Puriscal is the fourth canton of the province of San José de Costa Rica. Its capital or head is the city of Santiago de Puriscal. In the canton of Puriscal there are several national historical patrimonies, such as the Temple of Barbacoas, the Temple of Pedernal and the emblematic Old Catholic Temple of Puriscal, decreed as an architectural heritage of Costa Rica. Another emblematic monument is El Sapo, which is located in the Farmer's Park of Puriscal. Formerly, the region that today corresponds to the canton of Puriscal was known as "Cola de Pavo", named after two merchants, Jorge and Jesus Retana, who traded in this place when there were only few resident families.
The name of the canton comes from the evolution of the word purisco, which refers to the moment in which the bean is in flower. Puriscal in its origins was a place known for its bean fields. According to the 2011 National Census, the population of the canton was 33,004 inhabitants, of which 2.2% were born abroad. The same census highlights that there were 9,787 occupied dwellings, of which 64.5% were in good condition and there were problems of overcrowding in 2.2% of the dwellings.23.4% of its inhabitants lived in urban areas. Among other data, the level of literacy in the canton is 96.7%, with an average schooling of 7.9 years. The same census details that the economically active population is distributed as follows: Primary Sector: 15.8%. Secondary Sector: 14.4%. Tertiary Sector: 69.8%.