Ponce is both a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
and a
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
in southern part of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
The
City of PonceA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
is the second largest city in Puerto Rico outside of the
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
metropolitan area, and is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the grandson of
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
. Ponce is often referred to as
La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South),
La Ciudad Señorial de Puerto Rico (The Noble City of Puerto Rico), and
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city of Ponce serves as the governmental seat of the autonomous municipality as well as the regional hub for various
Government of Puerto RicoThe Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...
entities, such as the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other
CommonwealthPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
government agencies. The city is also the seat of a
Catholic DiocesisThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico, an American commonwealth. The diocese is led by a prelate bishop which pastors the motherchurch in the...
.
The
Municipality of PonceThere are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the United States Government, but Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities or "municipios" at the second order. For U.S. Census purposes, a municipality in Puerto Rico is equivalent to a county. They are conveniently grouped into eight...
, officially the
Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, is located in the Southern Coastal Plain region of the island, south of
AdjuntasAdjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
,
UtuadoUtuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central/western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third largest...
, and
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
; east of
PeñuelasPeñuelas is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, east of Guayanilla, west of Ponce and north of the Caribbean Sea. Peñuelas is spread over 12 wards and Peñuelas Pueblo . It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area...
; west of
Juana DíazJuana Díaz is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juana Díaz is spread over 12 wards and Juana Diaz Pueblo...
; and bordered on the south by the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. The municipality has a total of 19
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s (wards), plus the urban area of the city (12 additional
barrios) including the historic
Ponce Pueblo (the downtown area of the city), which is located approximately three miles inland from the shores of the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. Ponce is a principal city of both the
Ponce Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area in south central Puerto Rico. A July 1, 2007 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 263,411, a 0.57% decrease from the 2000 census figure of 264,919.Ponce is the third largest...
and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The municipality of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area after the municipality of
AreciboArecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
. Ponce was the first
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it refers to the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
in 1991 under a new law (
The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
Early settlers
The region of what is Ponce now belonged to the
TaínoThe Taínos are pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is believed that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America...
GuayniaGuaynia was the territory that stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico in pre-Columbian times. The Taino cacique Agueybana ruled the area around Guayanilla when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493....
region, which stretched along the southern coast of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The region was led by
caciqueCacique or Cazique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
Agüeybana. He was one of the caciques that greeted Spanish
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
when he came to the island in 1508.
During the first years of the colonization,
SpanishSpanish people or Spaniards constitute the nationality and ethnic group of natives of Spain, a European country in the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. The Spanish nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the complex history of Spain...
families started settling around the
Jacaguas RiverThe Jacaguas River is a river in Puerto Rico. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Ponce.Jacaguas has a length of approximately 22 miles with its origin in the municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico at an altitude of approximately 2,099 feet above sea level...
, in the south of the island. For safety reasons, these families moved to the
Portugués RiverThe Portugués River is a river in Puerto Rico. It has its origin in barrio Portugués in the bordering municipality of Adjuntas, just north of Ponce, and drains into the Caribbean Sea after running for some 27.6 kilometers...
, then called Barayama. In 1670, a small
chapelA chapel is a building used as a place for fellowship and of worship for Christians. It may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, or may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with its own grounds...
was raised and dedicated in honor of
Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated 16th-century icon of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The image, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe represents a famous Marian apparition. According to the traditional account, the image appeared miraculously on the front of a simple peasant's cloak...
in the middle of the small settlement.
In 1692 Juan Ponce de León y Loayza (Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson) obtained a royal permit (
cédula real) to formalize the founding of the
hamletA hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community...
. It was declared a villa in 1848, and obtained its city charter in 1877 .
19th Century wave of immigrants
As a result of the
Royal Decree of Graces of 1815The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 is a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown in the early half of the 19th century to encourage Spaniards and later Europeans of non-Spanish origin to settle and populate the colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico....
, a strong influx of immigrants from
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
came to the region of Ponce, strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from regions like
CataloniaCatalonia is an Autonomous Community in northeast Spain. The capital city is Barcelona.Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,364,078. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the...
, the
Balearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula....
, and other regions of eastern
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, as well as from the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
(one of
Vanna WhiteVanna White is an American television personality, best known as puzzle-board presenter & co-host on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
's ancestors was mayor of the city once),
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Also, wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
,
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
came to Ponce.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
,
cornMaize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
harvesting,
rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
production,
bankA bank is a financial institution licensed by a government. Its primary activities include borrowing and lending money.Many other financial activities were allowed over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds...
ing and
financeFinance is the science of funds management. The general areas of finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance. Finance includes saving money and often includes lending money. The field of finance deals with the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated...
, the importing of industrial machinery,
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
foundries and other enterprises. At time of the American invasion of the Island, Ponce was the largest city in Puerto Rico. At that time it also had the best capitalized financial institutions in the Island. Ponce also had its own currency.
While
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
was celebrating its
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I...
(
Victorian eraThe Victorian era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from June 1837 until her death on the 22nd of January 1901. The reign was a long period of prosperity for the British people, as profits gained from the overseas British Empire, as well as from industrial improvements...
), Ponce followed suit with its own exposition fair, the Ponce Fair. Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877, Don Miguel Rosich conceptualized an exposition fair for Ponce. This was approved in 1880, and the exposition fair was held in the city in 1882, where several industrial and agricultural advancements were shown. "It is important to establish a relationship between the European exhibitions that I have mentioned and the Ponce Fair, as the Fair was meant as a showcase of the advancements of the day: Agriculture, Trade, Industry, and the Arts. Just as with the 1878 World's Fair in Paris, the electric grid of the city of Ponce was inaugurated on the first day of the Ponce Fair. In this occasion the
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main town square in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias....
and various other buildings, including the Merchatile Union Building, the
Ponce CasinoThe Old Ponce Casino is a historic structure, built in 1922 and located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Originally built as a social club for Ponce's elite, it is currently used as the premier reception center of The Noble City of Puerto Rico.When built in 1922, it was actually the replacement quarters...
, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the
incandescent light bulbThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence . An electric current passes through a thin filament, heating it until it produces light...
for the first time".
In 1883, Ponce was ravaged by an enormous fire. The fire threatened to destroy much of the south coast, but thanks to the firemen of Ponce (who operated from Ponce's
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
fire station) Ponce and the south were saved. The
Parque de Bombas fire station in the central plaza has since become a museum and tourist attraction. The station continued serving the Ponce community until 1990, when it was closed and the building's activities were entirely dedicated to a museum, which is still open to the general public.
Ponce in the 20th Century
At the time of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Spanish–American War, Ponce was the largest city in the island. With a population of 22,000, Ponce had the best road in Puerto Rico, built by the Spanish for military purposes, and running from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
. The taking of Ponce by American troops "was a critical turning point in the Puerto Rican campaign. For the first time the Americans held a major port to funnel large numbers of men and quantities of war materiel into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the West Indies, putting the US forces on the island in direct communication with
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
for the first time since the start of the campaign.
The Americans arrived on July 28, after marching from their landing at
GuánicaGuánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. There were skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. On the Spanish side, three men were killed and 13 wounded, while four Americans were wounded. The American flag was raised in the town center that same day and most of the Spanish troops retreated into the surrounding mountains. The U.S. Army then established its headquarters in Ponce.
After the U.S. invasion, Americans chose to centralize the administration of the island in
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
, the capital, starting a period of socio-
economic stagnationEconomic stagnation, often called simply stagnation, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth . Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
for Ponce. This was worsened by several factors:
- Hurricane San Ciriaco
1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane and the tenth deadliest tropical cyclone in the basin. It was an intense and long-lived Atlantic Cape Verde-type hurricane which crossed Puerto Rico over the two day period August 8 to...
in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of the Aguirre sugar mill in Salinas
Salinas is a small municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Aibonito and Cayey; southeast of Coamo, east of Santa Isabel; and west of Guayama...
, and another one in GuánicaGuánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, diminished the commercial and agricultural activity in Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
plantations.
- The loss of the markets of Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
.
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back in the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the
Ponce CementCEMEX S.A. de C.V. is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
, Vasallo Industries, and Serrallés Distillery.
On March 21, 1937, Ponce was the scene of a violent incident, remembered as the "
Ponce MassacreThe Ponce Massacre is a violent chapter in the political history of Puerto Rico. On March 21, 1937 a march was organized in the southern city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party...
", in which nineteen unarmed
NationalistThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, the Catalonian José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican...
demonstrators, peacefully celebrating the 64th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, were fatally shot by the
InsularAn insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States....
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
under orders from the United States'
COINTELPROCOINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political organizations within the United States...
(Counter Intelligence Program) and the non-democratically elected military assigned Governor of the time, Major General Blanton C. Winship. The history behind this massacre can be reviewed at the
Ponce Massacre MuseumThe Museo de la Masacre de Ponce , is a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building is the site of the Ponce Massacre, and the museum depicts the history and events surrounding the event, which some describe as the most tragic event in the history of Puerto Rico's struggle for...
on Marina Street. An open-air park in the city, the
Pedro Albizu Campos ParkThe Pedro Albizu Campos Park is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 2007, to the memory of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos by the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was born...
, is dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Dr.
Pedro Albizu CamposPedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
. Ponce history in general is illustrated at the
Ponce History MuseumThe Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. One of the buildings of the museum was the former home of the...
on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity in the Island, being the founding site of several major political parties. It has also been the birthplace of several important political figures of the island, including
Luis A. FerréLuis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico becoming...
and
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for one and two terms, respectively . An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico, having won his first term at the age...
, both former
governors of Puerto RicoThe Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
.
The Mameyes Landslide
In October 1985, Ponce suffered a great tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in an area known as Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and corpses. The United States and many other countries, including
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
, sent economic, human, and machinery relief.
Recent history
In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
due to its economic progress and increasing population.
Ponce's mayor for 15 years (since 1989),
Rafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero Santiago —better known as Churumba— was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004...
, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three successive brain strokes. Vice-mayor
Delis Castillo Rivera de SantiagoDelis Castillo Rivera de Santiago was interim mayor of Ponce from 2004 to 2005. She filled in the post left vacant by the sudden death of long-time Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago, completing Mayor Cordero Santiago's term. Prior to filling in the office of mayor, Ms. Castillo Rivera was vice-mayor...
finished off his term. Cordero was succeeded by
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former representative and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. In the general elections of 2008
María "Mayita" MeléndezDr. María Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected at the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008.-See also:-External links:*...
was elected as the current mayor of the city of Ponce.
The complete history of Ponce can be appreciated at the
Museo de la Historia de PonceThe Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. One of the buildings of the museum was the former home of the...
, which opened in the city in 1992. It despicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the close of the twentieth century.
Flag and coat of arms
The
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
of Ponce contains a red and black coloured shield. There is a five tower gold crown that indicates that Ponce is a city by royal decree. As an exterior frame to shield, there is a
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
plant on the right of the shield, and to the left a coffee tree branch.
The shield of Ponce is divided by a diagonal line that crosses straight from the superior end to the left inferior end. In this divided field is the color red (for the fire that almost destroyed the city), that covers the superior right portion and the color black (for the ashes after that fire). On that black and red background is a yellow lion with black mane, walking towards the left of the shield, facing right of the shield. The lion is on a bridge, meaning that you must cross a river to enter the city by any region. The shield is bordered by a coffee plant branch and a sugar cane plant, in which the early economy of the city was based.
Geography
Ponce's municipal territory reaches the central mountain range to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Geographically speaking, the southern area of the territory is part of the Ponce-Patillas alluvial plain subsector and the southern coastal plain, which were created by the consolidation of the valleys of the southern side of the central mountain range and the Cayey mountain range. The central area of the municipality is part of the semi-arid southern hills. These two regions are classified as being the driest on the island. The northern part of the municipality is considered to be within the rainy western mountains. The lowest elevation is sea level; the highest elevation is Cerro Punta, Chiriquí at 1,338 meters (4,390 feet), the highest in Puerto Rico, located on the boundary between Ponce's Anón ward and Veguitas ward in
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
.
Nineteen (19) barrios comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to extremely mountaneos. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these eight: Canas, Quebrada Limon, Marueño, Magueyes, Tibes, Portugues, Machuelo, and Cerrillos. The barrios of Coto Laurel, Capitanejo, Sabanetas, Vayas, and Bucaná also surround the outskits of the city but these are mostly flat. The remaining six (6) other barrios are further away from the city and their topology is rugged mountain terrain. These are (clockwise): Guaraguao, San Patricio, Monte Llano, Maraguez, Anón, and Real. This is because through these parts of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island.. The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city.
There is a sismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.
Barrio Anon is home to
Cerro MaravillaCerro Maravilla is one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico at . It is located in the city of Jayuya in the center area of the island, and is part of the Cordillera Central ....
, a peak that at 1,245 meters is Puerto Rico's highest peak outside of peaks within
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
.
Land features
Elevations include
Cerro de PuntaCerro de Punta is the highest peak of Puerto Rico measuring above sea level. The mountain is located in the Cordillera Central, in the municipality of Jayuya....
at 1,338 meters (4,390 feet), the highest in Puerto Rico, located on the boundary between Anón ward in Ponce and Veguitas ward in
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
. Mount Jayuya, at 1,315 meters (4,314 feet) is located on the boundary between Anón ward and Saliente ward in Jayuya.
Mount MaravillaCerro Maravilla is one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico at . It is located in the city of Jayuya in the center area of the island, and is part of the Cordillera Central ....
, at nearly 1,210 meters (3,970 feet) above sea level, is located to the east of Anón ward. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 680 meters (2,231 feet) and Mount Marueño, at 640 meters (2,100 feet), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the
Toro Negro ForestToro Negro State Forest is a forest located in the central region of the island of Puerto Rico. The forest covers 10.5 square miles of mountains, with heights that include Cerro de Punta, the highest peak in the island...
is located in Anón ward. Coastal
promontoriesPromontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
include Cuchara, Peñoncillo, Carnero, and Cabullón points.
Water features
The rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are
JacaguasThe Jacaguas River is a river in Puerto Rico. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Ponce.Jacaguas has a length of approximately 22 miles with its origin in the municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico at an altitude of approximately 2,099 feet above sea level...
,
InabónThe Río Inabón is a river of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It starts off from barrio Anón, north of the city of Ponce, and it is some 28.5 kilometers long. It is fed by the Rio Anón, Rio Guayo y Emajagua Brook.-External links:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
,
Bucaná (Cerrillos)The Río Bucaná is a river in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana starts off in barrio Machuelo Arriba and runs for some 29.5 kilometers until it drains into the Caribbean Sea. It is fed by the San Patricio, Bayagán, and Prieto rivers, and the Ausubo Brook...
,
PortuguésThe Portugués River is a river in Puerto Rico. It has its origin in barrio Portugués in the bordering municipality of Adjuntas, just north of Ponce, and drains into the Caribbean Sea after running for some 27.6 kilometers...
