Ponce (ˈ; ˈponθe) is both a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and a
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the southern part of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
metropolitan area, is named for
Juan Ponce de León y LoayzaJuan Ponce de León y Loayza was the son of Juan Ponce de Leon II , an interim Spanish governor of Puerto Rico in 1579. His mother was Isabel de Loayza, daughter of Governor Cervantes de Loayza...
, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador
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 (The Noble, or Lordly, City), and
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city 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
commonwealthIn the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.The definition of "Commonwealth" according to current U.S. State Department policy reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific...
and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government agencies.
The
Municipality of PonceThe Municipalities of Puerto Rico number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth. Each municipality is divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with political authority.-Administrative divisions:...
, 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 located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The municipality has a total 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), including 19 outside the city's urban area and 12 in the urban area of the city. The historic
Ponce PuebloThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
district, located in the downtown area of the city, is shared by several of the downtown barrios, and is located approximately three miles inland from the shores of the Caribbean. 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, 2009 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 262,414, a 0.95% decrease from the 2000 census figure of 264,919.Ponce is the third largest...
and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area, and it was the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
, becoming
The Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 1992.
Early settlers
The region of what is now Ponce belonged to the
TaínoThe Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak 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 Rico. Agüeybana, a
caciqueCacique 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...
who led the region, was among those that greeted Spanish conquistador
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,
SpanishThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
families started settling around the
Jacaguas RiverThe Río Jacaguas is a river shared between the municipalities of Ponce and Juana Diaz. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea east of the city of Ponce. One of the 14 rivers in the municipality of Ponce, it is also the longest, at...
, in the south of the island. For security reasons, these families moved to the banks of the Rio Portugués, then called Baramaya. Starting around 1646 the whole area from the Rio Portugués to the Bay of Guayanilla was called Ponce. In 1670, a small
chapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
was raised in the middle of the small settlement and dedicated in honor of
Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
. Among its earliest settlers were
Juan Ponce de León y LoayzaJuan Ponce de León y Loayza was the son of Juan Ponce de Leon II , an interim Spanish governor of Puerto Rico in 1579. His mother was Isabel de Loayza, daughter of Governor Cervantes de Loayza...
, and the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Don Pedro Rodríguez de Guzmán, from nearby San Germán.
On September 17, 1692, the King of Spain Carlos II issued a
Cédula Real (Royal Permit) converting the chapel into a parish, and in so doing officially recognizing the small settlement as a hamlet. It is believed that Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson, was instrumental in obtaining the royal permit 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. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
. Captains Enrique Salazar and Miguel del Toro where also instrumental. The city is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León.
In the early 18th century Don Antonio Abad Rodriguez Berrios built a small chapel under the name of San Antonio Abad. The area would later receive the name of
San AntónSan Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
, a historically important part of modern Ponce. In 1712 the village was chartered as
El Poblado de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Ponce (The Village of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ponce).
19th century wave of immigrants
In the early 19th century, Ponce continued to be one of dozens of hamlets that dotted the Island. Its inhabitants survived by
subsistence agricultureSubsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
, cattle raising, and
maritimeA sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
contrabandThe word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
with foreigners. However, in the 1820s, three events took place that would dramatically change the size of the town forever. The first of these events was the arrival of a significant number of French citizens, fleeing the
Haitian RevolutionThe Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
of 1792-1804. The effect of this mass migration was not felt significantly until the 1820s. These French entrepreneurs were attracted to the area because of its large flatlands and came with enough capital, slaves, and commercial connections to make a significant impact in Ponce's sugar cane production. The second event was the arrival of landlords and merchants from Latin American countries (and in particular from
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) resulting from the deterioration of the Spanish Empire in Central and South America when those countries gained their independence from Spain in the 1810s-1820s. The third event was the declaration of the Spanish
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....
, which allowed any citizen of a country politically friendly to Spain to settle in Puerto Rico as long as they converted to the Catholic faith and agreed to work in the
agriculturalAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
business. With such mass migrations, not only the size of the town was changed, but the character of its population was changed as well. On July 29, 1848, and as a result of this explosive growth, the Ponce hamlet was declared a
villa (village) by Queen Isabella II, and in 1877 the village obtained its city charter.
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....
, also brought a strong influx of immigrants from Europe, further strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from many regions of Europe. This was in addition to the wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
,
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
,
cornMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
harvesting,
rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
production,
bankA bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
ing and
finance"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, the importing of industrial machinery,
iron foundriesA foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and other enterprises. At the time of the American invasion of the Island in 1898, Ponce was already a thriving city, boasting the Island's main financial center, the Island's first communications link to another country, the best capitalized financial institutions, and even its own currency. It had consular offices for England, Germany, the Netherlands, and other nations.
While Europe was celebrating its
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
(
Victorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
), Ponce followed suit with its own exposition fair, the Ponce Fair. Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877,
Don Miguel RosichMiguel Rosich y Mass was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1889 to 1890 and again in 1897.Rosich y Mass is best remembered for what he did for Ponce as a non-citizen more than what did as mayor...
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 plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
and various other buildings, including the Mercantile Union Building, the
Ponce CasinoThe Antiguo Casino de Ponce , or simply the Casino de Ponce, 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"...
, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the
incandescent light bulbThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
for the first time".
U.S. invasion
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, running from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, which had been built by the Spaniards for military purposes. 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 material into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the West Indies, putting the U.S. forces on the island in direct communication with
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for the first time since the beginning of the campaign. Just prior to the United States occupation of the island, Ponce was a flourishing and dynamic city with a significant number of public facilities, a large number of industries and commercial firms, and a great number of exquisite residences that reflected the high standing of its bourgeoisie.
On July 27, American troops, aboard the
CincinnatiUSS Cincinnati was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy and was launched on 10 November 1892 by New York Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss S. Mosby; and commissioned on 16 June 1894, Captain Henry Glass in command...
,
DixieThe first USS Dixie was a United States Navy auxiliary cruiser and later a destroyer tender. The Dixie was the first ship of the United States Navy to have this name....
,
WaspThe seventh USS Wasp was an armed yacht that served in the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1919 and saw service in the Spanish-American War.-Acquisition and commissioning:...
, and
GloucesterUSS Gloucester was a gunboat in the United States Navy. Formerly J. P. Morgan's yacht Corsair, Gloucester was built in 1891 by Neafie & Levy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and acquired by the Navy on 23 April 1898...
, disembarked at Playa de Ponce. General Nelson Miles arrived the next day with reinforcements from
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....
and took possession of the city. There were some minor skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. Three men were killed and 13 wounded on the Spanish side, while the Americans suffered four 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.
Period of stagnation
After the U.S. invasion, the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s chose to centralize the administration of the island in
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, the capital, neglecting the south and thus starting a period of socio-
economic stagnationEconomic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. 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 San Ciriaco hurricane, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane and the eleventh 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...
in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of sugar mills 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 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....
, drew commercial and agricultural activity away from Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations in the 1920s.
- The loss of the Spanish and Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
n markets.
"The Spanish American War had paralyzed the trade of the Island of Puerto Rico and when Spain surrendered the sovereignty she closed her [Spain's] ports to Puerto Rican products, while the American occupation of Cuba destroyed the only other important market. As a result, the trade in coffee and tobacco was ruined, and nothing was provided by the Americans to take their place."
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back into the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the
Ponce CementPonce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
,
Puerto Rico Iron WorksPuerto Rico Iron Works is a heavy industry iron foundry located in barrio La Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1918...
,
Vassallo IndustriesIndustrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, and Destilería Serrallés.
Ponce massacre
On March 21, 1937, a peaceful march was organized by the
Puerto Rican Nationalist PartyThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, 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 independence and he...
to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and protest the incarceration of their leader, Dr.
Pedro Albizu CamposDon Pedro 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...
, in a federal prison on charges of
seditionIn law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
.
The march turned into a bloody event when the Insular Police, a force somewhat resembling the National Guard of the typical U.S. state and which answered to U.S.-appointed governor Blanton Winship, opened fire upon unarmed and defenseless cadets and bystanders.
When the shooting stopped, nineteen civilians had been killed or mortally wounded. Over two hundred others were badly wounded. Many were shot on their backs while running away, including a seven-year-old girl named Georgina Maldonado who was “killed through the back while running to a nearby church." An
American Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
report declared the event a massacre, and it has since been known as the
Ponce massacreThe Ponce massacre occurred on 21 March 1937 when a peaceful march in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party commemorating the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and coinciding with a protest against the incarceration by the...
. It was the largest massacre in Puerto Rican history.
The history of this event can be viewed at the
Ponce Massacre MuseumThe Museo de la Masacre de Ponce, or , is a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building was 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 Parque Pedro Albizu Campos is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 1991, 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...
, is dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. As a result of this event, Ponce has been identified as "the birthplace of Puerto Rican national identity." 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. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city...
, on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets in the historic downtown area.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity on 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. FerréDon Luis 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...
and
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
, 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...
, as well as the childhood town of governor
Roberto Sanchez VilellaRoberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
.
The Mameyes landslide
On October 7, 1985, Ponce was the scene of a major tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in a sector of Barrio
Portugués UrbanoPortugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
called Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and recover corpses. The United States and many other countries, including Mexico, France, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, sent economic, human, and machinery relief. The commonwealth government, subsequently, relocated hundreds of people to a new community built on stable
ground. In 2005, the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the United States reported that the Mameyes landslide held the record for having inflicted "the greatest loss of life by a single landslide" up to that year.
