Esparza, Puntarenas, Costa Rica Genealogy

Guide to Canton of Esparza ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, church records, parish registers, and civil registration.

History

 * In 1574, Alonso Anguciana de Gamboa, interim governor, depopulated the town of Aranjuez and founded the first seat of the city of the Holy Spirit (5 km from the current Esparza), in the old Coyoche valley, between the Barranca and Barranca rivers. Jesús María, near the current town of Artieda.
 * The name of the village was changed, adding “de Esparza” to the name of the “City of the Holy Spirit”.
 * On November 4, 1825, the city of Esparza became part of the Cañas district of the Western Department.
 * In 1848, Esparza constituted the second canton of the province of Alajuela.
 * On November 6, 1851, this canton was segregated from the province of Alajuela and added to the jurisdiction of the region of Puntarenas.
 * On May 6, 1974, the name of Esparza was restored to the second canton of the province of Puntarenas.
 * The Canton of Esparza has a population of approximately 28,600 people.

Civil Registration

 * 1823-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1860-1975 Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1860-1975 at Ancestry - images ($)

Church Records

 * 1595-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Iglesia Católica. Espíritu Santo (Esparza, Puntarenas) Registros parroquiales, 1706-1934 - Click on the link to see the records’ availability.

Cemeteries
Indexes of burials in the cemeteries of the Esparza Canton may be found at findagrave.com
 * 1958-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Cementerio Municipal de Esparza
 * Dirección: X8VH+H69, Espíritu Santo, Esparza
 * Horas: Abierto las 24 horas
 * Burial index at Billiongraves
 * Cementerio de San Rafael de Esparza
 * Dirección: X9HQ+JC6, San Rafael, Esparza