,
Cañas-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
,
San Patricio-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and
Matilde (Pastillo)The Río Matilde is a river in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Matilde, also known as Río Pastillo, has its origin in barrio Marueño in Ponce and runs for approximately 19 kilometers . One of the rivers that flows into it is Río Cañas, which originates in Ponce's barrio Guaraguao, in the northern section...
. The Jacaguas River runs for a brief stretch on the southeast area of the municipality. The Inabón River springs from Anón ward and runs through the municipality for some 28.5 kilometers (18 miles); the tributaries of the Inabón are the
Anón-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
and
Guayo-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 29.5 kilometers (18.5 miles) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio,
Bayagán-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and
Prieto-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 27.6 kilometers (17.3 miles) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 19 kilometers (12 miles); its tributaries are the Cañas River and the Limón and del Agua brooks. Lakes in Ponce include Bronce and Ponceña as well as lakes bearing numbers: Uno, Dos, Tres, and Cinco; and the Salinas lagoon, which is considered a restricted lagoon. Other water bodies are the springs at Quintana and the
La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
and El Tuque beaches. There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island. Lake Cerrillos is located within the limits of the municipality.
Geographic features of the coast include Cabullón inlet, and Ratones, Cardona, Gato, and Fríos keys. Caja de Muertos Island and Morrillito islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a
mangroveMangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S. The saline conditions tolerated by various species range from brackish water, through pure seawater , to water of over twice the salinity of ocean seawater,...
covering an area of approximately 40 hectares at Cabullón promontory and Fríos keys. The mangrove at Salinas lagoon covers an area of about 15 hectares. The Rita cave is located in Cerrillos ward."
Climate
Ponce has winter highs averaging 87°F (30.5°C) and summer highs, 93°F (34°C). It has a record high of 100°F (38°C), which occurred on August 21, 2003, and a record low of 51 °F (10.5°C) which occurred on February 28, 2004, tieing the record low of 51 °F from January 25, 1993.
Architecture
During the 19th Century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development. Architects like Francisco Valls, Manuel Víctor Domenech, Eduardo Salich, Blas Saliva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers, Francisco Porrata Doria and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of
creoleThe term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, kreol, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and
neoclassicNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
styles to give the city a unique look. This can be seen in the various structures located in the center of the city like the Teatro La Perla. To showcase its rich architectural heritage, the city has opened the
Museum of Puerto Rican ArchitectureThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a colonial style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture.-History:The structure was...
at the
Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a colonial style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture.-History:The structure was...
residence.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to street corners) are modeled on
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
's architecture, given the city's strong
CatalonianThe Catalans are the people from, or with origins in Catalonia, an Autonomous Community in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France –known in Catalonia proper as Catalunya Nord, and in France as the Pays Catalan– are often included in this definition.-Extended concept:The...
heritage.
Barrios
The municipality of Ponce is made up of 31
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s (wards/districts).
The 2000 Census showed that Barrio Canas was the most populated ward of the municipality.
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows: :
- Anón
- Bucaná
- Canas
- Canas Urbano
- Capitanejo
- Cerrillos
- Coto Laurel
- Cuarto
- Guaraguao
- Machuelo Abajo
- Machuelo Arriba
- Magueyes
- Magueyes Urbano
- Maragũez
- Marueño
- Monte Llano
- Playa
- Portugués
- Portugués Urbano
- Primero
- Quebrada Limón
- Quinto
- Real
- Sabanetas
- San Antón
- San Patricio
- Segundo
- Sexto
- Tercero
- Tibes
- Vayas
Culture
The city is home to a long list of cultural assets including libraries, museums, galleries, and parks, hundreds of buildings of historical value including schools, residences, bridges, and estates, and frequent activities such as festivals and carnivals. The municipality invests close to half a million dollars in promoting its cultural assets. It established its first library in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with five other branches scattered throughout the municipality.
Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. Some of the more popular attractions are shown
HERE.
In recent years an intensive $440 million dollar revitalization project (called "Ponce en Marcha" ) has increased the city's historic area from 260 to 1,046 buildings. The
Ponce en Marcha project was conceived in 1985 by then governor
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for one and two terms, respectively . An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico, having won his first term at the age...
during his second term in
La FortalezaLa Fortaleza, is the current official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina . It is the oldest executive mansion in the New World...
. A significant number of buildings in Ponce are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nonprofit
Project for Public Places listed the historic downtown Ponce city center as one of the
60 of the World's Great Places, for its "graciously preserved showcase of Caribbean culture".
Downtown Ponce in particular features several landmarks.
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main town square in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias....
, the town's main square, features a beautiful fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the
Ponce CathedralThe Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe Cathedral is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, right behind the Parque de Bombas.-History:In 1670, a small chapel was built in...
, and
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
. This plaza is also a usual gathering place for "ponceños". Other buildings around Ponce's main plaza include the Casa Alcaldía (
Ponce City HallThe Ponce City Hall is located on Calle Degetau in Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico. It is the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to 1840. The building was listed on the U.S...
), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s, and the
Armstrong-Poventud ResidenceThe Armstrong-Poventud Residence, designed and built by architect Manuel Víctor Domenech for the Armstrong-Poventud family, is a building in the historic downtown district in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as the Armstrong-Toro House or the Casa de las Cariatides and is listed on the U.S...
, an example of the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
architectural heritage of the island.
Just north of downtown Ponce lies the
Serrallés CastleSerrallés Castle is an impressive mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown . It was built during the 1930s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serralles, founder of Destileria Serralles...
and the
Cruceta El VigíaCruceta El Vigia is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directly in front of the Serralles Castle museum. It houses a tourist center at its base, a 10 story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean...
, a 100-foot observation tower which overlooks the city. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones.
In the city outskirts, is the
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico is one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles...
discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered
potteryPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
. The center is the site of the oldest cemetery uncovered up to date in the Antilles. With some 200 skeletons unearthed from the year 300 AD it is considered the largest and the most important archaeological finding in the West Indies.
Also in the city outskirts is
Hacienda Buena VistaHacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives , is a plantation and estate in Ponce established in the 19th Century. The plantation was started by Don Salvador de Vives in 1833. It is now owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust , who operates it as a museum...
, an estate built in 1833 originally to growing fruits. It was converted into a
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
plantationA plantation is a large farm or estate, usually in a tropical or subtropical country, where crops are grown for sale in distant markets, rather than for local consumption. The term plantation is informal and not precisely defined....
and
gristmillA gristmill or grist mill is a building in which grain is ground into flour, or the grinding mechanism itself. In many countries these are referred to as corn mills or flour mills.- Early history :...
in 1845. It remained in operation until 1937, then fell into disrepair, but was restored by the government's
Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico. All the machinery works (the metal parts) are original, operated by water channeled from the 360 m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid or air flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum, with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they...
which makes the corn mill work.
Paseo Tablado La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
is located in the town's sea shore. It has kiosks with food and beverages, an open-space stage for activities, and a
marinaA marina is a sheltered harbor where boats and yachts are kept in the water and where services geared to the needs of recreational boating are found....
. From the observation tower on the boardwalk,
Cardona Island LightCardona Island Light, also known as Faro del Puerto de Ponce or Cayo Cardona Light, is located on a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the western minor light that together with Guánica Light connects Los Morrillos Light and Caja de Muertos...
can be seen. A 45-minute boat ride is also available to Isla de Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), a small beach island with an 1887
lighthouseCaja de Muertos Light is an historic lighthouse located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It stands at the highest point of the island.The light was built in 1887 as a 3rd order lighthouse...
.
The city is also building an
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, that will double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. It is due for completion in early 2010.
As of 2008, the City had also engaged in the development of a Convention Center with a capacity for 3,000 people. It was also to include two major hotels, apartment buildings, and recreational facilities.
Since the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels within the InterContinental Hotels Group .-History:The original Holiday Inn chain of hotels was created in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, by homebuilder Kemmons Wilson to provide inexpensive family accommodation for travelers within the United States...
, several hotels have been built to satisfy the tourism industry. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce
HiltonHilton Hotels is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels are either owned, managed, or franchised to independent operators by the Hilton Hotels Corporation. there are 533 Hilton branded hotels across...
Golf & Casino Resort, home to the new Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club, featuring a 27-hole
PGAProfessional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...
championship
golf courseA golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
.
Many large hotel chains are represented in addition to the Hilton and Holiday Inn chains, including
Howard Johnson'sHoward Johnson's is a chain of restaurants and hotels, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. The name is derived from the founder of the original company, Howard Deering Johnson, who started the initial chain of restaurants and motels...
,
RamadaRamada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.- History :The lodging chain was founded in 1954 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W...
, and
Quality InnChoice Hotels International is a hospitality holding corporation which owns several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2008, Choice Hotels’ total revenue was $642 million, of which, $637 million from Franchise, and $4.94 million from Corporate Items...
.
MeliaSol Meliá, S.A. is a Spanish hotel chain which was founded by Gabriel Escarrer Juliá in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca. The company is the world's largest operator of holiday resorts and the 13th biggest hotel chain worldwide. Domestically the company is the market leader in both resort and urban hotels...
, the most recognized hotel chain in Europe, has been in the city since the early days of this chain in 1956.
IntercontinentalInterContinental Hotels Group PLC is a multinational company which operates several hotel brands. It is the largest hotel company by number of rooms , and is headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire just outside Greater London...
is under refurbishment and will soon re-open its doors atop the hill near
El VigiaCruceta El Vigia is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directly in front of the Serralles Castle museum. It houses a tourist center at its base, a 10 story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean...
as the Magna Vista Resort. The municipal government will also invest more than $1 million dollars in area renovations. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by
SheratonSheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts' largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...
, and
MarriottMarriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
Courtyard, among others.
Culture
The city values its cultural traditional as evidenced in the renovatioon project
Ponce En March. It is deeply rooted in its old cultural, artistic, musical heritage. The love for art and and architecture, for exmaple, can be appreciated at its museum of art, music, and architecture. "Over the last century or so, the north [San Juan, Puerto Rico] willingly accepted the influence of
western cultureWestern culture refers to cultures of European origin.The term "Western culture" is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and technologies...
with its tendency toward large sprawling metropolises, and the displacement of old values and attitudes. Ponce, on the other hand, has been content to retain its old traditions and
cultureCulture is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. Ponce is not concerned about losing its long standing position as the second largest city in population after San Juan. On the contrary, she prefers to maintain her current size, and stick to its old traditions and culture."
Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like
BombaBomba is one of the most famous musical styles of Puerto Rico. Although there is some controversy surrounding its origin, most agree that it is a largely African music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of hand drums and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native of Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderettas or panderos or pleneras and are accompanied by a scrape gourd, guiro. Pleneras resemble tambourines...
took place in the south region of the island, mainly in Ponce. Barrio San Antón is known as one of the birthplaces of the rhythm. Every July, Ponce celebrates an annual festival of Bomba and Plena which includes various musicians and parades.
Immigrants from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England came to Ponce to develop an international city that still maintains its rich
TaínoThe Taínos are pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is believed that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
n heritage. The African personality, belief, and music add flavor and colorful rhythm to Ponce's culture. Part of this are the influences of the
BombaBomba is one of the most famous musical styles of Puerto Rico. Although there is some controversy surrounding its origin, most agree that it is a largely African music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of hand drums and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native of Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderettas or panderos or pleneras and are accompanied by a scrape gourd, guiro. Pleneras resemble tambourines...
rhythms. These are a combination and Caribbean and African music.
Ponce has also been the birthplace of several well-known singers and musicians. From
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singers like
Antonio PaoliAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors" and as the "Tenor of the Kings". He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts.-Early years:Paoli was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...
, who was renowned all around the world during the early 1900s, to contemporary singers like
Ednita NazarioEdnita Nazario is a Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, that has achieved great success both in the island and abroad. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female balladeer. She has been in the music business from a very young age, and has released over twenty albums...
(
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
) and
TempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. It is a crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
(
reggaetonReggaeton is a form of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth in the early 1990s. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton's predecessor was originated in Panama as reggae en español...
). Also, countless
SalsaSalsa music is a diverse and predominantly Cuban Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad that was brought to international fame by Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians. Salsa incorporates multiple styles and variations; the term has been used to describe most any...
singers like
Héctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City when he was seventeen years...
,
Cheo FelicianoJosé Luis Feliciano Vega, better known as Cheo Feliciano , is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.-Early years:...
, and
Ismael QuintanaIsmael Quintana is a singer and composer of salsa music.-Early years:Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old; here he went to school and whilst he was still in high school he formed a band with his neighborhood...
also come from the city.
Ponce is the birthplace of one of the oldest
carnivalCarnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February...
s celebrated in the Western Hemisphere called the
Carnaval de PonceThe Carnaval de Ponce is an annual celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. These celebration is held in February and is considered one of the oldest carnivals of the Western Hemisphere dating back to 1858. The Carnaval coincides with the Mardi Gras of New Orleans and the Carnival of Venice and Rio...
. The carnival, celebrated in February, dates back to 1858 and probably earlier. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
The
Museum of Puerto Rican MusicThe Museum of Puerto Rican Music is a museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico that showcases the development of Puerto Rican music, with displays of Taíno, Spanish, and African musical instruments that were played in the romantic danza genre, the favorite music of 19th-century Puerto Rican society, as well...
, located at the Serrallés-Nevárez family residence in downtown Ponce, illustrates music history on the Island, most of which had its origin and development in Ponce.
Arts
Ponce's love for the arts goes back to at least 1864 when the Teatro La Perla was built. Ponce is also the birthplace of artists like Miguel Pou, Horacio Castaing, and several others in the fields of
paintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard and/or plastic material, sound, and/or text and or light, commonly stone , metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together and fired, welded, molded,...
, and others. The City is one of only seven cities in the
Western HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the eastern hemisphere...
(the others being
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
,
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
,
ValparaisoValparaíso is a city in central Chile and one of that country's most important seaports and an increasingly vital cultural center in the hemisphere's Pacific Southwest. The city is the capital of the Region of Valparaíso...
,
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
,
Mar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Buenos Aires Province, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is one of the major fishing ports and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina....
, and
RosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located 300 km northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
) in Ruta Europea del Modernisme, an international non-profit association for the promotion and protection of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century . The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'...
heritage in the world.
Today, Ponce has more museums (nine) than any other municipality in the Island. Ponce is home to the Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP), founded in 1959 by fellow "ponceño"
Luis A. FerréLuis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico becoming...
. The museum was operated by Ferré until his death at the age of 99, and it is now under the direction of the Luis A. Ferré Foundation. Designed by
Edward Durell StoneEdward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect.-Early life:Stone was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a small college town in the northwest corner of the state. His family, early settlers of the area, owned a prosperous dry goods store. One of his childhood friends was J...