Recent history
Ponce has improved its economy in the last years. In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of Puerto Rico based on its economic progress and increasing population. Today, the city of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico outside of the
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
metropolitan area. It continues to live up to its nicknames:
La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South) and
La Ciudad Señorial (The Noble or Lordly City). The city is also known as
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City), from the abundant amount of this fruit that grows within its borders.
The city is the governmental seat of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, and the regional hub for various
commonwealthThe 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. For example, it serves as the southern hub for the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other commonwealth and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government agencies.
On October 27, 1992, the
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ponce became the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
under a new law (
The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
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. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three consecutive 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 his term. Cordero was succeeded by
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. In the 2008 general elections
María "Mayita" MeléndezDr. María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita, is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected during the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office in Ponce's political history...
was elected 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. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city...
, which opened in the city in 1992. It depicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the end of the 20th century.
Geography
The Municipality of Ponce sits on the Southern Coastal Plain region of the Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by the municipalities of Adjuntas, Utuado, Jayuya, Peñuelas, and Juana Díaz.
Ponce is a large municipality, with only
AreciboArecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
larger in land area in Puerto Rico. In terms of physical features, the municipality occupies a roughly rectangular area in south-central portion of the Island of approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) wide (east-to-west) by 13 miles (20.9 km) long (north-to-south). It has a surface area of 116 square miles (300.4 km²). The main physiographic features of the municipality of Ponce are: (1) the mountainous interior containing the headwaters of the main river systems, (2) an upper plain, (3) a range of predominantly east-west trending limestone hills, (4) a coastal plain, and (5) a coastal flat. The northern two-thirds of the municipality consists of the mountainous interior, with the southern third divided between hills, coastal plains, and the coastal flat.
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. Barrio
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
is home to
Cerro Maravilla, a peak that at 4,085 feet (1,245 m) is Puerto Rico's fourth highest peak.
Nineteen barrios comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to steep mountain slopes. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these seven:
Quebrada LimónQuebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
MarueñoMarueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
,
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
TibesTibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
PortuguésPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
, and
CerrillosCerrillos is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Machuelo Arriba, Cerrillos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:...
. The barrios of
CanasCanas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
CapitanejoCapitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
,
SabanetasSabanetas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Sabanetas is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
VayasVayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
, and
BucanáBucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
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):
GuaraguaoGuaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
Monte LlanoMontes Llanos , is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, and Cerrillos, Montes Llanos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:Montes Llanos is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
MaragüezMaragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
, and
RealReal is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
. The ruggedness of these barrios is because through these areas of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island. The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city. There are six barrios in the core urban zone of the municipality named
PrimeroPrimero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
SegundoSegundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
Tercero,
Cuarto,
QuintoQuinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, and
Sexto. They are delimetered by streets, rivers, or major highways. For example, Barrio Tercero is bounded in the north by Isabel Street, in the east by the Rio Portugués, in the south by Comercio Street, and the west by
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
. Barrio Tercero includes much of what is called the historic district.
There is a seismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.
Land features
Elevations include
Cerro de PuntaCerro de Punta or just Cerro Punta is the highest peak in Puerto Rico, raising to above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Ponce.-Location:...
at 4,390 feet (1,338 m), the highest in Puerto Rico, located in Barrio
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
in the territory of the municipality of Ponce. Mount Jayuya, at 4,314 feet (1,315 m) is located on the boundary between Barrio Anón and Barrio Saliente in Jayuya.
Cerro Maravilla, at nearly 3,970 feet (1,210 m) above sea level, is located to the east of Barrio Anón. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 2,231 feet (680 m) and Mount Marueño, at 2,100 feet (640 m), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the
Toro Negro ForestToro Negro State Forest is one of the 16 state forests in Puerto Rico. The forest is located in the central region of the island. The forest covers 6,945 cuerdas of mountains, with heights that include Cerro de Punta, the highest peak in the island...
is located in Barrio Anón. 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. Fifty-six (56) percent of the municipality consists of slopes 10 degrees or greater.
Water features
The 14 rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are
MatildeThe Río Matilde is a short river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It forms from the confluence of Rio Pastillo and Rio Canas This river is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality and, forming at an altitude of just , it is the river forming at the lowest altitute in Ponce.-Origin:At ...
,
InabónRío Inabón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. With a length of some , it is Ponce's second longest river after Rio Jacaguas. It is fed by the Río Anón, Río Guayo and the Emajagua Brook. It it also fed by Rio Bacas and Rio de las Raices. This river is one of the 14 rivers in the...
,
BucanáRío Bucaná, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Rio Cerrillos and Rio Bayagan. It is also fed by Rio Portugues during its southernly run. Rio Bucana used to run...
,
JacaguasThe Río Jacaguas is a river shared between the municipalities of Ponce and Juana Diaz. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea east of the city of Ponce. One of the 14 rivers in the municipality of Ponce, it is also the longest, at...
, Portugués,
CañasThe Río Cañas, also known as Río Canas, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as Río Magueyes in the area of barrio Magueyes in the municipality of Ponce...
,
PastilloRío Pastillo is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as "Rio Marueño". Together with Rio Canas, Rio Pastillo forms Rio Matilde. Rio Pastillo is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.-Origin:...
,
CerrillosRío Cerrillos is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Cerrillos has its origin in barrio Anón and runs south until it feeds into Rio Bucana. Rio Cerrillos is commonly known by the locals as Rio Maragüez, because most of its course runs through Barrio Maragüez. This river is one...
, Chiquito,
BayaganRío Bayagán is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bayagán is a tributary of Río Cerrillos. It has a length of approximately 6 kilometers and generally runs south. It originates in barrio Montes Llanos and runs south through barrio Machuelo Arriba for about 9 kilometers until it...
, Blanco,
PrietoRío Prieto is the name of several rivers in Puerto Rico:* Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto...
,
AnónRío Anón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Anón is one of 13 rivers in the municipality of Ponce and, at , it is also the third with the highest river mouth location, after Río Prieto and Río Blanco, both of which have their mouths at . Río Anón is a tributary of Río Inabón....
and
San PatricioThe Río San Patricio is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is part of the Rio Bucana river system via Rio Cerrillos. RIo San Patricio is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.-Origin:...
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 18 miles (28.5 km); the tributaries of the Inabón are the
AnónRío Anón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Anón is one of 13 rivers in the municipality of Ponce and, at , it is also the third with the highest river mouth location, after Río Prieto and Río Blanco, both of which have their mouths at . Río Anón is a tributary of Río Inabón....
and
GuayoThe Río Guayo is a river in the municipality of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.-See also:*List of rivers of Puerto Rico-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 18.5 miles (29.5 km) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio,
BayagánRío Bayagán is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bayagán is a tributary of Río Cerrillos. It has a length of approximately 6 kilometers and generally runs south. It originates in barrio Montes Llanos and runs south through barrio Machuelo Arriba for about 9 kilometers until it...
, and
PrietoRío Prieto is a river in the minicipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Forming at an altitude of , Rio Prieto originates at the second highest point of any river in the municipality after Rio Inabon. It empties into Rio Cerrillos. Together with Rio Blanco, Río Prieto is one of the two rivers in Ponce...
Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 17.3 miles (27.6 km) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 12 miles (19 km); 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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
and
El TuqueEl Tuque is a beach and family recreational and tourist complex in the Punta Cucharas sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was designed in the early 1960s by Luis Flores, an architect from Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is located on PR-2, Km 220.1, in the El Tuque sector of Barrio Canas in Ponce...
beaches. There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island.
Lake CerrillosLake Cerrillos is a man-made lake located in barrio Maraguez, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The lake was finished in 1992 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The main purposes of the reservoir are flood control, water supply, and recreation. There is a variety of fish available for fishing such as...
is located within the limits of the municipality, as will be the future lake resulting from the
Portugues DamThe Portugués Dam is a roller-compacted concrete thick arch dam that is currently under construction on the Portugués River, three miles northwest of the city Ponce, in Barrio Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Construction on the dam began in April 2008, soon after the U.S...
.
Coastal geographic features in Ponce include the Cabullón inlet, and four keys: Ratones, Cardona,
GatasGatas is a small island in barrio Playa in the municipality of Ponce in southern Puerto Rico. The island is home to the Club Náutico de Ponce, a private sports complex, and it is located near La Guancha and next to the Port of Ponce...
, and
Isla del FrioIsla del Frío is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Together with Caja de Muertos, Gatas, Morrillito, Ratones, Cardona, and Isla de Jueyes, Isla del Frío is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce...
. Caja de Muertos Island and
MorrillitoMorrillito is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...
islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a
mangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
covering an area of approximately 100 acres (40 ha) at Cabullón promontory and Isla del Frio. The Salinas Lagoon has a mangrove that expands about 37 acres (15 ha). The lagoon itself consists of 698
cuerdas (678 acres; 274 ha). The Rita cave is located in Barrio Cerrillos.
Climate
Ponce features a tropical savannah climate (
Koppen AwThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
). 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 (11 °C) which occurred on February 28, 2004, tying the record low of 51 °F (10.6 °C) from January 25, 1993. The city averages about 40 inches of rain per year. The long-term mean annual rainfall in the municipality of Ponce ranges from 36 inches (914.4 mm) in the coastal plain to 100 inches (2,540 mm) at the highest elevations of the mountainous interior. The mean annual temperature in the municipality is 79 °F (26 °C).
