In Pre-Columbian times groups of indigenous people had meetings called Huanacaxtle (the pronunciation is pretty close to Guanacaste) in Nahuatl. read more
Many people believe that the name refers to a guanaco a Peru animal like a camel, but the real reason is the name is for the El Salvador capital San Salvador, in 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on the shore of a small island called Guanahani by the natives . read more