, renowned architect of
Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
and the
Museum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the...
in
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, MAP is the only museum of international stature on the Island, the only one accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), and the only one that has received a design prize of honor from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It houses the most extensive art collection in the Caribbean.
Dating back to 1858, Ponce's Carnival is the oldest carnival in Puerto Rico, and acquired an international flavor for its 150th anniversary.
Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the
Ponce Lions (or
Lionesses) regardless of the sport. The Ponce Lions basketball team is one of the leading teams of the island winning a total of twelve championships during their tenure. The team's venue is the
Juan Pachín Vicéns AuditoriumJuan Pachín Vicens Auditorium is a well known sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The auditorium opened on May 12, 1972 and is named after renowned basketball player, Juan "Pachín" Vicéns , though it was first dubbed as "coliseum", not "auditorium".The auditorium has been remodeled...
. The teams of baseball and volleyball (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the
Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it was opened on October 15, 1949. It is the multipurpose sporting facility in Puerto Rico. It is currently the home of the Ponce Lions of the Winter League Baseball season...
. The stadium is located next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium.
In 2007 Ponce was host to
Club Atlético River Plate Puerto RicoClub Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico, known also as River Plate, RPPR or simply River, is a Puerto Rican football club, established in 2007 which play in the Puerto Rico Soccer League...
futbol team, which currently plays in the
Puerto Rico Soccer LeagueThe Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and has a total of 9 teams. Football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to further develop the game on the...
. They play at
Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it was opened on October 15, 1949. It is the multipurpose sporting facility in Puerto Rico. It is currently the home of the Ponce Lions of the Winter League Baseball season...
and are expected to play in the
United Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of U.S. and Canadian soccer: USL First Division , USL Second Division , and Premier Development League . The top tier for U.S. and Canadian men's soccer is Major League Soccer , with Women's Professional...
, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico after the
Puerto Rico IslandersPuerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional soccer team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
. Ponce was also the site of the 1993
Central American and Caribbean GamesThe Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics...
.
The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum in Ponce was dedicated to the honor of Puerto Rico's great sports men and women.
Recreation
Ponce is the site of many parks and several beaches. Both passive and active parks are available. Among the most popular passive parks are the Enrique Monagas Family Park on Ponce By-Pass Road and the Parque Urbano Dora Colon Clavell in the downtown area. Active parks include the Charles H. Terry Athletic Field, and several municipal tennis courts. There are also many basketball courts scattered throughout the various barrios of the municipality. Ponce has three beaches, namely, El Tuque Beach at Sector El Tuque on highway
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, or PR-2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
,
La Guancha BeachThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
at the La Guancha Sector, and Caja de Muertos Beach at Isla Caja de Muertos.
Economy
Ponce is considered to be amongst the most developed municipalities in Puerto Rico. Its
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
sectors include electronic and electrical equipment, communications equipment, food processing, pharmaceutical drugs, concrete plants, and scientific instruments. It also produces leather products, needlework, and fish flour to a lesser extend.
In the agricultural sector, the most important products are
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
, followed by
plantainMusa paradisiaca, the plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana ....
s,
bananaBanana is the common name for a herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, and the commonly eaten fruit it produces. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.Banana...
s,
orangesAn orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus ×sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine...
, and
grapefruitThe grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its bitter fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Jamaica. When found in Barbados it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it is also called the "shaddock", after its creator....
s. A mix of public and private services, as well as finance, retail sales, and construction round up Ponce's economic rhythm.
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's chief
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
port and is an agricultural, trade, and distribution center. Industries include tourism, the processing of agricultural products,
rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
distilling, canning, and diamond cutting. Manufactures include textiles, shoes, cement, paper, electrical devices, and metal products. Ponce is home to the
SerrallesJuan Serrallés Colon was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita and what was to become Destilerias Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
rum distillery (home of the Don Q, Captain Morgan, and Parrot Bay rums).
In 2005, the municipality's budget was $152 million US dollars.
For many years commercial retail activity in Ponce centered around what is now
Paseo AtochaPaseo Atocha is a pedestrian mall in Ponce’s historic district that for centuries used to be a street opened to motor vehicles. The street, which is now closed to motor vehicle traffic, stretches over four blocks from Isabel Street to Vives Street...
. This has shifted in recent years, and most retail activity today occurs in one of Ponce's various
mallA shopping mall, shopping centre or shopping center is a building or multiple buildings consisting of a complex of shops representing leading merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a convenient parking area – a modern,...
s, in particular
Plaza del CaribePlaza del Caribe is a enclosed shopping mall located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Empresas Fonalledas, which also owns Plaza las Americas in San Juan, and it is the largest mall in southern Puerto Rico....
.
Demographics
Ponce is both a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
and a
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
in southern part of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
The
City of PonceA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
is the second largest city in Puerto Rico outside of the
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
metropolitan area, and is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the grandson of
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
. Ponce is often referred to as
La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South),
La Ciudad Señorial de Puerto Rico (The Noble City of Puerto Rico), and
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city of Ponce serves as the governmental seat of the autonomous municipality as well as the regional hub for various
Government of Puerto RicoThe Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...
entities, such as the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other
CommonwealthPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
government agencies. The city is also the seat of a
Catholic DiocesisThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico, an American commonwealth. The diocese is led by a prelate bishop which pastors the motherchurch in the...
.
The
Municipality of PonceThere are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the United States Government, but Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities or "municipios" at the second order. For U.S. Census purposes, a municipality in Puerto Rico is equivalent to a county. They are conveniently grouped into eight...
, officially the
Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, is located in the Southern Coastal Plain region of the island, south of
AdjuntasAdjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
,
UtuadoUtuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central/western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third largest...
, and
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
; east of
PeñuelasPeñuelas is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, east of Guayanilla, west of Ponce and north of the Caribbean Sea. Peñuelas is spread over 12 wards and Peñuelas Pueblo . It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area...
; west of
Juana DíazJuana Díaz is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juana Díaz is spread over 12 wards and Juana Diaz Pueblo...
; and bordered on the south by the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. The municipality has a total of 19
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s (wards), plus the urban area of the city (12 additional
barrios) including the historic
Ponce Pueblo (the downtown area of the city), which is located approximately three miles inland from the shores of the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. Ponce is a principal city of both the
Ponce Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area in south central Puerto Rico. A July 1, 2007 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 263,411, a 0.57% decrease from the 2000 census figure of 264,919.Ponce is the third largest...
and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The municipality of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area after the municipality of
AreciboArecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
. Ponce was the first
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it refers to the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
in 1991 under a new law (
The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
Early settlers
The region of what is Ponce now belonged to the
TaínoThe Taínos are pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is believed that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America...
GuayniaGuaynia was the territory that stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico in pre-Columbian times. The Taino cacique Agueybana ruled the area around Guayanilla when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493....
region, which stretched along the southern coast of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The region was led by
caciqueCacique or Cazique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
Agüeybana. He was one of the caciques that greeted Spanish
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
when he came to the island in 1508.
During the first years of the colonization,
SpanishSpanish people or Spaniards constitute the nationality and ethnic group of natives of Spain, a European country in the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. The Spanish nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the complex history of Spain...
families started settling around the
Jacaguas RiverThe Jacaguas River is a river in Puerto Rico. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Ponce.Jacaguas has a length of approximately 22 miles with its origin in the municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico at an altitude of approximately 2,099 feet above sea level...
, in the south of the island. For safety reasons, these families moved to the
Portugués RiverThe Portugués River is a river in Puerto Rico. It has its origin in barrio Portugués in the bordering municipality of Adjuntas, just north of Ponce, and drains into the Caribbean Sea after running for some 27.6 kilometers...
, then called Barayama. In 1670, a small
chapelA chapel is a building used as a place for fellowship and of worship for Christians. It may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, or may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with its own grounds...
was raised and dedicated in honor of
Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated 16th-century icon of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The image, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe represents a famous Marian apparition. According to the traditional account, the image appeared miraculously on the front of a simple peasant's cloak...
in the middle of the small settlement.
In 1692 Juan Ponce de León y Loayza (Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson) obtained a royal permit (
cédula real) to formalize the founding of the
hamletA hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community...
. It was declared a villa in 1848, and obtained its city charter in 1877 .
19th Century wave of immigrants
As a result of the
Royal Decree of Graces of 1815The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 is a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown in the early half of the 19th century to encourage Spaniards and later Europeans of non-Spanish origin to settle and populate the colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico....
, a strong influx of immigrants from
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
came to the region of Ponce, strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from regions like
CataloniaCatalonia is an Autonomous Community in northeast Spain. The capital city is Barcelona.Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,364,078. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the...
, the
Balearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula....
, and other regions of eastern
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, as well as from the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
(one of
Vanna WhiteVanna White is an American television personality, best known as puzzle-board presenter & co-host on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
's ancestors was mayor of the city once),
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Also, wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
,
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
came to Ponce.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
,
cornMaize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
harvesting,
rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
production,
bankA bank is a financial institution licensed by a government. Its primary activities include borrowing and lending money.Many other financial activities were allowed over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds...
ing and
financeFinance is the science of funds management. The general areas of finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance. Finance includes saving money and often includes lending money. The field of finance deals with the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated...
, the importing of industrial machinery,
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
foundries and other enterprises. At time of the American invasion of the Island, Ponce was the largest city in Puerto Rico. At that time it also had the best capitalized financial institutions in the Island. Ponce also had its own currency.
While
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
was celebrating its
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I...
(
Victorian eraThe Victorian era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from June 1837 until her death on the 22nd of January 1901. The reign was a long period of prosperity for the British people, as profits gained from the overseas British Empire, as well as from industrial improvements...
), Ponce followed suit with its own exposition fair, the Ponce Fair. Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877, Don Miguel Rosich conceptualized an exposition fair for Ponce. This was approved in 1880, and the exposition fair was held in the city in 1882, where several industrial and agricultural advancements were shown. "It is important to establish a relationship between the European exhibitions that I have mentioned and the Ponce Fair, as the Fair was meant as a showcase of the advancements of the day: Agriculture, Trade, Industry, and the Arts. Just as with the 1878 World's Fair in Paris, the electric grid of the city of Ponce was inaugurated on the first day of the Ponce Fair. In this occasion the
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main town square in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias....
and various other buildings, including the Merchatile Union Building, the
Ponce CasinoThe Old Ponce Casino is a historic structure, built in 1922 and located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Originally built as a social club for Ponce's elite, it is currently used as the premier reception center of The Noble City of Puerto Rico.When built in 1922, it was actually the replacement quarters...
, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the
incandescent light bulbThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence . An electric current passes through a thin filament, heating it until it produces light...
for the first time".
In 1883, Ponce was ravaged by an enormous fire. The fire threatened to destroy much of the south coast, but thanks to the firemen of Ponce (who operated from Ponce's
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
fire station) Ponce and the south were saved. The
Parque de Bombas fire station in the central plaza has since become a museum and tourist attraction. The station continued serving the Ponce community until 1990, when it was closed and the building's activities were entirely dedicated to a museum, which is still open to the general public.
Ponce in the 20th Century
At the time of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Spanish–American War, Ponce was the largest city in the island. With a population of 22,000, Ponce had the best road in Puerto Rico, built by the Spanish for military purposes, and running from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
. The taking of Ponce by American troops "was a critical turning point in the Puerto Rican campaign. For the first time the Americans held a major port to funnel large numbers of men and quantities of war materiel into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the West Indies, putting the US forces on the island in direct communication with
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
for the first time since the start of the campaign.
The Americans arrived on July 28, after marching from their landing at
GuánicaGuánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. There were skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. On the Spanish side, three men were killed and 13 wounded, while four Americans were wounded. The American flag was raised in the town center that same day and most of the Spanish troops retreated into the surrounding mountains. The U.S. Army then established its headquarters in Ponce.
After the U.S. invasion, Americans chose to centralize the administration of the island in
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
, the capital, starting a period of socio-
economic stagnationEconomic stagnation, often called simply stagnation, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth . Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
for Ponce. This was worsened by several factors:
- Hurricane San Ciriaco
1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane and the tenth deadliest tropical cyclone in the basin. It was an intense and long-lived Atlantic Cape Verde-type hurricane which crossed Puerto Rico over the two day period August 8 to...
in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of the Aguirre sugar mill in Salinas
Salinas is a small municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Aibonito and Cayey; southeast of Coamo, east of Santa Isabel; and west of Guayama...
, and another one in GuánicaGuánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, diminished the commercial and agricultural activity in Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
plantations.
- The loss of the markets of Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
.
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back in the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the
Ponce CementCEMEX S.A. de C.V. is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
, Vasallo Industries, and Serrallés Distillery.
On March 21, 1937, Ponce was the scene of a violent incident, remembered as the "
Ponce MassacreThe Ponce Massacre is a violent chapter in the political history of Puerto Rico. On March 21, 1937 a march was organized in the southern city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party...
", in which nineteen unarmed
NationalistThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, the Catalonian José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican...
demonstrators, peacefully celebrating the 64th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, were fatally shot by the
InsularAn insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States....
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
under orders from the United States'
COINTELPROCOINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political organizations within the United States...
(Counter Intelligence Program) and the non-democratically elected military assigned Governor of the time, Major General Blanton C. Winship. The history behind this massacre can be reviewed at the
Ponce Massacre MuseumThe Museo de la Masacre de Ponce , is a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building is the site of the Ponce Massacre, and the museum depicts the history and events surrounding the event, which some describe as the most tragic event in the history of Puerto Rico's struggle for...
on Marina Street. An open-air park in the city, the
Pedro Albizu Campos ParkThe Pedro Albizu Campos Park is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 2007, to the memory of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos by the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was born...
, is dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Dr.
Pedro Albizu CamposPedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
. Ponce history in general is illustrated at the
Ponce History MuseumThe Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. One of the buildings of the museum was the former home of the...
on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity in the Island, being the founding site of several major political parties. It has also been the birthplace of several important political figures of the island, including
Luis A. FerréLuis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico becoming...
and
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for one and two terms, respectively . An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico, having won his first term at the age...
, both former
governors of Puerto RicoThe Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
.
The Mameyes Landslide
In October 1985, Ponce suffered a great tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in an area known as Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and corpses. The United States and many other countries, including
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
, sent economic, human, and machinery relief.
Recent history
In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
due to its economic progress and increasing population.
Ponce's mayor for 15 years (since 1989),
Rafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero Santiago —better known as Churumba— was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004...
, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three successive brain strokes. Vice-mayor
Delis Castillo Rivera de SantiagoDelis Castillo Rivera de Santiago was interim mayor of Ponce from 2004 to 2005. She filled in the post left vacant by the sudden death of long-time Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago, completing Mayor Cordero Santiago's term. Prior to filling in the office of mayor, Ms. Castillo Rivera was vice-mayor...
finished off his term. Cordero was succeeded by
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former representative and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. In the general elections of 2008
María "Mayita" MeléndezDr. María Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected at the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008.-See also:-External links:*...
was elected as the current mayor of the city of Ponce.