Architecture
During the 19th century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development, including the birth of a new architectural style later dubbed
Ponce CreolePonce Creole is an architectural style created in Ponce, Puerto Rico in the late 18th and early 19th century. This style of Puerto Rican buildings is found predominantly in residential homes in Ponce that developed between 1895 and 1920...
. Architects like Francisco Valls,
Manuel Víctor DomenechManuel V. Domenech was a Puerto Rican politician and engineer.-Early years:Domenech was born in Isabela, Puerto Rico...
, Eduardo Salich, Blas Silva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers,
Francisco Porrata DoriaFrancisco Porrata-Doria was a twentieth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Porrata-Doria was a pioneer in the development of the local modern architecture and one of the architects responsible for what has been called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which the Banco Crédito...
and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and
neoclassicNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
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 Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
at the
Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
residence.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to
chamferA chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed street corners) are modeled on
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's architecture, given the city's strong
CatalonianThe Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
heritage.
Barrios
With 31
barrios, Ponce is Puerto Rico's municipality with the largest number of barrios. Ponce's barrios consist of 12 located in the urban area of the city plus 19 outside the urban zone. Of these nineteen, seven were considered suburban in 1999. The suburban barrios were:
CanasCanas or Cañas may refer to:People:* Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican politician* Antonio José Cañas, Salvadoran military officer, diplomat and politician* Carlos Cañas, Salvadoran painter...
,
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
PortuguesPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
, Sabanetas,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
, and
CerrillosCerrillos may refer to:*Argentina**Cerrillos Department, Salta Province**Cerrillos, Argentina*Chile**Cerrillos, Chile*Puerto Rico**Cerrillos, Ponce, Puerto Rico*United States**Los Cerrillos, New Mexico*Uruguay**Cerrillos, Uruguay...
. A 2000 report by the U.S. Census Bureau provides detailed demographics statistics for each of Ponce's barrios.
The 2000 Census showed that Montes Llanos is the least populated barrio in the municipality. Thanks to its larger area, barrio Canas was by far the most populated ward of the municipality. At 68 persons per square mile,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
was the least populated, while
CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
was the most densely populated at 18,819 persons per square mile.
Ponce has nine barrios that border neighboring municipalities. These are
CanasCanas or Cañas may refer to:People:* Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican politician* Antonio José Cañas, Salvadoran military officer, diplomat and politician* Carlos Cañas, Salvadoran painter...
,
Quebrada LimónQuebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
MarueñoMarueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
,
GuaraguaoGuaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
,
RealReal is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
, and
CapitanejoCapitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
. Canas and Capitanejo are also coastal barrios, and together with three others (
PlayaLa Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
,
BucanáBucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
, and
VayasVayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
) make up the municipality's five coastal barrios.
There are also five barrios within the city limits (
Canas UrbanoCanas Urbano is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
,
Machuelo AbajoMachuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
,
Magueyes UrbanoMagueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
,
Portugués UrbanoPortugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
, and
San AntónSan Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
) that in addition to the original six city core barrios — named
PrimeroPrimero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
SegundoSegundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
TerceroTercero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Tercero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
QuintoQuinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, and
SextoSexto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto, Sexto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
— make up the 11 urban zone barrios of the municipality. The
historic zoneThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
of the city is within these original six core city barrios. These eleven barrios composed what is known as the urban zone of the municipality.
The remaining eight barrios (
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
TibesTibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
, Montes Llanos,
MaragüezMaragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
PortuguésPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
,
CerrillosCerrillos may refer to:*Argentina**Cerrillos Department, Salta Province**Cerrillos, Argentina*Chile**Cerrillos, Chile*Puerto Rico**Cerrillos, Ponce, Puerto Rico*United States**Los Cerrillos, New Mexico*Uruguay**Cerrillos, Uruguay...
, Sabanetas) are located in the interior of the municipality. These last eight are outside the city limits and are neither coastal nor bordering barrios.
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality, their population, population density, and land and water areas as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows:
| No. |
Barrio |
Population
(Census 2000) |
Density
(/sq mi) |
Total Area
(sq mi) |
Land Area
(sq mi) |
Water Area
(sq mi) |
| 1 |
Anón Anón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
|
1669 |
129.9 |
12.85 |
12.85 |
0.00 |
| 2 |
Bucaná Bucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
|
3963 |
2957.5 |
2.16 |
1.34 |
0.81 |
| 3 |
Canas Canas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
|
34065 |
2349.3 |
22.82 |
14.50 |
8.32 |
| 4 |
Canas Urbano Canas Urbano is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
|
21482 |
9299.6 |
2.31 |
2.31 |
0.00 |
| 5 |
Capitanejo Capitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
|
1401 |
355.4 |
4.82 |
3.95 |
0.88 |
| 6 |
Cerrillos Cerrillos is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Machuelo Arriba, Cerrillos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:...
|
4284 |
1377.5 |
3.31 |
3.11 |
0.20 |
| 7 |
Coto Laurel Coto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
5285 |
1492.9 |
3.60 |
3.54 |
0.06 |
| 8 |
Cuarto |
3011 |
18818.8 |
0.17 |
0.16 |
0.00 |
| 9 |
Guaraguao Guaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
|
1017 |
247.4 |
4.11 |
4.11 |
0.00 |
| 10 |
Machuelo Abajo Machuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
|
13302 |
7515.3 |
1.86 |
1.77 |
0.90 |
| 11 |
Machuelo Arriba Machuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
|
13727 |
2124.9 |
6.61 |
6.46 |
0.15 |
| 12 |
Magueyes Magueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
|
6134 |
1345.2 |
4.56 |
4.56 |
0.00 |
| 13 |
Magueyes Urbano Magueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
|
1332 |
1074.2 |
1.24 |
1.24 |
0.00 |
| 14 |
Maragüez Maragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
|
754 |
142.0 |
6.42 |
5.31 |
1.11 |
| 15 |
Marueño Marueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
|
1474 |
350.1 |
4.21 |
4.21 |
0.00 |
| 16 |
Montes Llanos |
462 |
214.9 |
2.15 |
2.15 |
0.00 |
| 17 |
Playa La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
|
16926 |
3864.4 |
14.98 |
4.38 |
10.60 |
| 18 |
Portugués Portugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
|
4882 |
1386.9 |
3.56 |
3.52 |
0.04 |
| 19 |
Portugués Urbano Portugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
|
5886 |
5163.2 |
1.14 |
1.14 |
0.00 |
| 20 |
Primero Primero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
3550 |
14200.0 |
0.25 |
0.25 |
0.00 |
| 21 |
Quebrada Limón Quebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
804 |
301.1 |
2.67 |
2.67 |
0.00 |
| 22 |
Quinto Quinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
724 |
6581.8 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
0.00 |
| 23 |
Real Real is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
3139 |
595.6 |
5.28 |
5.27 |
0.01 |
| 24 |
Sabanetas |
6420 |
2351.6 |
2.79 |
2.73 |
0.06 |
| 25 |
San Antón San Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
|
11271 |
10063.4 |
1.17 |
1.12 |
0.04 |
| 26 |
San Patricio San Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
465 |
67.8 |
6.86 |
6.86 |
0.00 |
| 27 |
Segundo Segundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
11321 |
17416.9 |
0.65 |
0.65 |
0.00 |
| 28 |
Sexto Sexto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto, Sexto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
4745 |
18250.0 |
0.27 |
0.26 |
0.01 |
| 29 |
Tercero |
773 |
9662.5 |
0.08 |
0.08 |
0.00 |
| 30 |
Tibes Tibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
|
866 |
123.5 |
7.01 |
7.01 |
0.00 |
| 31 |
Vayas Vayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
|
1338 |
187.9 |
10.47 |
7.12 |
3.35 |
| |
Ponce |
186475 |
1625.5 |
193.6 |
114.7 |
78.9 |
Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. The downtown area contains the bulk of Ponce's tourist attractions. Tourism has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2007, over 6,000 tourists visited the city via cruise ships. Passenger movement at the
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. Passenger movement at the airport in FY 2008 was 278,911, an astounding 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all...
in FY 2008 was 278,911, a 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all the regional airports for that 5-year period. Though not all of these were tourists, it represents a volume larger than the population of the city itself.
To support a growing tourist industry, around the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, several hotels have been built. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce
HiltonHilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
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 comprises 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...
. The Melia Hotel has operated in the city continuously since the early 20th century. The Intercontinental Hotel, which opened in February 1960 and closed in 1975, is under refurbishment and expected to re-open atop the hill near
El VigiaCruceta del Vigía 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. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by
SheratonSheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's 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. The downtown Ponce Ramada Hotel plans to add a casino to its 70-room structure. Ponce is part of the Government of Puerto Rico's
Porta CaribePorta Caribe is a tourism region in southern Puerto Rico. It consists of 14 municipalities in the south central zone: Adjuntas, Arroyo, Coamo, Guayama, Guayanilla, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Patillas, Peñuelas, Ponce, Salinas, Santa Isabel, Villaba, Yauco. Porta Caribe was established in 2003 by the...
tourist region.
