Pre-Columbian and Early History The earliest known occupied settlements in the region can be dated to the 3rd century, with the land that now conforms the canton being part of the indigenous ("The Huetar Kingdom of the West"). At the time of the Spanish's arrival in the 16th century, this kingdom was one of two indigenous kingdoms ruled by the cacique
Garabito. After
Christopher Columbus's arrival on the Costa Rican coast in 1502, the Spanish made few expeditions into the region, with no permanent Spanish settlement existing in the region for nearly 60 years following Columbus' arrival. However in 1559, upon receiving a royal license from
Philip II of Spain, the governor of
Nicaragua, Juan de Cavallón y Arboleda, planned an effort to colonise the Costa Rican Caribbean coast. Although this effort failed, in January 1561, alongside an expedition formed by 80 Spaniards, slaves and a large amount of livestock, Cavallón entered the region from Nicaragua, in another effort to settle and pacify the region. as-well as a chapel. The Casona is still standing today, and is now part of the Museo Histórico Agrícola (Historical Agricultural Museum) located in the
Santa Ana Conservation Centre. La Casona was also declared Historical Arquitectural Heritage of Costa Rica. It is one of the oldest structures located at the Conservation Centre. In the
1864 Costa Rican census, the region of Santa Ana, at the time a part of the
Escazú canton, is recorded as having a population of 1,068. Following the military coup of
Federico Tinoco Granados in 1917, the city of Santa Ana would become a mayor stronghold for rebellion against the government. Among the leaders of this rebellion was
Jorge Volio Jiménez, a priest who was later honoured with a head bust outside of the Municipal Building of Santa Ana. During the 1948
Costa Rican Civil War, the canton would be home to , a leading figure in the
National Liberation Army during the civil war. He would later help defeat a counter-revolutionary movement by
Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia in 1955, and would eventually join the
Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica. He would die in the canton in 1986. The first automatic telephone would arrive in the canton in 1966. Following his appointment as coordinator to the Cultural Affairs Commission of the canton's municipal council, Dr. began an investigation into the canton's cultural potential. Following his investigation's publishing as a book, and support from the canton's Municipal Council, Dr. Acevedo's proposal of an art school and art gallery to support the region was approved in 1998. The Municipal School of Integrated Arts and gallery were both created that same year. They are located in the canton's head city of Santa Ana. == Government ==