The complete history of Ponce can be appreciated at the
Museo de la Historia de PonceThe Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. One of the buildings of the museum was the former home of the...
, which opened in the city in 1992. It despicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the close of the twentieth century.
Flag and coat of arms
The
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
of Ponce contains a red and black coloured shield. There is a five tower gold crown that indicates that Ponce is a city by royal decree. As an exterior frame to shield, there is a
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
plant on the right of the shield, and to the left a coffee tree branch.
The shield of Ponce is divided by a diagonal line that crosses straight from the superior end to the left inferior end. In this divided field is the color red (for the fire that almost destroyed the city), that covers the superior right portion and the color black (for the ashes after that fire). On that black and red background is a yellow lion with black mane, walking towards the left of the shield, facing right of the shield. The lion is on a bridge, meaning that you must cross a river to enter the city by any region. The shield is bordered by a coffee plant branch and a sugar cane plant, in which the early economy of the city was based.
Geography
Ponce's municipal territory reaches the central mountain range to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Geographically speaking, the southern area of the territory is part of the Ponce-Patillas alluvial plain subsector and the southern coastal plain, which were created by the consolidation of the valleys of the southern side of the central mountain range and the Cayey mountain range. The central area of the municipality is part of the semi-arid southern hills. These two regions are classified as being the driest on the island. The northern part of the municipality is considered to be within the rainy western mountains. The lowest elevation is sea level; the highest elevation is Cerro Punta, Chiriquí at 1,338 meters (4,390 feet), the highest in Puerto Rico, located on the boundary between Ponce's Anón ward and Veguitas ward in
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
.
Nineteen (19) barrios comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to extremely mountaneos. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these eight: Canas, Quebrada Limon, Marueño, Magueyes, Tibes, Portugues, Machuelo, and Cerrillos. The barrios of Coto Laurel, Capitanejo, Sabanetas, Vayas, and Bucaná also surround the outskits of the city but these are mostly flat. The remaining six (6) other barrios are further away from the city and their topology is rugged mountain terrain. These are (clockwise): Guaraguao, San Patricio, Monte Llano, Maraguez, Anón, and Real. This is because through these parts of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island.. The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city.
There is a sismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.
Barrio Anon is home to
Cerro MaravillaCerro Maravilla is one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico at . It is located in the city of Jayuya in the center area of the island, and is part of the Cordillera Central ....
, a peak that at 1,245 meters is Puerto Rico's highest peak outside of peaks within
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
.
Land features
Elevations include
Cerro de PuntaCerro de Punta is the highest peak of Puerto Rico measuring above sea level. The mountain is located in the Cordillera Central, in the municipality of Jayuya....
at 1,338 meters (4,390 feet), the highest in Puerto Rico, located on the boundary between Anón ward in Ponce and Veguitas ward in
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
. Mount Jayuya, at 1,315 meters (4,314 feet) is located on the boundary between Anón ward and Saliente ward in Jayuya.
Mount MaravillaCerro Maravilla is one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico at . It is located in the city of Jayuya in the center area of the island, and is part of the Cordillera Central ....
, at nearly 1,210 meters (3,970 feet) above sea level, is located to the east of Anón ward. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 680 meters (2,231 feet) and Mount Marueño, at 640 meters (2,100 feet), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the
Toro Negro ForestToro Negro State Forest is a forest located in the central region of the island of Puerto Rico. The forest covers 10.5 square miles of mountains, with heights that include Cerro de Punta, the highest peak in the island...
is located in Anón ward. Coastal
promontoriesPromontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
include Cuchara, Peñoncillo, Carnero, and Cabullón points.
Water features
The rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are
JacaguasThe Jacaguas River is a river in Puerto Rico. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Ponce.Jacaguas has a length of approximately 22 miles with its origin in the municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico at an altitude of approximately 2,099 feet above sea level...
,
InabónThe Río Inabón is a river of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It starts off from barrio Anón, north of the city of Ponce, and it is some 28.5 kilometers long. It is fed by the Rio Anón, Rio Guayo y Emajagua Brook.-External links:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
,
Bucaná (Cerrillos)The Río Bucaná is a river in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana starts off in barrio Machuelo Arriba and runs for some 29.5 kilometers until it drains into the Caribbean Sea. It is fed by the San Patricio, Bayagán, and Prieto rivers, and the Ausubo Brook...
,
PortuguésThe Portugués River is a river in Puerto Rico. It has its origin in barrio Portugués in the bordering municipality of Adjuntas, just north of Ponce, and drains into the Caribbean Sea after running for some 27.6 kilometers...
,
Cañas-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
,
San Patricio-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and
Matilde (Pastillo)The Río Matilde is a river in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Matilde, also known as Río Pastillo, has its origin in barrio Marueño in Ponce and runs for approximately 19 kilometers . One of the rivers that flows into it is Río Cañas, which originates in Ponce's barrio Guaraguao, in the northern section...
. The Jacaguas River runs for a brief stretch on the southeast area of the municipality. The Inabón River springs from Anón ward and runs through the municipality for some 28.5 kilometers (18 miles); the tributaries of the Inabón are the
Anón-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
and
Guayo-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 29.5 kilometers (18.5 miles) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio,
Bayagán-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and
Prieto-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 27.6 kilometers (17.3 miles) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 19 kilometers (12 miles); its tributaries are the Cañas River and the Limón and del Agua brooks. Lakes in Ponce include Bronce and Ponceña as well as lakes bearing numbers: Uno, Dos, Tres, and Cinco; and the Salinas lagoon, which is considered a restricted lagoon. Other water bodies are the springs at Quintana and the
La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
and El Tuque beaches. There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island. Lake Cerrillos is located within the limits of the municipality.
Geographic features of the coast include Cabullón inlet, and Ratones, Cardona, Gato, and Fríos keys. Caja de Muertos Island and Morrillito islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a
mangroveMangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S. The saline conditions tolerated by various species range from brackish water, through pure seawater , to water of over twice the salinity of ocean seawater,...
covering an area of approximately 40 hectares at Cabullón promontory and Fríos keys. The mangrove at Salinas lagoon covers an area of about 15 hectares. The Rita cave is located in Cerrillos ward."
Climate
Ponce has winter highs averaging 87°F (30.5°C) and summer highs, 93°F (34°C). It has a record high of 100°F (38°C), which occurred on August 21, 2003, and a record low of 51 °F (10.5°C) which occurred on February 28, 2004, tieing the record low of 51 °F from January 25, 1993.
Architecture
During the 19th Century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development. Architects like Francisco Valls, Manuel Víctor Domenech, Eduardo Salich, Blas Saliva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers, Francisco Porrata Doria and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of
creoleThe term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, kreol, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and
neoclassicNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
styles to give the city a unique look. This can be seen in the various structures located in the center of the city like the Teatro La Perla. To showcase its rich architectural heritage, the city has opened the
Museum of Puerto Rican ArchitectureThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a colonial style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture.-History:The structure was...
at the
Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a colonial style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture.-History:The structure was...
residence.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to street corners) are modeled on
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
's architecture, given the city's strong
CatalonianThe Catalans are the people from, or with origins in Catalonia, an Autonomous Community in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France –known in Catalonia proper as Catalunya Nord, and in France as the Pays Catalan– are often included in this definition.-Extended concept:The...
heritage.
Barrios
The municipality of Ponce is made up of 31
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s (wards/districts).
The 2000 Census showed that Barrio Canas was the most populated ward of the municipality.
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows: :
- Anón
- Bucaná
- Canas
- Canas Urbano
- Capitanejo
- Cerrillos
- Coto Laurel
- Cuarto
- Guaraguao
- Machuelo Abajo
- Machuelo Arriba
- Magueyes
- Magueyes Urbano
- Maragũez
- Marueño
- Monte Llano
- Playa
- Portugués
- Portugués Urbano
- Primero
- Quebrada Limón
- Quinto
- Real
- Sabanetas
- San Antón
- San Patricio
- Segundo
- Sexto
- Tercero
- Tibes
- Vayas
Culture
The city is home to a long list of cultural assets including libraries, museums, galleries, and parks, hundreds of buildings of historical value including schools, residences, bridges, and estates, and frequent activities such as festivals and carnivals. The municipality invests close to half a million dollars in promoting its cultural assets. It established its first library in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with five other branches scattered throughout the municipality.
Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. Some of the more popular attractions are shown
HERE.
In recent years an intensive $440 million dollar revitalization project (called "Ponce en Marcha" ) has increased the city's historic area from 260 to 1,046 buildings. The
Ponce en Marcha project was conceived in 1985 by then governor
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for one and two terms, respectively . An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico, having won his first term at the age...
during his second term in
La FortalezaLa Fortaleza, is the current official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina . It is the oldest executive mansion in the New World...
. A significant number of buildings in Ponce are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nonprofit
Project for Public Places listed the historic downtown Ponce city center as one of the
60 of the World's Great Places, for its "graciously preserved showcase of Caribbean culture".
Downtown Ponce in particular features several landmarks.
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main town square in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias....
, the town's main square, features a beautiful fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the
Ponce CathedralThe Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe Cathedral is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, right behind the Parque de Bombas.-History:In 1670, a small chapel was built in...
, and
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
. This plaza is also a usual gathering place for "ponceños". Other buildings around Ponce's main plaza include the Casa Alcaldía (
Ponce City HallThe Ponce City Hall is located on Calle Degetau in Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico. It is the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to 1840. The building was listed on the U.S...
), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s, and the
Armstrong-Poventud ResidenceThe Armstrong-Poventud Residence, designed and built by architect Manuel Víctor Domenech for the Armstrong-Poventud family, is a building in the historic downtown district in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as the Armstrong-Toro House or the Casa de las Cariatides and is listed on the U.S...
, an example of the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
architectural heritage of the island.
Just north of downtown Ponce lies the
Serrallés CastleSerrallés Castle is an impressive mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown . It was built during the 1930s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serralles, founder of Destileria Serralles...
and the
Cruceta El VigíaCruceta El Vigia is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directly in front of the Serralles Castle museum. It houses a tourist center at its base, a 10 story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean...
, a 100-foot observation tower which overlooks the city. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones.
In the city outskirts, is the
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico is one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles...
discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered
potteryPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
. The center is the site of the oldest cemetery uncovered up to date in the Antilles. With some 200 skeletons unearthed from the year 300 AD it is considered the largest and the most important archaeological finding in the West Indies.
Also in the city outskirts is
Hacienda Buena VistaHacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives , is a plantation and estate in Ponce established in the 19th Century. The plantation was started by Don Salvador de Vives in 1833. It is now owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust , who operates it as a museum...
, an estate built in 1833 originally to growing fruits. It was converted into a
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
plantationA plantation is a large farm or estate, usually in a tropical or subtropical country, where crops are grown for sale in distant markets, rather than for local consumption. The term plantation is informal and not precisely defined....
and
gristmillA gristmill or grist mill is a building in which grain is ground into flour, or the grinding mechanism itself. In many countries these are referred to as corn mills or flour mills.- Early history :...
in 1845. It remained in operation until 1937, then fell into disrepair, but was restored by the government's
Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico. All the machinery works (the metal parts) are original, operated by water channeled from the 360 m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid or air flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum, with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they...
which makes the corn mill work.
Paseo Tablado La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
is located in the town's sea shore. It has kiosks with food and beverages, an open-space stage for activities, and a
marinaA marina is a sheltered harbor where boats and yachts are kept in the water and where services geared to the needs of recreational boating are found....
. From the observation tower on the boardwalk,
Cardona Island LightCardona Island Light, also known as Faro del Puerto de Ponce or Cayo Cardona Light, is located on a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the western minor light that together with Guánica Light connects Los Morrillos Light and Caja de Muertos...
can be seen. A 45-minute boat ride is also available to Isla de Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), a small beach island with an 1887
lighthouseCaja de Muertos Light is an historic lighthouse located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It stands at the highest point of the island.The light was built in 1887 as a 3rd order lighthouse...
.
The city is also building an
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, that will double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. It is due for completion in early 2010.
As of 2008, the City had also engaged in the development of a Convention Center with a capacity for 3,000 people. It was also to include two major hotels, apartment buildings, and recreational facilities.
Since the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels within the InterContinental Hotels Group .-History:The original Holiday Inn chain of hotels was created in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, by homebuilder Kemmons Wilson to provide inexpensive family accommodation for travelers within the United States...
, several hotels have been built to satisfy the tourism industry. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce
HiltonHilton Hotels is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels are either owned, managed, or franchised to independent operators by the Hilton Hotels Corporation. there are 533 Hilton branded hotels across...
Golf & Casino Resort, home to the new Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club, featuring a 27-hole
PGAProfessional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...
championship
golf courseA golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
.
Many large hotel chains are represented in addition to the Hilton and Holiday Inn chains, including
Howard Johnson'sHoward Johnson's is a chain of restaurants and hotels, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. The name is derived from the founder of the original company, Howard Deering Johnson, who started the initial chain of restaurants and motels...
,
RamadaRamada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.- History :The lodging chain was founded in 1954 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W...
, and
Quality InnChoice Hotels International is a hospitality holding corporation which owns several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2008, Choice Hotels’ total revenue was $642 million, of which, $637 million from Franchise, and $4.94 million from Corporate Items...
.
MeliaSol Meliá, S.A. is a Spanish hotel chain which was founded by Gabriel Escarrer Juliá in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca. The company is the world's largest operator of holiday resorts and the 13th biggest hotel chain worldwide. Domestically the company is the market leader in both resort and urban hotels...
, the most recognized hotel chain in Europe, has been in the city since the early days of this chain in 1956.
IntercontinentalInterContinental Hotels Group PLC is a multinational company which operates several hotel brands. It is the largest hotel company by number of rooms , and is headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire just outside Greater London...
is under refurbishment and will soon re-open its doors atop the hill near
El VigiaCruceta El Vigia is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directly in front of the Serralles Castle museum. It houses a tourist center at its base, a 10 story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean...
as the Magna Vista Resort. The municipal government will also invest more than $1 million dollars in area renovations. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by
SheratonSheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts' largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...
, and
MarriottMarriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
Courtyard, among others.
Culture
The city values its cultural traditional as evidenced in the renovatioon project
Ponce En March. It is deeply rooted in its old cultural, artistic, musical heritage. The love for art and and architecture, for exmaple, can be appreciated at its museum of art, music, and architecture. "Over the last century or so, the north [San Juan, Puerto Rico] willingly accepted the influence of
western cultureWestern culture refers to cultures of European origin.The term "Western culture" is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and technologies...
with its tendency toward large sprawling metropolises, and the displacement of old values and attitudes. Ponce, on the other hand, has been content to retain its old traditions and
cultureCulture is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. Ponce is not concerned about losing its long standing position as the second largest city in population after San Juan. On the contrary, she prefers to maintain her current size, and stick to its old traditions and culture."
Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like
BombaBomba is one of the most famous musical styles of Puerto Rico. Although there is some controversy surrounding its origin, most agree that it is a largely African music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of hand drums and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native of Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderettas or panderos or pleneras and are accompanied by a scrape gourd, guiro. Pleneras resemble tambourines...
took place in the south region of the island, mainly in Ponce. Barrio San Antón is known as one of the birthplaces of the rhythm. Every July, Ponce celebrates an annual festival of Bomba and Plena which includes various musicians and parades.
Immigrants from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England came to Ponce to develop an international city that still maintains its rich
TaínoThe Taínos are pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is believed that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
n heritage. The African personality, belief, and music add flavor and colorful rhythm to Ponce's culture. Part of this are the influences of the
BombaBomba is one of the most famous musical styles of Puerto Rico. Although there is some controversy surrounding its origin, most agree that it is a largely African music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of hand drums and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native of Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderettas or panderos or pleneras and are accompanied by a scrape gourd, guiro. Pleneras resemble tambourines...
rhythms. These are a combination and Caribbean and African music.
Ponce has also been the birthplace of several well-known singers and musicians. From
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singers like
Antonio PaoliAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors" and as the "Tenor of the Kings". He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts.-Early years:Paoli was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...
, who was renowned all around the world during the early 1900s, to contemporary singers like
Ednita NazarioEdnita Nazario is a Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, that has achieved great success both in the island and abroad. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female balladeer. She has been in the music business from a very young age, and has released over twenty albums...
(
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
) and
TempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. It is a crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
(
reggaetonReggaeton is a form of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth in the early 1990s. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton's predecessor was originated in Panama as reggae en español...
). Also, countless
SalsaSalsa music is a diverse and predominantly Cuban Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad that was brought to international fame by Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians. Salsa incorporates multiple styles and variations; the term has been used to describe most any...
singers like
Héctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City when he was seventeen years...
,
Cheo FelicianoJosé Luis Feliciano Vega, better known as Cheo Feliciano , is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.-Early years:...
, and
Ismael QuintanaIsmael Quintana is a singer and composer of salsa music.-Early years:Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old; here he went to school and whilst he was still in high school he formed a band with his neighborhood...
also come from the city.
Ponce is the birthplace of one of the oldest
carnivalCarnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February...
s celebrated in the Western Hemisphere called the
Carnaval de PonceThe Carnaval de Ponce is an annual celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. These celebration is held in February and is considered one of the oldest carnivals of the Western Hemisphere dating back to 1858. The Carnaval coincides with the Mardi Gras of New Orleans and the Carnival of Venice and Rio...
. The carnival, celebrated in February, dates back to 1858 and probably earlier. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
The
Museum of Puerto Rican MusicThe Museum of Puerto Rican Music is a museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico that showcases the development of Puerto Rican music, with displays of Taíno, Spanish, and African musical instruments that were played in the romantic danza genre, the favorite music of 19th-century Puerto Rican society, as well...
, located at the Serrallés-Nevárez family residence in downtown Ponce, illustrates music history on the Island, most of which had its origin and development in Ponce.
Arts
Ponce's love for the arts goes back to at least 1864 when the Teatro La Perla was built. Ponce is also the birthplace of artists like Miguel Pou, Horacio Castaing, and several others in the fields of
paintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard and/or plastic material, sound, and/or text and or light, commonly stone , metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together and fired, welded, molded,...
, and others. The City is one of only seven cities in the
Western HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the eastern hemisphere...
(the others being
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
,
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
,
ValparaisoValparaíso is a city in central Chile and one of that country's most important seaports and an increasingly vital cultural center in the hemisphere's Pacific Southwest. The city is the capital of the Region of Valparaíso...
,
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
,
Mar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Buenos Aires Province, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is one of the major fishing ports and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina....
, and
RosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located 300 km northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
) in Ruta Europea del Modernisme, an international non-profit association for the promotion and protection of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century . The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'...
heritage in the world.
Today, Ponce has more museums (nine) than any other municipality in the Island. Ponce is home to the Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP), founded in 1959 by fellow "ponceño"
Luis A. FerréLuis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico becoming...
. The museum was operated by Ferré until his death at the age of 99, and it is now under the direction of the Luis A. Ferré Foundation. Designed by
Edward Durell StoneEdward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect.-Early life:Stone was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a small college town in the northwest corner of the state. His family, early settlers of the area, owned a prosperous dry goods store. One of his childhood friends was J...
, renowned architect of
Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
and the
Museum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the...
in
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, MAP is the only museum of international stature on the Island, the only one accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), and the only one that has received a design prize of honor from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It houses the most extensive art collection in the Caribbean.
Dating back to 1858, Ponce's Carnival is the oldest carnival in Puerto Rico, and acquired an international flavor for its 150th anniversary.
Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the
Ponce Lions (or
Lionesses) regardless of the sport. The Ponce Lions basketball team is one of the leading teams of the island winning a total of twelve championships during their tenure. The team's venue is the
Juan Pachín Vicéns AuditoriumJuan Pachín Vicens Auditorium is a well known sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The auditorium opened on May 12, 1972 and is named after renowned basketball player, Juan "Pachín" Vicéns , though it was first dubbed as "coliseum", not "auditorium".The auditorium has been remodeled...
. The teams of baseball and volleyball (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the
Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it was opened on October 15, 1949. It is the multipurpose sporting facility in Puerto Rico. It is currently the home of the Ponce Lions of the Winter League Baseball season...
. The stadium is located next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium.
In 2007 Ponce was host to
Club Atlético River Plate Puerto RicoClub Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico, known also as River Plate, RPPR or simply River, is a Puerto Rican football club, established in 2007 which play in the Puerto Rico Soccer League...
futbol team, which currently plays in the
Puerto Rico Soccer LeagueThe Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and has a total of 9 teams. Football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to further develop the game on the...
. They play at
Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it was opened on October 15, 1949. It is the multipurpose sporting facility in Puerto Rico. It is currently the home of the Ponce Lions of the Winter League Baseball season...
and are expected to play in the
United Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of U.S. and Canadian soccer: USL First Division , USL Second Division , and Premier Development League . The top tier for U.S. and Canadian men's soccer is Major League Soccer , with Women's Professional...
, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico after the
Puerto Rico IslandersPuerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional soccer team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
. Ponce was also the site of the 1993
Central American and Caribbean GamesThe Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics...
.
The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum in Ponce was dedicated to the honor of Puerto Rico's great sports men and women.
Recreation
Ponce is the site of many parks and several beaches. Both passive and active parks are available. Among the most popular passive parks are the Enrique Monagas Family Park on Ponce By-Pass Road and the Parque Urbano Dora Colon Clavell in the downtown area. Active parks include the Charles H. Terry Athletic Field, and several municipal tennis courts. There are also many basketball courts scattered throughout the various barrios of the municipality. Ponce has three beaches, namely, El Tuque Beach at Sector El Tuque on highway
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, or PR-2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
,
La Guancha BeachThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
at the La Guancha Sector, and Caja de Muertos Beach at Isla Caja de Muertos.
Economy
Ponce is considered to be amongst the most developed municipalities in Puerto Rico. Its
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
sectors include electronic and electrical equipment, communications equipment, food processing, pharmaceutical drugs, concrete plants, and scientific instruments. It also produces leather products, needlework, and fish flour to a lesser extend.
In the agricultural sector, the most important products are
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
, followed by
plantainMusa paradisiaca, the plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana ....
s,
bananaBanana is the common name for a herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, and the commonly eaten fruit it produces. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.Banana...
s,
orangesAn orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus ×sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine...
, and
grapefruitThe grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its bitter fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Jamaica. When found in Barbados it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it is also called the "shaddock", after its creator....
s. A mix of public and private services, as well as finance, retail sales, and construction round up Ponce's economic rhythm.
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's chief
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
port and is an agricultural, trade, and distribution center. Industries include tourism, the processing of agricultural products,
rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
distilling, canning, and diamond cutting. Manufactures include textiles, shoes, cement, paper, electrical devices, and metal products. Ponce is home to the
SerrallesJuan Serrallés Colon was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita and what was to become Destilerias Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
rum distillery (home of the Don Q, Captain Morgan, and Parrot Bay rums).
In 2005, the municipality's budget was $152 million US dollars.
For many years commercial retail activity in Ponce centered around what is now
Paseo AtochaPaseo Atocha is a pedestrian mall in Ponce’s historic district that for centuries used to be a street opened to motor vehicles. The street, which is now closed to motor vehicle traffic, stretches over four blocks from Isabel Street to Vives Street...
. This has shifted in recent years, and most retail activity today occurs in one of Ponce's various
mallA shopping mall, shopping centre or shopping center is a building or multiple buildings consisting of a complex of shops representing leading merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a convenient parking area – a modern,...
s, in particular
Plaza del CaribePlaza del Caribe is a enclosed shopping mall located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Empresas Fonalledas, which also owns Plaza las Americas in San Juan, and it is the largest mall in southern Puerto Rico....
.
Demographics
Ponce is both a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
and a
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
in southern part of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
The
City of PonceA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
is the second largest city in Puerto Rico outside of the
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
metropolitan area, and is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the grandson of
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
. Ponce is often referred to as
La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South),
La Ciudad Señorial de Puerto Rico (The Noble City of Puerto Rico), and
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city of Ponce serves as the governmental seat of the autonomous municipality as well as the regional hub for various
Government of Puerto RicoThe Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...
entities, such as the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other
CommonwealthPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
government agencies. The city is also the seat of a
Catholic DiocesisThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico, an American commonwealth. The diocese is led by a prelate bishop which pastors the motherchurch in the...
.
The
Municipality of PonceThere are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the United States Government, but Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities or "municipios" at the second order. For U.S. Census purposes, a municipality in Puerto Rico is equivalent to a county. They are conveniently grouped into eight...
, officially the
Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, is located in the Southern Coastal Plain region of the island, south of
AdjuntasAdjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
,
UtuadoUtuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central/western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third largest...
, and
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
; east of
PeñuelasPeñuelas is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, east of Guayanilla, west of Ponce and north of the Caribbean Sea. Peñuelas is spread over 12 wards and Peñuelas Pueblo . It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area...
; west of
Juana DíazJuana Díaz is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juana Díaz is spread over 12 wards and Juana Diaz Pueblo...
; and bordered on the south by the
Caribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. The municipality has a total of 19
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s (wards), plus the urban area of the city (12 additional
barrios) including the historic
Ponce Pueblo (the downtown area of the city), which is located approximately three miles inland from the shores of the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere, bounded to the south and west by the American landmass, with the North Atlantic Ocean proper to the northeast and the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest...
. Ponce is a principal city of both the
Ponce Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area in south central Puerto Rico. A July 1, 2007 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 263,411, a 0.57% decrease from the 2000 census figure of 264,919.Ponce is the third largest...
and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The municipality of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area after the municipality of
AreciboArecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
. Ponce was the first
municipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it refers to the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
in 1991 under a new law (
The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
Early settlers
The region of what is Ponce now belonged to the
TaínoThe Taínos are pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is believed that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America...
GuayniaGuaynia was the territory that stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico in pre-Columbian times. The Taino cacique Agueybana ruled the area around Guayanilla when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493....
region, which stretched along the southern coast of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. The region was led by
caciqueCacique or Cazique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
Agüeybana. He was one of the caciques that greeted Spanish
conquistadorConquistador is the term widely used to refer to the Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th through the 17th centuries following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
when he came to the island in 1508.
During the first years of the colonization,
SpanishSpanish people or Spaniards constitute the nationality and ethnic group of natives of Spain, a European country in the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. The Spanish nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the complex history of Spain...
families started settling around the
Jacaguas RiverThe Jacaguas River is a river in Puerto Rico. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Ponce.Jacaguas has a length of approximately 22 miles with its origin in the municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico at an altitude of approximately 2,099 feet above sea level...
, in the south of the island. For safety reasons, these families moved to the
Portugués RiverThe Portugués River is a river in Puerto Rico. It has its origin in barrio Portugués in the bordering municipality of Adjuntas, just north of Ponce, and drains into the Caribbean Sea after running for some 27.6 kilometers...
, then called Barayama. In 1670, a small
chapelA chapel is a building used as a place for fellowship and of worship for Christians. It may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, or may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with its own grounds...
was raised and dedicated in honor of
Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated 16th-century icon of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The image, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe represents a famous Marian apparition. According to the traditional account, the image appeared miraculously on the front of a simple peasant's cloak...
in the middle of the small settlement.
In 1692 Juan Ponce de León y Loayza (Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson) obtained a royal permit (
cédula real) to formalize the founding of the
hamletA hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community...
. It was declared a villa in 1848, and obtained its city charter in 1877 .
19th Century wave of immigrants
As a result of the
Royal Decree of Graces of 1815The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 is a legal order approved by the Spanish Crown in the early half of the 19th century to encourage Spaniards and later Europeans of non-Spanish origin to settle and populate the colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico....
, a strong influx of immigrants from
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
came to the region of Ponce, strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from regions like
CataloniaCatalonia is an Autonomous Community in northeast Spain. The capital city is Barcelona.Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,364,078. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the...
, the
Balearic IslandsThe Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula....
, and other regions of eastern
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, as well as from the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
(one of
Vanna WhiteVanna White is an American television personality, best known as puzzle-board presenter & co-host on the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
's ancestors was mayor of the city once),
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Also, wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
,
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
came to Ponce.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
,
cornMaize , is a herbaceous plant domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
harvesting,
rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
production,
bankA bank is a financial institution licensed by a government. Its primary activities include borrowing and lending money.Many other financial activities were allowed over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds...
ing and
financeFinance is the science of funds management. The general areas of finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance. Finance includes saving money and often includes lending money. The field of finance deals with the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated...
, the importing of industrial machinery,
ironIron is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element and is therefore classified as a transition metal. Iron and iron alloys are by far the most common metals and the most common ferromagnetic materials in everyday use...
foundries and other enterprises. At time of the American invasion of the Island, Ponce was the largest city in Puerto Rico. At that time it also had the best capitalized financial institutions in the Island. Ponce also had its own currency.
While
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
was celebrating its
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I...
(
Victorian eraThe Victorian era of the United Kingdom was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from June 1837 until her death on the 22nd of January 1901. The reign was a long period of prosperity for the British people, as profits gained from the overseas British Empire, as well as from industrial improvements...