Ponce en Marcha
In recent years an intensive $440 million revitalization project called "
Ponce en Marcha" ("Ponce on the Move") 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 three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
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...
and Ponce mayor
Jose Dapena ThompsonJosé Joaquin Dapena Thompson, known as Josito, was a Puerto Rican politician and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1986 to 1988.-Training:...
. The plan was aproved by the Ponce Municipal Legislature on 14 January 2003. It was signed by Govenor Sila Calderon via Executive Order of 28 Dicember 2003, and went into effect of 12 January 2004. The plan incorporates a one billion dollars in spending during the period of 2004 through 2012. A significant number of buildings in Ponce are listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...
. The nonprofit
Project for Public Places listed the
historic downtown Ponce city centerThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
as one of the
60 of the World's Great Places, for its "graciously preserved showcase of Caribbean culture". The revitalized historic area of the city goes by various names, including "Ponce Centro" (Ponce Center), "Historic Ponce", and "Historic District."
Landmarks
The city has been christened as
Museum City for its many quality museums. All museums in Ponce are under municipal government administration. On September 15, 2004, the last four museums not under local control were transferred from the
Institute of Puerto Rican CultureThe Institute of Puerto Rican Culture , or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preserve, promote, enrich, and diffuse the cultural values of Puerto Rico...
to the Ponce Municipal Government by act of the Puerto Rico Legislature. However, these four museums (
Casa Armstrong PoventudResidencia Armstrong-Poventud is a historic building located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The construction of this home set the stage for the construction of other homes of similar architectural elements, character and opulence in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Ponce...
,
Casa Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
, Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña, and Casa de la Masacre) continue to be controlled by the ICP. Downtown Ponce in particular features several museums and landmarks.
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
, the town's main square, features a prominet fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the
Ponce CathedralThe Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
, 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...
, an old fire house, now a museum, that stands as an iconic symbol of the city and a tribute to the bravery of its firefighters. 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, across from Plaza Las Delicias in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building serves as the seat of the executive branch of government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, including the office of the Mayor of Ponce. It is the...
), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s, and the
Armstrong-Poventud ResidenceResidencia Armstrong-Poventud is a historic building located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The construction of this home set the stage for the construction of other homes of similar architectural elements, character and opulence in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Ponce...
, an example of the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architectural heritage of the island.
Just north of downtown Ponce lies the
Serrallés CastleSerrallés Castle is a mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown area . It was built during the 1920s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serrallés, founder of Destilería Serrallés...
and the
Cruceta El VigíaCruceta del Vigía 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 feet (30.5 m) observation tower which overlooks the city. The Serralles castle is reported to receive nearly 100,000 visitors every year. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones. The invasion of American troops in 1898 was first spotted from here.
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's oldest cemetery; in fact, it is the oldest cemetery in the
AntillesThe Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
. In the city outskirts, the
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Barrio Portugués, Ponce, Puerto Rico, houses one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles. The discovery provides an insight as to how the indigenous tribes of the Igneri and Taínos lived and played during and before the arrival...
was discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered
potteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
. 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. Two other cemeteries in Ponce worth noting are the
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de CastroThe Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
and the
Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de PaulThe Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul is a cemetery in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the only cemetery in Puerto Rico with a group of niches built forming a basement, in which the burials occurred beneath ground level, thus giving the effect of a catacomb...
, both of which are listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...
. The Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de Paul has the most eye-catching burial constructions of any cemetery for the wealthiest families, both local and foreign-born, of southern Puerto Rico.
Also in the city outskirts is
Hacienda Buena VistaHacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives , is a coffee plantation and estate in Ponce, Puerto Rico, 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 with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantationA plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
and
gristmillThe terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- 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 360m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid 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 move and...
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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
is located in the town's sea shore. It features kiosks with food and beverages, an open-space stage for activities, and a
marinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
called
Club Náutico de PonceThe Club Náutico de Ponce is a sports complex located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The club is located on Isla de Gatas , near the La Guancha recreational and cultural area, and next to the Port of Ponce....
. From the observation tower on the boardwalk,
Cardona Island LightCardona Island Light is the only 6th order lighthouse in Puerto Rico with a cylindrical attached tower. The light is located on Cardona Island, a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was listed in the U.S...
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 1887 lighthouse in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that is unique amongst all other lighthouses in Puerto Rico for its unusual Lorraine cross, double-arm, T-type shape structure. The historic lighthouse is located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce,...
.
The city is also building an
aquariumA public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
, that will double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. It is due for completion in 2010. As of 2008, the city had also engaged in the development of a convention center with a capacity for 3,000 people. It is also to include two major hotels, apartment buildings and recreational facilities. Puerto Rico Route 143 (PR-143), known as the
Panoramic RouteThe Ruta Panorámica , officially the Ruta Panorámica Luis Muñoz Marin , is a network of some 40 secondary highways which traverse the island of Puerto Rico from west to east along its Cordillera Central . Most of the route consists of three roads, PR-105, PR-143, and PR-182...
, runs edging near the municipality's northern border.
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
libraryThe Ponce Municipal Library, formally, Biblioteca Municipal e Infantil Mariana Suárez de Longo y Archivo Histórico de Ponce , and also known as Bibliteca Publica de Ponce , is the library system of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with seven other branches scattered throughout the municipality.
A number of cultural events take place during the year, most prominently:
- February — Ponce Carnival
- March — Regional Crafts Fair
- May — Danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dances, performed to a pattern, usually of squares, to...
Week; PlayaLa Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
Festival
- July — San Anton
San Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
's Bomba Festival
- November — Discovering Our Indian Roots (Las Mañanitas)
- December — Patron Saint's Day Festival (Fiestas Patronales)
- December — Christmas Concert
The city values its cultural traditions as evidenced by the revitalization project
Ponce en Marcha. It is deeply rooted in its old cultural, artistic, and musical heritage. The love for art and architecture, for example, can be appreciated at its museums of art, music, and architecture. "Over the last century or so, the north [i.e., San Juan] willingly accepted the influence of
western cultureWestern culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
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 many different inter-related 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."
Some argue that the Ponceño culture is different from the rest of the Island: "Ponceños have always been a breed apart from other Puerto Ricans. Their insularity and haughtiness are legendary, and some Puerto Ricans claim that even the dialect in Ponce is slightly different from that spoken in the rest of the Island. They are also racially different: you'll see more people of African descent in Ponce than anywhere else in the Island except
LoizaLoíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...
." Others claim that Ponceños exhibit considerable more civic pride than do residents of other locales. The most important statesman of the time in the Island,
Luis Muñoz RiveraLuis Muñoz Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico....
, by the close of the 19th century referred to Ponce as "the most Puerto Rican city of Puerto Rico."
Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like
BombaBomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
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 were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
and African 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 traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
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, usually in a theatrical setting. 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 The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
, who was renowned all around the world during the early 20th century, to contemporary singers like
Ednita NazarioEdnita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....
. Also, countless
SalsaSalsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
singers like
Héctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, 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...
,
Cheo FelicianoJosé Feliciano, 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.
Dating back to 1858,
Ponce's CarnivalThe Carnaval de Ponce , officially Carnaval Ponceño, is an annual celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The celebration lasts one week and it ends on the day before Ash Wednesday. Thus, it is generally held in February and sometimes in March. It is one of the oldest carnivals of the Western...
is the oldest in Puerto Rico, and acquired an international flavor for its 150th anniversary. It is one of the oldest
carnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
s celebrated in the Western Hemisphere. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
The
Museum of Puerto Rican MusicThe Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña 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...
, 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.
No discussion of music in Ponce would be complete without rendering honor to the great performances of King of Tenors
Antonio PaoliAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
and danza master
Juan Morel CamposJuan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...
, both from Ponce. Today, there is a statue of Juan Morel Campos that adorns the Plaza Las Delicias city square, and the
homeCasa Paoli on 2648 Mayor Street, Ponce, Puerto Rico, is nationally significant as the birthplace of Antonio Emilio Paoli y Marcano , a tenor who was the "first Puerto Rican to reach international recognition in the performing arts" and one of the most outstanding opera singers of all times...
where Paoli was born and raised functions as the Puerto Rico Center for Folkloric Research, a research center for Puerto Rican culture.
Arts
Ponce's love for the arts dates 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 . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and others. The City is one of only seven cities in the
Western HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
(the others being
Mexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
,
HavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
,
ValparaísoValparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
,
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary 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, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, and
RosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
) in the Ruta Europea del Modernisme, an international non-profit association for the promotion and protection of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. 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. FerréDon Luis 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...
. 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 who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
, 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 in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, MAP is the only museum of international stature on the Island, the only one accredited by the
American Association of MuseumsThe American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
(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.
Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the
Leones de Ponce (
Ponce Lions, or
Ponce LionessesThe Leonas de Ponce is the professional female volleyball team of Ponce, Puerto Rico.-Current:As of April 2011* Head Coach: Rafael Olzagasti* Assistant coach: José Mieles-Release or Transfer:-References:* *...
as the case may be) regardless of the sport.
The Leones de Ponce 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 AuditoriumThe Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns , formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. The baseball and volleyball teams (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the
Francisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
. 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 is a Puerto Rican professional association football team based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League, and is the reigning Supercopa DirecTV champion....
football team, which 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 had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...
. The league plays at the
Francisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
and are expected to play in the
United Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico to join the League. Ponce was also host to 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 city also hosts an annual
track and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
event, the Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo.
