Barva is a small city and canton

Cantons of Costa Rica

This is a list of the cantons of Costa Rica.Cantons are the second-level administrative division of Costa Rica. The country's seven provinces are subdivided into 81 cantons , and these are further subdivided into districts .A unique feature of the cantons is that they are the only administrative...

 in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

, located 3 km north of Heredia

Heredia, Costa Rica

Heredia is a city located in the Heredia province of Costa Rica and is the capital of that province. It is currently undergoing a rapid process of industrialization and is located 10 kilometers north of the country's capital, San José....

. It was named in honor of Barvak, an indigenous chief who ruled the area before the arrival of the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It is divided into six political districts: Barva, Santa Lucía, San José de la Montaña, San Pedro, San Roque, and Puente Salas. The city is known for having a nice mix of rural and metropolitan landscape.

The patron saint

Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

 of the town is Saint Bartholomew. A large church, Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva

Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva

The Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva is a church in Barva, Costa Rica. The first church was established between 1568 and 1575, and dedicated to Saint Bartholomew; it is rumored to have been built on an indigenous burial ground...

, was established between 1568 and 1575 is in Barva. Every year on August 24, the people of the town have a celebration dedicated to the saint, and the highlight of the celebration is the unique masquerade

Masquerade ball

A masquerade ball is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. - History :...

, where people go out wearing masks and hit others with cow and pig bladder

Pig bladder

Pig bladder is the bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs...

s.

Notable people

• Bernardo Rodríguez y Alfaro
  Bernardo Rodríguez y Alfaro
  Bernardo Rodríguez y Alfaro was a Costa Rican politician and signer of the Act of Independence of Costa Rica.-Personal life and background:Born in Heredia, Costa Rica, on August 20, 1781, he married on June 17, 1804 in Barva.-Career:...