), Ponce followed suit with its own exposition fair, the Ponce Fair. Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877, Don Miguel Rosich conceptualized an exposition fair for Ponce. This was approved in 1880, and the exposition fair was held in the city in 1882, where several industrial and agricultural advancements were shown. "It is important to establish a relationship between the European exhibitions that I have mentioned and the Ponce Fair, as the Fair was meant as a showcase of the advancements of the day: Agriculture, Trade, Industry, and the Arts. Just as with the 1878 World's Fair in Paris, the electric grid of the city of Ponce was inaugurated on the first day of the Ponce Fair. In this occasion the
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main town square in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias....
and various other buildings, including the Merchatile Union Building, the
Ponce CasinoThe Old Ponce Casino is a historic structure, built in 1922 and located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Originally built as a social club for Ponce's elite, it is currently used as the premier reception center of The Noble City of Puerto Rico.When built in 1922, it was actually the replacement quarters...
, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the
incandescent light bulbThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence . An electric current passes through a thin filament, heating it until it produces light...
for the first time".
In 1883, Ponce was ravaged by an enormous fire. The fire threatened to destroy much of the south coast, but thanks to the firemen of Ponce (who operated from Ponce's
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
fire station) Ponce and the south were saved. The
Parque de Bombas fire station in the central plaza has since become a museum and tourist attraction. The station continued serving the Ponce community until 1990, when it was closed and the building's activities were entirely dedicated to a museum, which is still open to the general public.
Ponce in the 20th Century
At the time of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Spanish–American War, Ponce was the largest city in the island. With a population of 22,000, Ponce had the best road in Puerto Rico, built by the Spanish for military purposes, and running from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
. The taking of Ponce by American troops "was a critical turning point in the Puerto Rican campaign. For the first time the Americans held a major port to funnel large numbers of men and quantities of war materiel into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the West Indies, putting the US forces on the island in direct communication with
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
for the first time since the start of the campaign.
The Americans arrived on July 28, after marching from their landing at
GuánicaGuánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. There were skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. On the Spanish side, three men were killed and 13 wounded, while four Americans were wounded. The American flag was raised in the town center that same day and most of the Spanish troops retreated into the surrounding mountains. The U.S. Army then established its headquarters in Ponce.
After the U.S. invasion, Americans chose to centralize the administration of the island in
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
, the capital, starting a period of socio-
economic stagnationEconomic stagnation, often called simply stagnation, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth . Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
for Ponce. This was worsened by several factors:
- Hurricane San Ciriaco
1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane and the tenth deadliest tropical cyclone in the basin. It was an intense and long-lived Atlantic Cape Verde-type hurricane which crossed Puerto Rico over the two day period August 8 to...
in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of the Aguirre sugar mill in Salinas
Salinas is a small municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Aibonito and Cayey; southeast of Coamo, east of Santa Isabel; and west of Guayama...
, and another one in GuánicaGuánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, diminished the commercial and agricultural activity in Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
plantations.
- The loss of the markets of Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
.
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back in the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the
Ponce CementCEMEX S.A. de C.V. is the world's largest building materials supplier and third largest cement producer. Founded in Mexico in 1906, the company is based in Monterrey, Mexico...
, Vasallo Industries, and Serrallés Distillery.
On March 21, 1937, Ponce was the scene of a violent incident, remembered as the "
Ponce MassacreThe Ponce Massacre is a violent chapter in the political history of Puerto Rico. On March 21, 1937 a march was organized in the southern city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party...
", in which nineteen unarmed
NationalistThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, the Catalonian José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican...
demonstrators, peacefully celebrating the 64th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, were fatally shot by the
InsularAn insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States....
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
under orders from the United States'
COINTELPROCOINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political organizations within the United States...
(Counter Intelligence Program) and the non-democratically elected military assigned Governor of the time, Major General Blanton C. Winship. The history behind this massacre can be reviewed at the
Ponce Massacre MuseumThe Museo de la Masacre de Ponce , is a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building is the site of the Ponce Massacre, and the museum depicts the history and events surrounding the event, which some describe as the most tragic event in the history of Puerto Rico's struggle for...
on Marina Street. An open-air park in the city, the
Pedro Albizu Campos ParkThe Pedro Albizu Campos Park is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 2007, to the memory of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos by the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was born...
, is dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Dr.
Pedro Albizu CamposPedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
. Ponce history in general is illustrated at the
Ponce History MuseumThe Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. One of the buildings of the museum was the former home of the...
on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity in the Island, being the founding site of several major political parties. It has also been the birthplace of several important political figures of the island, including
Luis A. FerréLuis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico becoming...
and
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for one and two terms, respectively . An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico, having won his first term at the age...
, both former
governors of Puerto RicoThe Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
.
The Mameyes Landslide
In October 1985, Ponce suffered a great tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in an area known as Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and corpses. The United States and many other countries, including
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
, sent economic, human, and machinery relief.
Recent history
In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
due to its economic progress and increasing population.
Ponce's mayor for 15 years (since 1989),
Rafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero Santiago —better known as Churumba— was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004...
, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three successive brain strokes. Vice-mayor
Delis Castillo Rivera de SantiagoDelis Castillo Rivera de Santiago was interim mayor of Ponce from 2004 to 2005. She filled in the post left vacant by the sudden death of long-time Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago, completing Mayor Cordero Santiago's term. Prior to filling in the office of mayor, Ms. Castillo Rivera was vice-mayor...
finished off his term. Cordero was succeeded by
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former representative and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. In the general elections of 2008
María "Mayita" MeléndezDr. María Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected at the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008.-See also:-External links:*...
was elected as the current mayor of the city of Ponce.
The complete history of Ponce can be appreciated at the
Museo de la Historia de PonceThe Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. One of the buildings of the museum was the former home of the...
, which opened in the city in 1992. It despicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the close of the twentieth century.
Flag and coat of arms
The
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
of Ponce contains a red and black coloured shield. There is a five tower gold crown that indicates that Ponce is a city by royal decree. As an exterior frame to shield, there is a
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
plant on the right of the shield, and to the left a coffee tree branch.
The shield of Ponce is divided by a diagonal line that crosses straight from the superior end to the left inferior end. In this divided field is the color red (for the fire that almost destroyed the city), that covers the superior right portion and the color black (for the ashes after that fire). On that black and red background is a yellow lion with black mane, walking towards the left of the shield, facing right of the shield. The lion is on a bridge, meaning that you must cross a river to enter the city by any region. The shield is bordered by a coffee plant branch and a sugar cane plant, in which the early economy of the city was based.
Geography
Ponce's municipal territory reaches the central mountain range to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Geographically speaking, the southern area of the territory is part of the Ponce-Patillas alluvial plain subsector and the southern coastal plain, which were created by the consolidation of the valleys of the southern side of the central mountain range and the Cayey mountain range. The central area of the municipality is part of the semi-arid southern hills. These two regions are classified as being the driest on the island. The northern part of the municipality is considered to be within the rainy western mountains. The lowest elevation is sea level; the highest elevation is Cerro Punta, Chiriquí at 1,338 meters (4,390 feet), the highest in Puerto Rico, located on the boundary between Ponce's Anón ward and Veguitas ward in
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
.
Nineteen (19) barrios comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to extremely mountaneos. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these eight: Canas, Quebrada Limon, Marueño, Magueyes, Tibes, Portugues, Machuelo, and Cerrillos. The barrios of Coto Laurel, Capitanejo, Sabanetas, Vayas, and Bucaná also surround the outskits of the city but these are mostly flat. The remaining six (6) other barrios are further away from the city and their topology is rugged mountain terrain. These are (clockwise): Guaraguao, San Patricio, Monte Llano, Maraguez, Anón, and Real. This is because through these parts of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island.. The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city.
There is a sismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.
Barrio Anon is home to
Cerro MaravillaCerro Maravilla is one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico at . It is located in the city of Jayuya in the center area of the island, and is part of the Cordillera Central ....
, a peak that at 1,245 meters is Puerto Rico's highest peak outside of peaks within
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
.
Land features
Elevations include
Cerro de PuntaCerro de Punta is the highest peak of Puerto Rico measuring above sea level. The mountain is located in the Cordillera Central, in the municipality of Jayuya....
at 1,338 meters (4,390 feet), the highest in Puerto Rico, located on the boundary between Anón ward in Ponce and Veguitas ward in
JayuyaJayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
. Mount Jayuya, at 1,315 meters (4,314 feet) is located on the boundary between Anón ward and Saliente ward in Jayuya.
Mount MaravillaCerro Maravilla is one of the highest peaks in Puerto Rico at . It is located in the city of Jayuya in the center area of the island, and is part of the Cordillera Central ....
, at nearly 1,210 meters (3,970 feet) above sea level, is located to the east of Anón ward. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 680 meters (2,231 feet) and Mount Marueño, at 640 meters (2,100 feet), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the
Toro Negro ForestToro Negro State Forest is a forest located in the central region of the island of Puerto Rico. The forest covers 10.5 square miles of mountains, with heights that include Cerro de Punta, the highest peak in the island...
is located in Anón ward. Coastal
promontoriesPromontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
include Cuchara, Peñoncillo, Carnero, and Cabullón points.
Water features
The rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are
JacaguasThe Jacaguas River is a river in Puerto Rico. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea near the city of Ponce.Jacaguas has a length of approximately 22 miles with its origin in the municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico at an altitude of approximately 2,099 feet above sea level...
,
InabónThe Río Inabón is a river of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It starts off from barrio Anón, north of the city of Ponce, and it is some 28.5 kilometers long. It is fed by the Rio Anón, Rio Guayo y Emajagua Brook.-External links:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
,
Bucaná (Cerrillos)The Río Bucaná is a river in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana starts off in barrio Machuelo Arriba and runs for some 29.5 kilometers until it drains into the Caribbean Sea. It is fed by the San Patricio, Bayagán, and Prieto rivers, and the Ausubo Brook...
,
PortuguésThe Portugués River is a river in Puerto Rico. It has its origin in barrio Portugués in the bordering municipality of Adjuntas, just north of Ponce, and drains into the Caribbean Sea after running for some 27.6 kilometers...
,
Cañas-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
,
San Patricio-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and
Matilde (Pastillo)The Río Matilde is a river in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Matilde, also known as Río Pastillo, has its origin in barrio Marueño in Ponce and runs for approximately 19 kilometers . One of the rivers that flows into it is Río Cañas, which originates in Ponce's barrio Guaraguao, in the northern section...
. The Jacaguas River runs for a brief stretch on the southeast area of the municipality. The Inabón River springs from Anón ward and runs through the municipality for some 28.5 kilometers (18 miles); the tributaries of the Inabón are the
Anón-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
and
Guayo-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 29.5 kilometers (18.5 miles) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio,
Bayagán-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and
Prieto-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 27.6 kilometers (17.3 miles) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 19 kilometers (12 miles); its tributaries are the Cañas River and the Limón and del Agua brooks. Lakes in Ponce include Bronce and Ponceña as well as lakes bearing numbers: Uno, Dos, Tres, and Cinco; and the Salinas lagoon, which is considered a restricted lagoon. Other water bodies are the springs at Quintana and the
La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
and El Tuque beaches. There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island. Lake Cerrillos is located within the limits of the municipality.
Geographic features of the coast include Cabullón inlet, and Ratones, Cardona, Gato, and Fríos keys. Caja de Muertos Island and Morrillito islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a
mangroveMangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S. The saline conditions tolerated by various species range from brackish water, through pure seawater , to water of over twice the salinity of ocean seawater,...
covering an area of approximately 40 hectares at Cabullón promontory and Fríos keys. The mangrove at Salinas lagoon covers an area of about 15 hectares. The Rita cave is located in Cerrillos ward."
Climate
Ponce has winter highs averaging 87°F (30.5°C) and summer highs, 93°F (34°C). It has a record high of 100°F (38°C), which occurred on August 21, 2003, and a record low of 51 °F (10.5°C) which occurred on February 28, 2004, tieing the record low of 51 °F from January 25, 1993.
Architecture
During the 19th Century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development. Architects like Francisco Valls, Manuel Víctor Domenech, Eduardo Salich, Blas Saliva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers, Francisco Porrata Doria and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of
creoleThe term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, kreol, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and
neoclassicNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
styles to give the city a unique look. This can be seen in the various structures located in the center of the city like the Teatro La Perla. To showcase its rich architectural heritage, the city has opened the
Museum of Puerto Rican ArchitectureThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a colonial style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture.-History:The structure was...
at the
Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a colonial style mansion in Ponce, Puerto Rico designed and built in the early twentieth century. The house was acquired and restored by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and now operates as the Museum of Puerto Rican Architecture.-History:The structure was...
residence.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to street corners) are modeled on
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
's architecture, given the city's strong
CatalonianThe Catalans are the people from, or with origins in Catalonia, an Autonomous Community in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France –known in Catalonia proper as Catalunya Nord, and in France as the Pays Catalan– are often included in this definition.-Extended concept:The...
heritage.
Barrios
The municipality of Ponce is made up of 31
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s (wards/districts).
The 2000 Census showed that Barrio Canas was the most populated ward of the municipality.
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows: :
- Anón
- Bucaná
- Canas
- Canas Urbano
- Capitanejo
- Cerrillos
- Coto Laurel
- Cuarto
- Guaraguao
- Machuelo Abajo
- Machuelo Arriba
- Magueyes
- Magueyes Urbano
- Maragũez
- Marueño
- Monte Llano
- Playa
- Portugués
- Portugués Urbano
- Primero
- Quebrada Limón
- Quinto
- Real
- Sabanetas
- San Antón
- San Patricio
- Segundo
- Sexto
- Tercero
- Tibes
- Vayas
Culture
The city is home to a long list of cultural assets including libraries, museums, galleries, and parks, hundreds of buildings of historical value including schools, residences, bridges, and estates, and frequent activities such as festivals and carnivals. The municipality invests close to half a million dollars in promoting its cultural assets. It established its first library in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with five other branches scattered throughout the municipality.
Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. Some of the more popular attractions are shown
HERE.
In recent years an intensive $440 million dollar revitalization project (called "Ponce en Marcha" ) has increased the city's historic area from 260 to 1,046 buildings. The
Ponce en Marcha project was conceived in 1985 by then governor
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for one and two terms, respectively . An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico, having won his first term at the age...
during his second term in
La FortalezaLa Fortaleza, is the current official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina . It is the oldest executive mansion in the New World...
. A significant number of buildings in Ponce are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nonprofit
Project for Public Places listed the historic downtown Ponce city center as one of the
60 of the World's Great Places, for its "graciously preserved showcase of Caribbean culture".
Downtown Ponce in particular features several landmarks.
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main town square in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias....
, the town's main square, features a beautiful fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the
Ponce CathedralThe Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe Cathedral is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, right behind the Parque de Bombas.-History:In 1670, a small chapel was built in...