The
Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Sports MuseumThe Museo Francisco "Pancho" Coímbre is a sports museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.-History:The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum was inaugurated on January 21, 1992...
, named after the
baseball playerFrancisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles , more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo and moved to Ponce early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and...
of the same name, was dedicated to the honor of Puerto Rico's great sports men and women. It is located on the grounds of the
Charles H. Terry Athletic ParkCampo Atlético Charles H. Terry , or simply, El Charles H. Terry is the oldest continuously-functioning athletic field and baseball park in Puerto Rico, and the second oldest in the Caribbean. It is located in the city of Ponce.-History:The Campo Atletico Charles H...
on Lolita Tizol Street, just north of the entrance to Historic Ponce at Puente de los Leones (Lions' Bridge) and the Ponce Tricentennial Park.
Recreation
The municipality is home to several parks and beaches, including both passive and active parks. Among the most popular passive parks are the
Julio Enrique Monagas Family ParkThe Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas is Puerto Rico's largest passive park. It is located in barrio Bucaná, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the banks of rivers Bucaná and Portugués...
on Ponce By-pass Road (
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
) at the location where the Rio Portugués feeds into
BucanáRío Bucaná, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Rio Cerrillos and Rio Bayagan. It is also fed by Rio Portugues during its southernly run. Rio Bucana used to run...
. The
Parque Urbano Dora Colon ClavellThe Parque Urbano Dora Colón Clavell is a passive park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The park is named after the mother of ex-governor of Puerto Rico and Ponce native, Rafael Hernández Colón.-Location:...
, another passive park is in the downtown area. Active parks include the Charles H. Terry Athletic Field, and several municipal tennis courts, including one at Poly Deportivos with 9 hard courts, and one at La Rambla with six hard courts. There are also many public basketball courts scattered throughout the various barrios of the municipality.
The municipality has six beaches, namely,
El TuqueEl Tuque is a beach and family recreational and tourist complex in the Punta Cucharas sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was designed in the early 1960s by Luis Flores, an architect from Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is located on PR-2, Km 220.1, in the El Tuque sector of Barrio Canas in Ponce...
Beach in the El Tuque sector on highway PR-2 west of the city,
La Guancha BeachThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
at the La Guancha Sector south of the city, and four beaches in
Caja de MuertosCaja de Muertos is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...
: Pelicano, Playa Larga, Carrucho, and Coast Guard beach. A
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
must be boarded at La Guancha for transportation to the Caja de Muertos beaches.
Religion
Religion had traditionally been an intrinsic part of Puerto Rican culture until the
U.S. invasion in 1898The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
, with the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
the
de facto state churchState churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Island. The Roman Catholic
Ponce CathedralThe Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
, listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, was built in 1839. The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815, had made it possible for non-Catholics to immigrate to Puerto Rico, but it still did require a vow of alliance to the Catholic Church for those non-Catholics agreeing to settle in the island.
With the U.S. invasion there was a significant change in the religious landscape in the City and in Puerto Rico at large. "The Protestant missionaries followed the footprints of the United States soldiers, right after the Treaty of Paris was ratified and Puerto Rico was ceded to the American government." By March 1899, eight months after the occupation, executives from the Methodists,
EpiscopalianThe Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
s,
BaptistThe Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
s, Presbyterians, and others, had arranged for an evangelical division whereby Ponce would have Evangelical, Baptist, and Methodist "campaigns". With the passing of the
Foraker ActThe Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...
in 1900, which established total separation between Church and State, the absolute power of the Catholic Church eroded quickly. Various churches were then established and built in Ponce that are today historic sites. Among them are the
McCabe Memorial ChurchMcCabe Memorial Church, also known as Iglesia Metodista Unida de La Playa de Ponce , is a historic church building in Barrio Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It dates from 1908, and was designed by Antonin Nechodoma. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2008...
(Methodist) (1908), and the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Episcopalian) (1907).
The bells of the Episcopalian-faith
Holy Trinity ChurchThe Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad , an Episcopal-faith church building located at the intersection of Marina, Mayor, and Abolicion streets in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first Episcopal church built in Latin America. The building dates to 1873. It was the only Protestant church in Puerto Rico...
in
Barrio CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, ran for the first time upon the arrival of the Americans on July 25, 1898. Built in 1873, the church was allowed to function by the Spanish Crown under the conditions that its bell would not be rung, its front doors would always remain closed and its services would be offered in English only.
Today, Ponce is home to a mix of religious faiths; both Protestants and Catholics, as well as
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, have places of worship in Ponce. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Pentecostals,
AdventistThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
s,
EvangelicalThe Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika, was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th century until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the...
s, Disciples of Christ, and
CongregationalistCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
s are among the Protestant faiths with a following in Ponce. Catholicism, however, is the faith that a majority of
ponceños identify themselves with. The Catholic Church has 18 parishes in the municipality of Ponce, two bishops and 131 priests.
Economy
Traditionally the city's economy had depended almost entirely on the sugar cane industry. Since around the 1950s, however, the town's economy has diversified and today its economy revolves around a mixed-industry manufacturing sector, retail, and tourism. The building of a mega port, anticipated to be completed in 2012, is expected to add significantly to the area's economy. Agriculture, retail, and services are also significant players in the local economy. "It is an agricultural, trade, and distribution center. Industries include tourism, the processing of agricultural products,
rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
distilling, canning, and diamond cutting. Manufactures include textiles, shoes, cement, paper, electrical devices, and metal products." The city, though, suffers from an unemployment rate that hovers around the 15 percent mark.
Manufacturing
The municipality is considered one of the most developed municipalities in Puerto Rico. Its
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods 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
electronicElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and electrical equipment, communications equipment,
food processingFood processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
, pharmaceutical drugs,
concrete plantA concrete plant, also known as a batch plant, is a device that combines various ingredients to form concrete. Some of these inputs include sand, water, aggregate , fly ash, potash, and cement. There are two types of concrete plants: ready mix plants and central mix plants...
s, and
scientific instrumentA scientific instrument can be any type of equipment, machine, apparatus or device as is specifically designed, constructed and often, through trial and error, ingeniously refined to apply utmost efficiency in the utilization of well proven physical principle, relationship or technology to...
s. It also produces leather products,
needleworkNeedlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
, and
fishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
flourFlour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
to a lesser extend. Ponce is home to the Serralles rum distillery, which manufactures
Don QDon Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
,
Captain MorganCaptain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan...
, and Parrot Bay rums. It is also home to
Industrias VassalloIndustrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, a leader in
PVCPolyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
manufacturing. Another important local manufacturer is
Ponce CementPonce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
.
Agriculture
In the agricultural sector, the most important products are
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, followed by
plantainPlantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
s,
bananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s,
orangesAn orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, and
grapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
s. A mix of public and private services, as well as finance, retail sales, and construction round up Ponce's economic rhythm.
Cafe RicoCafé Rico is a Puerto Rican corporation that manufactures coffee branded by the same name. The company's headquarters are located in Barrio San Antón in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Las Americas Avenue/Route 163 and Calle Comercio/Route 133...
, which metamorphosed from coffee-grower Cafeteros de Puerto Rico, has its headquarters in Ponce.
Retail
For many years commercial retail activity in Ponce centered around what is now
Paseo AtochaPaseo Atocha is a pedestrian mall in the Ponce Historic Zone, a historic district in Ponce, Puerto Rico. For over a century Paseo Atocha was a commercial street opened to motor vehicle traffic. The street, which is now pedestrian-only, 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, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
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....
. Centro del Sur is also a significant retail area, as is Ponce Mall.
Mega port
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's chief Caribbean port, the Port of Ponce. The port is expanding to transform it into a mega port, called the Port of the Americas that will operate as an international transshipment port. When fully operational, it is expected to support 100,000 jobs.
Demographics
Ponce (ˈ; ˈponθe) is both a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and a
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the southern part of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
metropolitan area, is named for
Juan Ponce de León y LoayzaJuan Ponce de León y Loayza was the son of Juan Ponce de Leon II , an interim Spanish governor of Puerto Rico in 1579. His mother was Isabel de Loayza, daughter of Governor Cervantes de Loayza...
, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador
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 (The Noble, or Lordly, City), and
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city 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
commonwealthIn the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.The definition of "Commonwealth" according to current U.S. State Department policy reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific...
and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government agencies.
The
Municipality of PonceThe Municipalities of Puerto Rico number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth. Each municipality is divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with political authority.-Administrative divisions:...
, 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 located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The municipality has a total 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), including 19 outside the city's urban area and 12 in the urban area of the city. The historic
Ponce PuebloThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
district, located in the downtown area of the city, is shared by several of the downtown barrios, and is located approximately three miles inland from the shores of the Caribbean. 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, 2009 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 262,414, a 0.95% decrease from the 2000 census figure of 264,919.Ponce is the third largest...
and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area, and it was the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
, becoming
The Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 1992.
Early settlers
The region of what is now Ponce belonged to the
TaínoThe Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak 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 Rico. Agüeybana, a
caciqueCacique 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...
who led the region, was among those that greeted Spanish conquistador
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,
SpanishThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
families started settling around the
Jacaguas RiverThe Río Jacaguas is a river shared between the municipalities of Ponce and Juana Diaz. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea east of the city of Ponce. One of the 14 rivers in the municipality of Ponce, it is also the longest, at...
