canton, which reaches south across the Coastal Mountain Range to its border with the canton of Quepos in Puntarenas Province.

Tarrazú is located about south of the capital, San José, in a pristine valley surrounded by mountains that are part of the Talamanca Sierra in southern Costa Rica. Downtown San Marcos is above sea level but is surrounded by peaks as high as above sea level.

Districts The canton of Tarrazú is subdivided into three districts:

San Marcos San Lorenzo San Carlos

Demographics

Tarrazú had an estimated population of in 2022, an increase from its inhabitants at the time of the 2011 census.

In 2022, Tarrazú had a Human Development Index of 0.668.

Transportation Road transportation The canton is covered by the following road routes:

Economy Highland coffee is the main source of income of local people. However, tourism and avocado production are of increased importance. During the months of December, January and February, population increases three-fold due to harvest time. San Marcos, the biggest town in the region, has become the center of economic activity.

More recently, the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity has invested millions of dollars in the Pirrís Hydro Dam, scheduled to start generating energy by March 2011. The Hydro Dam is now the highest structure of its kind in Central America and will be key to the economic development of the region, not only in the highlands but the coastal regions of Quepos and Parrita.

The region is deeply dependent on remittances from emigres who live in the United States, namely New Jersey. Few households in the region do not have a family member who lives and works in the United States. This outmigration has led to an influx of thousands of Panamanian laborers to help realize the annual coffee harvest.Kordick, Carmen. The Saints of Progress: Coffee, Migration, and Costa Rican National Identity. University of Alabama Press, 2019.

Tarrazú, particularly the San Lorenzo area, is felt to produce the most desirable coffee in Costa Rica. Finca Palmilera coffee is grown here."Costa Rica Finca Palmilera", Roy Street Coffee and Tea. Retrieved 16 November 2012. In November 2012, it was the most expensive coffee sold in Starbucks coffee shops in the United States.

References