, and
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
. This plaza is also a usual gathering place for "ponceños". Other buildings around Ponce's main plaza include the Casa Alcaldía (
Ponce City HallThe Ponce City Hall is located on Calle Degetau in Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico. It is the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to 1840. The building was listed on the U.S...
), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s, and the
Armstrong-Poventud ResidenceThe Armstrong-Poventud Residence, designed and built by architect Manuel Víctor Domenech for the Armstrong-Poventud family, is a building in the historic downtown district in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as the Armstrong-Toro House or the Casa de las Cariatides and is listed on the U.S...
, an example of the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
architectural heritage of the island.
Just north of downtown Ponce lies the
Serrallés CastleSerrallés Castle is an impressive mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown . It was built during the 1930s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serralles, founder of Destileria Serralles...
and the
Cruceta El VigíaCruceta El Vigia is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directly in front of the Serralles Castle museum. It houses a tourist center at its base, a 10 story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean...
, a 100-foot observation tower which overlooks the city. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones.
In the city outskirts, is the
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico is one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles...
discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered
potteryPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
. The center is the site of the oldest cemetery uncovered up to date in the Antilles. With some 200 skeletons unearthed from the year 300 AD it is considered the largest and the most important archaeological finding in the West Indies.
Also in the city outskirts is
Hacienda Buena VistaHacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives , is a plantation and estate in Ponce established in the 19th Century. The plantation was started by Don Salvador de Vives in 1833. It is now owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust , who operates it as a museum...
, an estate built in 1833 originally to growing fruits. It was converted into a
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
plantationA plantation is a large farm or estate, usually in a tropical or subtropical country, where crops are grown for sale in distant markets, rather than for local consumption. The term plantation is informal and not precisely defined....
and
gristmillA gristmill or grist mill is a building in which grain is ground into flour, or the grinding mechanism itself. In many countries these are referred to as corn mills or flour mills.- Early history :...
in 1845. It remained in operation until 1937, then fell into disrepair, but was restored by the government's
Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico. All the machinery works (the metal parts) are original, operated by water channeled from the 360 m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid or air flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum, with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they...
which makes the corn mill work.
Paseo Tablado La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
is located in the town's sea shore. It has kiosks with food and beverages, an open-space stage for activities, and a
marinaA marina is a sheltered harbor where boats and yachts are kept in the water and where services geared to the needs of recreational boating are found....
. From the observation tower on the boardwalk,
Cardona Island LightCardona Island Light, also known as Faro del Puerto de Ponce or Cayo Cardona Light, is located on a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the western minor light that together with Guánica Light connects Los Morrillos Light and Caja de Muertos...
can be seen. A 45-minute boat ride is also available to Isla de Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), a small beach island with an 1887
lighthouseCaja de Muertos Light is an historic lighthouse located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It stands at the highest point of the island.The light was built in 1887 as a 3rd order lighthouse...
.
The city is also building an
aquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, that will double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. It is due for completion in early 2010.
As of 2008, the City had also engaged in the development of a Convention Center with a capacity for 3,000 people. It was also to include two major hotels, apartment buildings, and recreational facilities.
Since the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels within the InterContinental Hotels Group .-History:The original Holiday Inn chain of hotels was created in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee, by homebuilder Kemmons Wilson to provide inexpensive family accommodation for travelers within the United States...
, several hotels have been built to satisfy the tourism industry. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce
HiltonHilton Hotels is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels are either owned, managed, or franchised to independent operators by the Hilton Hotels Corporation. there are 533 Hilton branded hotels across...
Golf & Casino Resort, home to the new Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club, featuring a 27-hole
PGAProfessional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...
championship
golf courseA golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
.
Many large hotel chains are represented in addition to the Hilton and Holiday Inn chains, including
Howard Johnson'sHoward Johnson's is a chain of restaurants and hotels, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. The name is derived from the founder of the original company, Howard Deering Johnson, who started the initial chain of restaurants and motels...
,
RamadaRamada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.- History :The lodging chain was founded in 1954 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W...
, and
Quality InnChoice Hotels International is a hospitality holding corporation which owns several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2008, Choice Hotels’ total revenue was $642 million, of which, $637 million from Franchise, and $4.94 million from Corporate Items...
.
MeliaSol Meliá, S.A. is a Spanish hotel chain which was founded by Gabriel Escarrer Juliá in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca. The company is the world's largest operator of holiday resorts and the 13th biggest hotel chain worldwide. Domestically the company is the market leader in both resort and urban hotels...
, the most recognized hotel chain in Europe, has been in the city since the early days of this chain in 1956.
IntercontinentalInterContinental Hotels Group PLC is a multinational company which operates several hotel brands. It is the largest hotel company by number of rooms , and is headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire just outside Greater London...
is under refurbishment and will soon re-open its doors atop the hill near
El VigiaCruceta El Vigia is a 100-foot-tall cross located atop Vigia Hill in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directly in front of the Serralles Castle museum. It houses a tourist center at its base, a 10 story vertical tower, and a horizontal sky bridge that has panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean...
as the Magna Vista Resort. The municipal government will also invest more than $1 million dollars in area renovations. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by
SheratonSheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts' largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...
, and
MarriottMarriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
Courtyard, among others.
Culture
The city values its cultural traditional as evidenced in the renovatioon project
Ponce En March. It is deeply rooted in its old cultural, artistic, musical heritage. The love for art and and architecture, for exmaple, can be appreciated at its museum of art, music, and architecture. "Over the last century or so, the north [San Juan, Puerto Rico] willingly accepted the influence of
western cultureWestern culture refers to cultures of European origin.The term "Western culture" is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and technologies...
with its tendency toward large sprawling metropolises, and the displacement of old values and attitudes. Ponce, on the other hand, has been content to retain its old traditions and
cultureCulture is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. Ponce is not concerned about losing its long standing position as the second largest city in population after San Juan. On the contrary, she prefers to maintain her current size, and stick to its old traditions and culture."
Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like
BombaBomba is one of the most famous musical styles of Puerto Rico. Although there is some controversy surrounding its origin, most agree that it is a largely African music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of hand drums and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native of Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderettas or panderos or pleneras and are accompanied by a scrape gourd, guiro. Pleneras resemble tambourines...
took place in the south region of the island, mainly in Ponce. Barrio San Antón is known as one of the birthplaces of the rhythm. Every July, Ponce celebrates an annual festival of Bomba and Plena which includes various musicians and parades.
Immigrants from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England came to Ponce to develop an international city that still maintains its rich
TaínoThe Taínos are pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is believed that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawakan people of South America...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
n heritage. The African personality, belief, and music add flavor and colorful rhythm to Ponce's culture. Part of this are the influences of the
BombaBomba is one of the most famous musical styles of Puerto Rico. Although there is some controversy surrounding its origin, most agree that it is a largely African music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of hand drums and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native of Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderettas or panderos or pleneras and are accompanied by a scrape gourd, guiro. Pleneras resemble tambourines...
rhythms. These are a combination and Caribbean and African music.
Ponce has also been the birthplace of several well-known singers and musicians. From
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singers like
Antonio PaoliAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors" and as the "Tenor of the Kings". He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts.-Early years:Paoli was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico...
, who was renowned all around the world during the early 1900s, to contemporary singers like
Ednita NazarioEdnita Nazario is a Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, that has achieved great success both in the island and abroad. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female balladeer. She has been in the music business from a very young age, and has released over twenty albums...
(
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
) and
TempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. It is a crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
(
reggaetonReggaeton is a form of urban music that became popular with Latin American youth in the early 1990s. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton's predecessor was originated in Panama as reggae en español...
). Also, countless
SalsaSalsa music is a diverse and predominantly Cuban Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad that was brought to international fame by Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians. Salsa incorporates multiple styles and variations; the term has been used to describe most any...
singers like
Héctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York City when he was seventeen years...
,
Cheo FelicianoJosé Luis Feliciano Vega, better known as Cheo Feliciano , is a composer and singer of salsa and bolero music.-Early years:...
, and
Ismael QuintanaIsmael Quintana is a singer and composer of salsa music.-Early years:Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to the Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old; here he went to school and whilst he was still in high school he formed a band with his neighborhood...
also come from the city.
Ponce is the birthplace of one of the oldest
carnivalCarnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February...
s celebrated in the Western Hemisphere called the
Carnaval de PonceThe Carnaval de Ponce is an annual celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. These celebration is held in February and is considered one of the oldest carnivals of the Western Hemisphere dating back to 1858. The Carnaval coincides with the Mardi Gras of New Orleans and the Carnival of Venice and Rio...
. The carnival, celebrated in February, dates back to 1858 and probably earlier. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
The
Museum of Puerto Rican MusicThe Museum of Puerto Rican Music is a museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico that showcases the development of Puerto Rican music, with displays of Taíno, Spanish, and African musical instruments that were played in the romantic danza genre, the favorite music of 19th-century Puerto Rican society, as well...
, located at the Serrallés-Nevárez family residence in downtown Ponce, illustrates music history on the Island, most of which had its origin and development in Ponce.
Arts
Ponce's love for the arts goes back to at least 1864 when the Teatro La Perla was built. Ponce is also the birthplace of artists like Miguel Pou, Horacio Castaing, and several others in the fields of
paintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, clay or concrete...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard and/or plastic material, sound, and/or text and or light, commonly stone , metal, glass, or wood. Some sculptures are created directly by finding or carving; others are assembled, built together and fired, welded, molded,...
, and others. The City is one of only seven cities in the
Western HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the eastern hemisphere...
(the others being
Mexico CityMexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
,
HavanaHavana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.4 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.7 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean region...
,
ValparaisoValparaíso is a city in central Chile and one of that country's most important seaports and an increasingly vital cultural center in the hemisphere's Pacific Southwest. The city is the capital of the Region of Valparaíso...
,
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
,
Mar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Buenos Aires Province, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is one of the major fishing ports and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina....
, and
RosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located 300 km northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
) in Ruta Europea del Modernisme, an international non-profit association for the promotion and protection of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century . The name 'Art nouveau' is French for 'new art'...
heritage in the world.
Today, Ponce has more museums (nine) than any other municipality in the Island. Ponce is home to the Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP), founded in 1959 by fellow "ponceño"
Luis A. FerréLuis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico becoming...
. The museum was operated by Ferré until his death at the age of 99, and it is now under the direction of the Luis A. Ferré Foundation. Designed by
Edward Durell StoneEdward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect.-Early life:Stone was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a small college town in the northwest corner of the state. His family, early settlers of the area, owned a prosperous dry goods store. One of his childhood friends was J...
, renowned architect of
Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
and the
Museum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the...
in
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, MAP is the only museum of international stature on the Island, the only one accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), and the only one that has received a design prize of honor from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It houses the most extensive art collection in the Caribbean.
Dating back to 1858, Ponce's Carnival is the oldest carnival in Puerto Rico, and acquired an international flavor for its 150th anniversary.
Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the
Ponce Lions (or
Lionesses) regardless of the sport. The Ponce Lions basketball team is one of the leading teams of the island winning a total of twelve championships during their tenure. The team's venue is the
Juan Pachín Vicéns AuditoriumJuan Pachín Vicens Auditorium is a well known sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The auditorium opened on May 12, 1972 and is named after renowned basketball player, Juan "Pachín" Vicéns , though it was first dubbed as "coliseum", not "auditorium".The auditorium has been remodeled...
. The teams of baseball and volleyball (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the
Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it was opened on October 15, 1949. It is the multipurpose sporting facility in Puerto Rico. It is currently the home of the Ponce Lions of the Winter League Baseball season...
. The stadium is located next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium.
In 2007 Ponce was host to
Club Atlético River Plate Puerto RicoClub Atlético River Plate Puerto Rico, known also as River Plate, RPPR or simply River, is a Puerto Rican football club, established in 2007 which play in the Puerto Rico Soccer League...
futbol team, which currently plays in the
Puerto Rico Soccer LeagueThe Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico. It is the first unified football league in the island's history, and has a total of 9 teams. Football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to further develop the game on the...
. They play at
Francisco Montaner StadiumFrancisco Montaner Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico.The construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it was opened on October 15, 1949. It is the multipurpose sporting facility in Puerto Rico. It is currently the home of the Ponce Lions of the Winter League Baseball season...
and are expected to play in the
United Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the parent organization for the men's lower division leagues of U.S. and Canadian soccer: USL First Division , USL Second Division , and Premier Development League . The top tier for U.S. and Canadian men's soccer is Major League Soccer , with Women's Professional...
, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico after the
Puerto Rico IslandersPuerto Rico Islanders is a Puerto Rican professional soccer team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
. Ponce was also the site of the 1993
Central American and Caribbean GamesThe Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics...
.
The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum in Ponce was dedicated to the honor of Puerto Rico's great sports men and women.
Recreation
Ponce is the site of many parks and several beaches. Both passive and active parks are available. Among the most popular passive parks are the Enrique Monagas Family Park on Ponce By-Pass Road and the Parque Urbano Dora Colon Clavell in the downtown area. Active parks include the Charles H. Terry Athletic Field, and several municipal tennis courts. There are also many basketball courts scattered throughout the various barrios of the municipality. Ponce has three beaches, namely, El Tuque Beach at Sector El Tuque on highway
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, or PR-2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
,
La Guancha BeachThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
at the La Guancha Sector, and Caja de Muertos Beach at Isla Caja de Muertos.
Economy
Ponce is considered to be amongst the most developed municipalities in Puerto Rico. Its
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
sectors include electronic and electrical equipment, communications equipment, food processing, pharmaceutical drugs, concrete plants, and scientific instruments. It also produces leather products, needlework, and fish flour to a lesser extend.
In the agricultural sector, the most important products are
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
, followed by
plantainMusa paradisiaca, the plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana ....
s,
bananaBanana is the common name for a herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, and the commonly eaten fruit it produces. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.Banana...
s,
orangesAn orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus ×sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine...
, and
grapefruitThe grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its bitter fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Jamaica. When found in Barbados it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it is also called the "shaddock", after its creator....
s. A mix of public and private services, as well as finance, retail sales, and construction round up Ponce's economic rhythm.
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's chief
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
port and is an agricultural, trade, and distribution center. Industries include tourism, the processing of agricultural products,
rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
distilling, canning, and diamond cutting. Manufactures include textiles, shoes, cement, paper, electrical devices, and metal products. Ponce is home to the
SerrallesJuan Serrallés Colon was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita and what was to become Destilerias Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
rum distillery (home of the Don Q, Captain Morgan, and Parrot Bay rums).
In 2005, the municipality's budget was $152 million US dollars.
For many years commercial retail activity in Ponce centered around what is now
Paseo AtochaPaseo Atocha is a pedestrian mall in Ponce’s historic district that for centuries used to be a street opened to motor vehicles. The street, which is now closed to motor vehicle traffic, stretches over four blocks from Isabel Street to Vives Street...