, in the south of the island. For security reasons, these families moved to the banks of the Rio Portugués, then called Baramaya. Starting around 1646 the whole area from the Rio Portugués to the Bay of Guayanilla was called Ponce. In 1670, a small
chapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
was raised in the middle of the small settlement and dedicated in honor of
Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
. Among its earliest settlers were
Juan Ponce de León y LoayzaJuan Ponce de León y Loayza was the son of Juan Ponce de Leon II , an interim Spanish governor of Puerto Rico in 1579. His mother was Isabel de Loayza, daughter of Governor Cervantes de Loayza...
, and the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Don Pedro Rodríguez de Guzmán, from nearby San Germán.
On September 17, 1692, the King of Spain Carlos II issued a
Cédula Real (Royal Permit) converting the chapel into a parish, and in so doing officially recognizing the small settlement as a hamlet. It is believed that Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson, was instrumental in obtaining the royal permit 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. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
. Captains Enrique Salazar and Miguel del Toro where also instrumental. The city is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León.
In the early 18th century Don Antonio Abad Rodriguez Berrios built a small chapel under the name of San Antonio Abad. The area would later receive the name of
San AntónSan Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
, a historically important part of modern Ponce. In 1712 the village was chartered as
El Poblado de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Ponce (The Village of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ponce).
19th century wave of immigrants
In the early 19th century, Ponce continued to be one of dozens of hamlets that dotted the Island. Its inhabitants survived by
subsistence agricultureSubsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
, cattle raising, and
maritimeA sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
contrabandThe word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
with foreigners. However, in the 1820s, three events took place that would dramatically change the size of the town forever. The first of these events was the arrival of a significant number of French citizens, fleeing the
Haitian RevolutionThe Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
of 1792-1804. The effect of this mass migration was not felt significantly until the 1820s. These French entrepreneurs were attracted to the area because of its large flatlands and came with enough capital, slaves, and commercial connections to make a significant impact in Ponce's sugar cane production. The second event was the arrival of landlords and merchants from Latin American countries (and in particular from
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) resulting from the deterioration of the Spanish Empire in Central and South America when those countries gained their independence from Spain in the 1810s-1820s. The third event was the declaration of the Spanish
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....
, which allowed any citizen of a country politically friendly to Spain to settle in Puerto Rico as long as they converted to the Catholic faith and agreed to work in the
agriculturalAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
business. With such mass migrations, not only the size of the town was changed, but the character of its population was changed as well. On July 29, 1848, and as a result of this explosive growth, the Ponce hamlet was declared a
villa (village) by Queen Isabella II, and in 1877 the village obtained its city charter.
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....
, also brought a strong influx of immigrants from Europe, further strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from many regions of Europe. This was in addition to the wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
,
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
,
cornMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
harvesting,
rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
production,
bankA bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
ing and
finance"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, the importing of industrial machinery,
iron foundriesA foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and other enterprises. At the time of the American invasion of the Island in 1898, Ponce was already a thriving city, boasting the Island's main financial center, the Island's first communications link to another country, the best capitalized financial institutions, and even its own currency. It had consular offices for England, Germany, the Netherlands, and other nations.
While Europe was celebrating its
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
(
Victorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
), Ponce followed suit with its own exposition fair, the Ponce Fair. Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877,
Don Miguel RosichMiguel Rosich y Mass was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1889 to 1890 and again in 1897.Rosich y Mass is best remembered for what he did for Ponce as a non-citizen more than what did as mayor...
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 plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
and various other buildings, including the Mercantile Union Building, the
Ponce CasinoThe Antiguo Casino de Ponce , or simply the Casino de Ponce, 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"...
, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the
incandescent light bulbThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
for the first time".
U.S. invasion
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, running from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, which had been built by the Spaniards for military purposes. 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 material into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the West Indies, putting the U.S. forces on the island in direct communication with
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for the first time since the beginning of the campaign. Just prior to the United States occupation of the island, Ponce was a flourishing and dynamic city with a significant number of public facilities, a large number of industries and commercial firms, and a great number of exquisite residences that reflected the high standing of its bourgeoisie.
On July 27, American troops, aboard the
CincinnatiUSS Cincinnati was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy and was launched on 10 November 1892 by New York Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss S. Mosby; and commissioned on 16 June 1894, Captain Henry Glass in command...
,
DixieThe first USS Dixie was a United States Navy auxiliary cruiser and later a destroyer tender. The Dixie was the first ship of the United States Navy to have this name....
,
WaspThe seventh USS Wasp was an armed yacht that served in the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1919 and saw service in the Spanish-American War.-Acquisition and commissioning:...
, and
GloucesterUSS Gloucester was a gunboat in the United States Navy. Formerly J. P. Morgan's yacht Corsair, Gloucester was built in 1891 by Neafie & Levy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and acquired by the Navy on 23 April 1898...
, disembarked at Playa de Ponce. General Nelson Miles arrived the next day with reinforcements from
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....
and took possession of the city. There were some minor skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. Three men were killed and 13 wounded on the Spanish side, while the Americans suffered four 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.
Period of stagnation
After the U.S. invasion, the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s chose to centralize the administration of the island in
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, the capital, neglecting the south and thus starting a period of socio-
economic stagnationEconomic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. 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 San Ciriaco hurricane, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane and the eleventh 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...
in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of sugar mills 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 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....
, drew commercial and agricultural activity away from Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations in the 1920s.
- The loss of the Spanish and Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
n markets.
"The Spanish American War had paralyzed the trade of the Island of Puerto Rico and when Spain surrendered the sovereignty she closed her [Spain's] ports to Puerto Rican products, while the American occupation of Cuba destroyed the only other important market. As a result, the trade in coffee and tobacco was ruined, and nothing was provided by the Americans to take their place."
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back into the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the
Ponce CementPonce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
,
Puerto Rico Iron WorksPuerto Rico Iron Works is a heavy industry iron foundry located in barrio La Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1918...
,
Vassallo IndustriesIndustrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, and Destilería Serrallés.
Ponce massacre
On March 21, 1937, a peaceful march was organized by the
Puerto Rican Nationalist PartyThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, 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 independence and he...
to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and protest the incarceration of their leader, Dr.
Pedro Albizu CamposDon Pedro 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...
, in a federal prison on charges of
seditionIn law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
.
The march turned into a bloody event when the Insular Police, a force somewhat resembling the National Guard of the typical U.S. state and which answered to U.S.-appointed governor Blanton Winship, opened fire upon unarmed and defenseless cadets and bystanders.
When the shooting stopped, nineteen civilians had been killed or mortally wounded. Over two hundred others were badly wounded. Many were shot on their backs while running away, including a seven-year-old girl named Georgina Maldonado who was “killed through the back while running to a nearby church." An
American Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
report declared the event a massacre, and it has since been known as the
Ponce massacreThe Ponce massacre occurred on 21 March 1937 when a peaceful march in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party commemorating the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and coinciding with a protest against the incarceration by the...
. It was the largest massacre in Puerto Rican history.
The history of this event can be viewed at the
Ponce Massacre MuseumThe Museo de la Masacre de Ponce, or , is a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building was 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 Parque Pedro Albizu Campos is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 1991, 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...
, is dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. As a result of this event, Ponce has been identified as "the birthplace of Puerto Rican national identity." 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. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city...
, on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets in the historic downtown area.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity on 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. FerréDon Luis 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...
and
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
, 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...
, as well as the childhood town of governor
Roberto Sanchez VilellaRoberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
.
The Mameyes landslide
On October 7, 1985, Ponce was the scene of a major tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in a sector of Barrio
Portugués UrbanoPortugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
called Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and recover corpses. The United States and many other countries, including Mexico, France, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, sent economic, human, and machinery relief. The commonwealth government, subsequently, relocated hundreds of people to a new community built on stable
ground. In 2005, the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the United States reported that the Mameyes landslide held the record for having inflicted "the greatest loss of life by a single landslide" up to that year.
Recent history
Ponce has improved its economy in the last years. In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of Puerto Rico based on its economic progress and increasing population. Today, the city of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico outside of the
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
metropolitan area. It continues to live up to its nicknames:
La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South) and
La Ciudad Señorial (The Noble or Lordly City). The city is also known as
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City), from the abundant amount of this fruit that grows within its borders.
The city is the governmental seat of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, and the regional hub for various
commonwealthThe 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. For example, it serves as the southern hub for the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other commonwealth and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government agencies.
On October 27, 1992, the
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ponce became the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
under a new law (
The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
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. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three consecutive 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 his term. Cordero was succeeded by
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. In the 2008 general elections
María "Mayita" MeléndezDr. María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita, is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected during the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office in Ponce's political history...
was elected 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. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city...
, which opened in the city in 1992. It depicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the end of the 20th century.
Geography
The Municipality of Ponce sits on the Southern Coastal Plain region of the Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by the municipalities of Adjuntas, Utuado, Jayuya, Peñuelas, and Juana Díaz.
Ponce is a large municipality, with only
AreciboArecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
larger in land area in Puerto Rico. In terms of physical features, the municipality occupies a roughly rectangular area in south-central portion of the Island of approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) wide (east-to-west) by 13 miles (20.9 km) long (north-to-south). It has a surface area of 116 square miles (300.4 km²). The main physiographic features of the municipality of Ponce are: (1) the mountainous interior containing the headwaters of the main river systems, (2) an upper plain, (3) a range of predominantly east-west trending limestone hills, (4) a coastal plain, and (5) a coastal flat. The northern two-thirds of the municipality consists of the mountainous interior, with the southern third divided between hills, coastal plains, and the coastal flat.
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. Barrio
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
is home to
Cerro Maravilla, a peak that at 4,085 feet (1,245 m) is Puerto Rico's fourth highest peak.
Nineteen barrios comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to steep mountain slopes. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these seven:
Quebrada LimónQuebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
MarueñoMarueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
,
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
TibesTibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
PortuguésPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
, and
CerrillosCerrillos is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Machuelo Arriba, Cerrillos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:...
. The barrios of
CanasCanas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
CapitanejoCapitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
,
SabanetasSabanetas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Sabanetas is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
VayasVayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
, and
BucanáBucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
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):
GuaraguaoGuaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
Monte LlanoMontes Llanos , is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, and Cerrillos, Montes Llanos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:Montes Llanos is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
MaragüezMaragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
, and
RealReal is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
. The ruggedness of these barrios is because through these areas of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island. The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city. There are six barrios in the core urban zone of the municipality named
PrimeroPrimero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
SegundoSegundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
Tercero,
Cuarto,
QuintoQuinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, and
Sexto. They are delimetered by streets, rivers, or major highways. For example, Barrio Tercero is bounded in the north by Isabel Street, in the east by the Rio Portugués, in the south by Comercio Street, and the west by
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
. Barrio Tercero includes much of what is called the historic district.
There is a seismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.
Land features
Elevations include
Cerro de PuntaCerro de Punta or just Cerro Punta is the highest peak in Puerto Rico, raising to above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Ponce.-Location:...
at 4,390 feet (1,338 m), the highest in Puerto Rico, located in Barrio
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
in the territory of the municipality of Ponce. Mount Jayuya, at 4,314 feet (1,315 m) is located on the boundary between Barrio Anón and Barrio Saliente in Jayuya.
Cerro Maravilla, at nearly 3,970 feet (1,210 m) above sea level, is located to the east of Barrio Anón. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 2,231 feet (680 m) and Mount Marueño, at 2,100 feet (640 m), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the
Toro Negro ForestToro Negro State Forest is one of the 16 state forests in Puerto Rico. The forest is located in the central region of the island. The forest covers 6,945 cuerdas of mountains, with heights that include Cerro de Punta, the highest peak in the island...
is located in Barrio Anón. 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. Fifty-six (56) percent of the municipality consists of slopes 10 degrees or greater.
Water features
The 14 rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are
MatildeThe Río Matilde is a short river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It forms from the confluence of Rio Pastillo and Rio Canas This river is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality and, forming at an altitude of just , it is the river forming at the lowest altitute in Ponce.-Origin:At ...
,
InabónRío Inabón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. With a length of some , it is Ponce's second longest river after Rio Jacaguas. It is fed by the Río Anón, Río Guayo and the Emajagua Brook. It it also fed by Rio Bacas and Rio de las Raices. This river is one of the 14 rivers in the...
,
BucanáRío Bucaná, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Rio Cerrillos and Rio Bayagan. It is also fed by Rio Portugues during its southernly run. Rio Bucana used to run...
,
JacaguasThe Río Jacaguas is a river shared between the municipalities of Ponce and Juana Diaz. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea east of the city of Ponce. One of the 14 rivers in the municipality of Ponce, it is also the longest, at...
, Portugués,
CañasThe Río Cañas, also known as Río Canas, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as Río Magueyes in the area of barrio Magueyes in the municipality of Ponce...
,
PastilloRío Pastillo is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as "Rio Marueño". Together with Rio Canas, Rio Pastillo forms Rio Matilde. Rio Pastillo is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.-Origin:...
,
CerrillosRío Cerrillos is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Cerrillos has its origin in barrio Anón and runs south until it feeds into Rio Bucana. Rio Cerrillos is commonly known by the locals as Rio Maragüez, because most of its course runs through Barrio Maragüez. This river is one...
, Chiquito,
BayaganRío Bayagán is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bayagán is a tributary of Río Cerrillos. It has a length of approximately 6 kilometers and generally runs south. It originates in barrio Montes Llanos and runs south through barrio Machuelo Arriba for about 9 kilometers until it...
, Blanco,
PrietoRío Prieto is the name of several rivers in Puerto Rico:* Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto...
,
AnónRío Anón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Anón is one of 13 rivers in the municipality of Ponce and, at , it is also the third with the highest river mouth location, after Río Prieto and Río Blanco, both of which have their mouths at . Río Anón is a tributary of Río Inabón....
and
San PatricioThe Río San Patricio is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is part of the Rio Bucana river system via Rio Cerrillos. RIo San Patricio is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.-Origin:...
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 18 miles (28.5 km); the tributaries of the Inabón are the
AnónRío Anón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Anón is one of 13 rivers in the municipality of Ponce and, at , it is also the third with the highest river mouth location, after Río Prieto and Río Blanco, both of which have their mouths at . Río Anón is a tributary of Río Inabón....
and
GuayoThe Río Guayo is a river in the municipality of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.-See also:*List of rivers of Puerto Rico-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 18.5 miles (29.5 km) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio,
BayagánRío Bayagán is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bayagán is a tributary of Río Cerrillos. It has a length of approximately 6 kilometers and generally runs south. It originates in barrio Montes Llanos and runs south through barrio Machuelo Arriba for about 9 kilometers until it...
, and
PrietoRío Prieto is a river in the minicipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Forming at an altitude of , Rio Prieto originates at the second highest point of any river in the municipality after Rio Inabon. It empties into Rio Cerrillos. Together with Rio Blanco, Río Prieto is one of the two rivers in Ponce...
Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 17.3 miles (27.6 km) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 12 miles (19 km); 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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
and
El TuqueEl Tuque is a beach and family recreational and tourist complex in the Punta Cucharas sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was designed in the early 1960s by Luis Flores, an architect from Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is located on PR-2, Km 220.1, in the El Tuque sector of Barrio Canas in Ponce...
beaches. There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island.
Lake CerrillosLake Cerrillos is a man-made lake located in barrio Maraguez, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The lake was finished in 1992 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The main purposes of the reservoir are flood control, water supply, and recreation. There is a variety of fish available for fishing such as...
is located within the limits of the municipality, as will be the future lake resulting from the
Portugues DamThe Portugués Dam is a roller-compacted concrete thick arch dam that is currently under construction on the Portugués River, three miles northwest of the city Ponce, in Barrio Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Construction on the dam began in April 2008, soon after the U.S...
.
Coastal geographic features in Ponce include the Cabullón inlet, and four keys: Ratones, Cardona,
GatasGatas is a small island in barrio Playa in the municipality of Ponce in southern Puerto Rico. The island is home to the Club Náutico de Ponce, a private sports complex, and it is located near La Guancha and next to the Port of Ponce...
, and
Isla del FrioIsla del Frío is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Together with Caja de Muertos, Gatas, Morrillito, Ratones, Cardona, and Isla de Jueyes, Isla del Frío is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce...
. Caja de Muertos Island and
MorrillitoMorrillito is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...
islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a
mangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
covering an area of approximately 100 acres (40 ha) at Cabullón promontory and Isla del Frio. The Salinas Lagoon has a mangrove that expands about 37 acres (15 ha). The lagoon itself consists of 698
cuerdas (678 acres; 274 ha). The Rita cave is located in Barrio Cerrillos.
Climate
Ponce features a tropical savannah climate (
Koppen AwThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
). 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 (11 °C) which occurred on February 28, 2004, tying the record low of 51 °F (10.6 °C) from January 25, 1993. The city averages about 40 inches of rain per year. The long-term mean annual rainfall in the municipality of Ponce ranges from 36 inches (914.4 mm) in the coastal plain to 100 inches (2,540 mm) at the highest elevations of the mountainous interior. The mean annual temperature in the municipality is 79 °F (26 °C).
Architecture
During the 19th century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development, including the birth of a new architectural style later dubbed
Ponce CreolePonce Creole is an architectural style created in Ponce, Puerto Rico in the late 18th and early 19th century. This style of Puerto Rican buildings is found predominantly in residential homes in Ponce that developed between 1895 and 1920...
. Architects like Francisco Valls,
Manuel Víctor DomenechManuel V. Domenech was a Puerto Rican politician and engineer.-Early years:Domenech was born in Isabela, Puerto Rico...
, Eduardo Salich, Blas Silva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers,
Francisco Porrata DoriaFrancisco Porrata-Doria was a twentieth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Porrata-Doria was a pioneer in the development of the local modern architecture and one of the architects responsible for what has been called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which the Banco Crédito...
and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and
neoclassicNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
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 Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
at the
Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
residence.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to
chamferA chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed street corners) are modeled on
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's architecture, given the city's strong
CatalonianThe Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
heritage.
Barrios
With 31
barrios, Ponce is Puerto Rico's municipality with the largest number of barrios. Ponce's barrios consist of 12 located in the urban area of the city plus 19 outside the urban zone. Of these nineteen, seven were considered suburban in 1999. The suburban barrios were:
CanasCanas or Cañas may refer to:People:* Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican politician* Antonio José Cañas, Salvadoran military officer, diplomat and politician* Carlos Cañas, Salvadoran painter...