. This has shifted in recent years, and most retail activity today occurs in one of Ponce's various
mallA shopping mall, shopping centre or shopping center is a building or multiple buildings consisting of a complex of shops representing leading merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a convenient parking area – a modern,...
s, in particular
Plaza del CaribePlaza del Caribe is a enclosed shopping mall located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Empresas Fonalledas, which also owns Plaza las Americas in San Juan, and it is the largest mall in southern Puerto Rico....
.
Demographics
Racial distribution
| Race - Ponce, Puerto Rico - 2000 Census |
| Race |
Population |
% of Total |
| White White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
|
155,907 |
83.6% |
Black/African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
|
9,924 |
5.3% |
American IndianNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
and Alaska NativeAlaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
|
566 |
0.3% |
| Asian Asian people or Asiatic people is a demonym for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country and person, often referring to people from a particular region or subregion of Asia...
|
247 |
0.1% |
Native HawaiianNative Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants...
/Pacific IslanderPacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the Austronesian inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia...
|
145 |
0.1% |
| Some other race |
10,059 |
5.4% |
| Two or more races |
9,627 |
5.2% |
Ponce has consistently ranked as one of the most populous cities in
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
. In fact, in1899 it was the largest city in the Island, including
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
. Ponce's current population, according to the 2000 census, stands at 186,475, with a
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
of 116.0 persons per
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
(278.4/km²), ranking third in terms of population among
Puerto RicanPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
municipalities (after San Juan and
BayamónBayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
).
Statistics taken from the 2000 census show that 83.6% of Ponceños have
SpanishSpanish people or Spaniards constitute the nationality and ethnic group of natives of Spain, a European country in the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. The Spanish nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the complex history of Spain...
or
WhiteWhite people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
origin, and 5.3% are
blackThe term black people usually refers to a racial group of humans with skin colors that range from light brown to nearly black. It also has been used to categorize a number of diverse populations into a common group. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan...
, with peoples of
AmerindianThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples...
,
AsianAsian people or Asiatic people is a demonym for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country and person, often referring to people from a particular region or subregion of Asia...
,
MixedThe terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races.-Definitions of multiraciality:While defining race is controversial and rejected by some specialists in human genetics,...
and other origins making up the rest. At 83.6% vs. 76.2% for the Island as a whole, Ponce has the highest Spanish / white population concentration of any municipality in Puerto Rico.
Thorough demographics information for Ponce can be found
HERE.
Government
Since its foundation in 1692, the city of Ponce has been led by a
mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
. Its first mayor was Don Pedro Sánchez de Mathos. The current mayor is Dr.
María Meléndez AltieriDr. María Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected at the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008.-See also:-External links:*...
of the
New Progressive PartyThe New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rican statehood.Following the 2008 general elections, it currently holds supermajorities in the Commonwealth's House of Representatives and Senate, Puerto Rico's sole non-voting delegate to Congress, 48 of...
, becoming the first woman to be elected for the office in the city's history.
Perhaps its best known
mayor of recent years has been
Rafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero Santiago —better known as Churumba— was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004...
, who held office since 1989 until his sudden death on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three successive brain strokes. After vice-mayor
Delis CastilloDelis Castillo Rivera de Santiago was interim mayor of Ponce from 2004 to 2005. She filled in the post left vacant by the sudden death of long-time Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago, completing Mayor Cordero Santiago's term. Prior to filling in the office of mayor, Ms. Castillo Rivera was vice-mayor...
finished his term,
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former representative and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
was elected mayor in 2005.
The city also has a municipal legislature that handles local legislative matters. It is composed of 16 civilians elected during the general elections, along with the mayor, state representatives and senators. The delegations are, until the 2012 general election, distributed as follows: 13 legislators of the
New Progressive PartyThe New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rican statehood.Following the 2008 general elections, it currently holds supermajorities in the Commonwealth's House of Representatives and Senate, Puerto Rico's sole non-voting delegate to Congress, 48 of...
, 2 legislators of the
Popular Democratic PartyThe Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth....
, and 1 legislator who represents the "Movimiento Autónomo Ponceño".
The
Ponce City HallThe Ponce City Hall is located on Calle Degetau in Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico. It is the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to 1840. The building was listed on the U.S...
has one of the most unusual histories of any city hall throughout the world. "Originally built in the 1840s as a public assembly hall, Ponce's current City Hall was a jail until the end of the 19th century. Current galleries were former cells, and executions were held in the courtyard. Four U.S. presidents spoke from the balcony - Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and George Bush." It is registered with the National Trust of Historic Sites.
Fire Protection
The city's fire department has a history of firsts, including being the first organized fire department in the Island. As the largest city in the island at the time, and
de facto economic and social center of Puerto Rico, this in effect also created the first
Puerto Rican fire departmentThe Puerto Rico Fire Department is the fire department for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and provides fire protection and protection over other hazards. It is the newest state fire department created in U.S. soil...
. The Ponce Fire Department also built the first fire station in the Island, which still stands to this day, and is now open as the
Parque de BombasParque de Bombas is a historic firehouse building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is one of Puerto Rico's most notable buildings, with some considering it "by far the most easily recognized landmark in the Island". It is located at the Plaza Las Delicias town square, directly behind the Ponce Cathedral...
museum. Also, in 1951, Ponce's Fire Chief
Raúl Gándara-CartagenaRaúl Gándara-Cartagena was a prominent fire chief in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and the first and longest serving Commonwealth of Puerto Rico fire chief. He served from 1942 to 1972....
, wrote a book on the firemen's service, which became a firemen's manual in several Latin American countries. In recognition of the service rendered by its fire fighters, the City of Ponce built them homes resulting in the creation of the
25 de Enero StreetCalle 25 de Enero, 25 de Enero Street, is a historic Victorian village bounded by the street by that name in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and built to honor Ponce's volunteer firemen....
near the city's historic district.
Police
The Puerto Rico Police Department is the main police department for the mnicipality of Ponce, with headquaters located on Hostos Avenue, and commands the five precints in the town: Villa, Playa, Morell Campos, La Rambla, and El Tuque. Their coverage is as follows:
- The Villa precint cover barrios Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, and Portugues Urbano. This includes the historic Ponce district.
- The Playa precint covers barrios La Playa, Capitanejo, Bucana, and Vayas.
- The La Rambla precint covers barrios Anon, Real, Maraguez, Cerrillos, Coto Laurel, Sabanetas, San Patricio, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Machuelo Abajo, and Portugues.
- The El Tuque precint covers barrios Canas and Canas Urbano.
- The Morell Campos precint covers barrios Guaraguao, Marueño, Tibes, Magueyes, Magueyes Urbano, and Quebrada Limon.
Also, the Ponce Police Department provides police protection on the city limits.
Education
Ponce is home to several public and private schools. As with the rest of Puerto Rico, Ponce's public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.
There are also several colleges and universities located in the city, offering higher education, including degrees in
medicineMedicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
,
lawLaw is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets...
, and
pharmacyPharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences, and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of medication....
. Some of these are:
- Caribbean University
The Caribbean University is a private university system in Puerto Rico composed of four campuses. It was founded on February 28, 1969, as the Caribbean Junior College in the municipality of Bayamon. In 1978, it was renamed to Caribbean University College after being accredited by the Council on...
- Ponce
- Inter-American University of Puerto Rico
- Ponce School of Medicine
Ponce School of Medicine is a post-graduate medical school located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The school is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education , and classified as a United States Medical School...
- Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico is a Roman Catholic university located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses in the areas of education, business administration, arts and human studies and science, leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate Degrees. Its campus is also home...
- Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law
- University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
The University of Puerto Rico at Ponce is a state university located in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. UPRP is the only campus of the University of Puerto Rico System in the southern region of the island...
- Turabo University
University of Turabo is a private, non-profit, and secular university system in Puerto Rico. It is part of the Ana G. Mendez University System and is integrated by seven campuses:* University of Turabo at Barceloneta* University of Turabo at Cayey...
- Ponce College Center
There are also several other technical institutions like the
Instituto de Banca y ComercioInstituto de Banca y Comercio is a technical institution located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This institute offers a wide variety of career choices with the advantage of finishing studies in a short period Instituto de Banca y Comercio has a number of campuses and learning sites located through...
, and the Ponce Paramedical College.
Nova Southeastern UniversityNova Southeastern University, commonly referred to as NSU or Nova, is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, research university located in Broward County, Florida, with its' main campus in the town of Davie...
, based in
Fort LauderdaleFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of Broward County. According to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 183,606...
, has a
School of Pharmacy campus in Ponce.
Health Care
The city is served by a large number of clinics and hospitals. Among those providing the most comprehensive care are Hospital Dr. Pila, Hospital San Cristobal, Hospital San Lucas, Hospital de Damas, Hospital Oncologico Andres Grillasca, Ponce Regional Hospital, and the
U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors....
Outptient Clinic. Hospital De Damas is listed in the
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek, it was for many years a leading news weekly, although it focused more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
as one of the best hospitals in the nation.
Transportation
- See Rail transport in Puerto Rico
Rail transport in Puerto Rico currently consists of a passenger metro system in the island's metropolitan area of San Juan and a small short-line freight railroad in the southern city of Ponce. Its history can be traced back to the mid-19th century with the construction of a limited passenger line...
.
Due to its commercial and industrial significance, Ponce has consistently been a hub of transportation to the rest of the island. In 1907, a train line that ran from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
was completed and used mostly for transporting
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
. The train was operated by American Railroad Corporation. Railroads, however, fell out of use once the island changed its economic focus from
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
to
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
. Abandoned railroads can still be found at various places in the outskirts of the city. Around 1930, Ponce already boasted its own port facilities for large cargo ships. The port is still one of the busiest ports of the island for commerce. It is currently known as the
Port of the AmericasSubscript textThe Port of the Americas Rafael Cordero Santiago is a megaport currently under construction in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The project aims to convert the current Port of Ponce into an international shipping hub similar to, though not as large as, the megaports located in Singapore...
and is under expansion to convert it into a major international shipping hub.
International flights were once flown to Ponce's
Mercedita AirportMercedita Airport is a commercial airport located three miles east of the central business district of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The airport covers and has one runway...
, coded PSE, by
Eastern Air LinesEastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...
and
American Airlines
, while intra-island operations were conducted by
PrinairPrinair was Puerto Rico's domestic and international flag carrier airline for almost two decades.- History :Services began in 1966, under the name Aerolineas de Ponce , with Aero Commanders. The initial service flew from Mercedita Airport in Ponce to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San...
. Air service to Mercedita has increased rapidly during the past two years.
Cape AirHyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States and Micronesia...
dba
Continental ConnectionContinental Connection is a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operate service marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines...
offers daily intra-island service to
Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico , three miles southeast of San Juan...
in
Carolina, Puerto RicoCarolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
. Recently, both
Spirit AirlinesSpirit Airlines is a United States ultra-low-cost airline operating scheduled flights throughout the Americas. The airline is headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit currently maintains bases in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; and Atlantic City, New...
and
JetBlue AirwaysJetBlue Airways is an American low-cost airline owned by JetBlue Airways Corporation . The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main hub is John F...
have started new jet service from Ponce to
Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of Broward County. According to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 183,606...
.
JetBlue AirwaysJetBlue Airways is an American low-cost airline owned by JetBlue Airways Corporation . The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main hub is John F...
also flies nonstop from the
John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in Queens County, New York in southeastern New York City about 12 miles from Lower Manhattan...
(JFK) in New York City and the
Orlando International AirportOrlando International Airport is a major international airport located six nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Orlando, a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is the busiest airport in the state of Florida....
(MCO).
Continental AirlinesContinental Airlines is a United States certificated air carrier. Based in Downtown Houston, Texas, it is the fourth-largest airline in the US based on revenue passenger miles. Since 1998, Continental's marketing slogan has been "Work Hard, Fly Right."Continental operates flights to destinations...
also offers daily nonstop service from
Newark Liberty International AirportNewark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
(EWR). As of 29 of August 2009, the only two airlines operating at the airport are Cape Air with non-stop service to (SJU)-San Juan,PR and Jetblue with non-stop service to (MCO)-Orlando International Airport & (JFK) John F Kennedy International Airport.
Puerto Rico Highway 52 (Interstate PR-1) provides access from Ponce to San Juan, Caguas, Salinas, and other municipalities in the center and south of the island.
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, or PR-2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
grants access to southwestern and western municipalities as a full-access freeway. The
PR-10Puerto Rico Highway 10 is a main highway under construction in Puerto Rico intended to connect the cities of Ponce and Arecibo. It is in current construction but most of the highway has been completed...
highway provides access to the north of the island (Arecibo) but it is still under construction.
Ponce's public transportation system consists of
public cars and vansA share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between private transport and conventional bus transport, often with a fixed or semi-fixed route, but with the added convenience of stopping anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers and not having fixed time schedules...
. Most of them depart from a terminal hub located in downtown Ponce. Taxis are also available around the town. There's also a
trolleyA tram, tramcar, trolley, trolleycar, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a conventional train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets...
system reminiscent to the one from the
19th centuryThe 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Ottoman, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
that travels through the downtown streets, mostly used by tourists. There is also a small train that can drive tourists from the downtown area to the
Paseo Tablado La GuanchaThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 42 million dollars...
, and a ferry that provides service to Isla de Caja de Muertos.
Notable Ponceños
The following is a list of Ponceños who have distigushed themselves at the international or the national level.
- Denise Quiñones
Denise Marie Quiñones August was the fourth Puerto Rican winner of the Miss Universe contest. Prior to winning the Miss Universe pageant, she represented her hometown of Lares in the Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2001 pageant.Quiñones won the Miss Universe 2001 pageant in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in 2001...
, Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest run by the Miss Universe Organization.The contest was founded in 1952 by California clothing company Pacific Mills...
contest winner
- Ednita Nazario
Ednita Nazario is a Latin Grammy nominated Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, that has achieved great success both in the island and abroad. She is also Puerto Rico's highest selling female balladeer. She has been in the music business from a very young age, and has released over twenty albums...
, Latin GrammyThe Latin Grammy Awards were launched in 2000 with a telecast aired on CBS. It was the first primarily Spanish language primetime program carried on an English-language television network. Like the Grammy Awards, the Latin Grammys recognize artistic and technical excellence in the recording arts...
nominated singer and songwriter
- Federico Degetau
Federico Degetau y González, born in Ponce was a Puerto Rican politician, lawyer, writer, author, and the first Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States House of Representatives.-Early years:...
, first Resident Commissioner of Puerto RicoThe Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years...
to the United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
- Isolina Ferré
Isolina Ferré Aguayo was a Roman Catholic nun. Known as the "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico", she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her humanitarian work....
, recipient of the Presidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is, along with theequivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress, the highest civilian award in the U.S...
- Juan Morel Campos<