,
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
PortuguesPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
, Sabanetas,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
, and
CerrillosCerrillos may refer to:*Argentina**Cerrillos Department, Salta Province**Cerrillos, Argentina*Chile**Cerrillos, Chile*Puerto Rico**Cerrillos, Ponce, Puerto Rico*United States**Los Cerrillos, New Mexico*Uruguay**Cerrillos, Uruguay...
. A 2000 report by the U.S. Census Bureau provides detailed demographics statistics for each of Ponce's barrios.
The 2000 Census showed that Montes Llanos is the least populated barrio in the municipality. Thanks to its larger area, barrio Canas was by far the most populated ward of the municipality. At 68 persons per square mile,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
was the least populated, while
CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
was the most densely populated at 18,819 persons per square mile.
Ponce has nine barrios that border neighboring municipalities. These are
CanasCanas or Cañas may refer to:People:* Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican politician* Antonio José Cañas, Salvadoran military officer, diplomat and politician* Carlos Cañas, Salvadoran painter...
,
Quebrada LimónQuebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
MarueñoMarueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
,
GuaraguaoGuaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
,
RealReal is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
, and
CapitanejoCapitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
. Canas and Capitanejo are also coastal barrios, and together with three others (
PlayaLa Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
,
BucanáBucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
, and
VayasVayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
) make up the municipality's five coastal barrios.
There are also five barrios within the city limits (
Canas UrbanoCanas Urbano is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
,
Machuelo AbajoMachuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
,
Magueyes UrbanoMagueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
,
Portugués UrbanoPortugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
, and
San AntónSan Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
) that in addition to the original six city core barrios — named
PrimeroPrimero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
SegundoSegundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
TerceroTercero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Tercero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
QuintoQuinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, and
SextoSexto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto, Sexto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
— make up the 11 urban zone barrios of the municipality. The
historic zoneThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
of the city is within these original six core city barrios. These eleven barrios composed what is known as the urban zone of the municipality.
The remaining eight barrios (
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
TibesTibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
, Montes Llanos,
MaragüezMaragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
PortuguésPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
,
CerrillosCerrillos may refer to:*Argentina**Cerrillos Department, Salta Province**Cerrillos, Argentina*Chile**Cerrillos, Chile*Puerto Rico**Cerrillos, Ponce, Puerto Rico*United States**Los Cerrillos, New Mexico*Uruguay**Cerrillos, Uruguay...
, Sabanetas) are located in the interior of the municipality. These last eight are outside the city limits and are neither coastal nor bordering barrios.
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality, their population, population density, and land and water areas as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows:
| No. |
Barrio |
Population
(Census 2000) |
Density
(/sq mi) |
Total Area
(sq mi) |
Land Area
(sq mi) |
Water Area
(sq mi) |
| 1 |
Anón Anón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
|
1669 |
129.9 |
12.85 |
12.85 |
0.00 |
| 2 |
Bucaná Bucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
|
3963 |
2957.5 |
2.16 |
1.34 |
0.81 |
| 3 |
Canas Canas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
|
34065 |
2349.3 |
22.82 |
14.50 |
8.32 |
| 4 |
Canas Urbano Canas Urbano is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
|
21482 |
9299.6 |
2.31 |
2.31 |
0.00 |
| 5 |
Capitanejo Capitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
|
1401 |
355.4 |
4.82 |
3.95 |
0.88 |
| 6 |
Cerrillos Cerrillos is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Machuelo Arriba, Cerrillos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:...
|
4284 |
1377.5 |
3.31 |
3.11 |
0.20 |
| 7 |
Coto Laurel Coto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
5285 |
1492.9 |
3.60 |
3.54 |
0.06 |
| 8 |
Cuarto |
3011 |
18818.8 |
0.17 |
0.16 |
0.00 |
| 9 |
Guaraguao Guaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
|
1017 |
247.4 |
4.11 |
4.11 |
0.00 |
| 10 |
Machuelo Abajo Machuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
|
13302 |
7515.3 |
1.86 |
1.77 |
0.90 |
| 11 |
Machuelo Arriba Machuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
|
13727 |
2124.9 |
6.61 |
6.46 |
0.15 |
| 12 |
Magueyes Magueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
|
6134 |
1345.2 |
4.56 |
4.56 |
0.00 |
| 13 |
Magueyes Urbano Magueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
|
1332 |
1074.2 |
1.24 |
1.24 |
0.00 |
| 14 |
Maragüez Maragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
|
754 |
142.0 |
6.42 |
5.31 |
1.11 |
| 15 |
Marueño Marueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
|
1474 |
350.1 |
4.21 |
4.21 |
0.00 |
| 16 |
Montes Llanos |
462 |
214.9 |
2.15 |
2.15 |
0.00 |
| 17 |
Playa La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
|
16926 |
3864.4 |
14.98 |
4.38 |
10.60 |
| 18 |
Portugués Portugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
|
4882 |
1386.9 |
3.56 |
3.52 |
0.04 |
| 19 |
Portugués Urbano Portugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
|
5886 |
5163.2 |
1.14 |
1.14 |
0.00 |
| 20 |
Primero Primero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
3550 |
14200.0 |
0.25 |
0.25 |
0.00 |
| 21 |
Quebrada Limón Quebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
804 |
301.1 |
2.67 |
2.67 |
0.00 |
| 22 |
Quinto Quinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
724 |
6581.8 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
0.00 |
| 23 |
Real Real is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
3139 |
595.6 |
5.28 |
5.27 |
0.01 |
| 24 |
Sabanetas |
6420 |
2351.6 |
2.79 |
2.73 |
0.06 |
| 25 |
San Antón San Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
|
11271 |
10063.4 |
1.17 |
1.12 |
0.04 |
| 26 |
San Patricio San Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
465 |
67.8 |
6.86 |
6.86 |
0.00 |
| 27 |
Segundo Segundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
11321 |
17416.9 |
0.65 |
0.65 |
0.00 |
| 28 |
Sexto Sexto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto, Sexto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
4745 |
18250.0 |
0.27 |
0.26 |
0.01 |
| 29 |
Tercero |
773 |
9662.5 |
0.08 |
0.08 |
0.00 |
| 30 |
Tibes Tibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
|
866 |
123.5 |
7.01 |
7.01 |
0.00 |
| 31 |
Vayas Vayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
|
1338 |
187.9 |
10.47 |
7.12 |
3.35 |
| |
Ponce |
186475 |
1625.5 |
193.6 |
114.7 |
78.9 |
Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. The downtown area contains the bulk of Ponce's tourist attractions. Tourism has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2007, over 6,000 tourists visited the city via cruise ships. Passenger movement at the
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. Passenger movement at the airport in FY 2008 was 278,911, an astounding 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all...
in FY 2008 was 278,911, a 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all the regional airports for that 5-year period. Though not all of these were tourists, it represents a volume larger than the population of the city itself.
To support a growing tourist industry, around the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, several hotels have been built. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce
HiltonHilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
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 comprises 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...
. The Melia Hotel has operated in the city continuously since the early 20th century. The Intercontinental Hotel, which opened in February 1960 and closed in 1975, is under refurbishment and expected to re-open atop the hill near
El VigiaCruceta del Vigía 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. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by
SheratonSheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's 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. The downtown Ponce Ramada Hotel plans to add a casino to its 70-room structure. Ponce is part of the Government of Puerto Rico's
Porta CaribePorta Caribe is a tourism region in southern Puerto Rico. It consists of 14 municipalities in the south central zone: Adjuntas, Arroyo, Coamo, Guayama, Guayanilla, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Patillas, Peñuelas, Ponce, Salinas, Santa Isabel, Villaba, Yauco. Porta Caribe was established in 2003 by the...
tourist region.
Ponce en Marcha
In recent years an intensive $440 million revitalization project called "
Ponce en Marcha" ("Ponce on the Move") 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 three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
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...
and Ponce mayor
Jose Dapena ThompsonJosé Joaquin Dapena Thompson, known as Josito, was a Puerto Rican politician and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1986 to 1988.-Training:...
. The plan was aproved by the Ponce Municipal Legislature on 14 January 2003. It was signed by Govenor Sila Calderon via Executive Order of 28 Dicember 2003, and went into effect of 12 January 2004. The plan incorporates a one billion dollars in spending during the period of 2004 through 2012. A significant number of buildings in Ponce are listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...
. The nonprofit
Project for Public Places listed the
historic downtown Ponce city centerThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
as one of the
60 of the World's Great Places, for its "graciously preserved showcase of Caribbean culture". The revitalized historic area of the city goes by various names, including "Ponce Centro" (Ponce Center), "Historic Ponce", and "Historic District."
Landmarks
The city has been christened as
Museum City for its many quality museums. All museums in Ponce are under municipal government administration. On September 15, 2004, the last four museums not under local control were transferred from the
Institute of Puerto Rican CultureThe Institute of Puerto Rican Culture , or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preserve, promote, enrich, and diffuse the cultural values of Puerto Rico...
to the Ponce Municipal Government by act of the Puerto Rico Legislature. However, these four museums (
Casa Armstrong PoventudResidencia Armstrong-Poventud is a historic building located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The construction of this home set the stage for the construction of other homes of similar architectural elements, character and opulence in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Ponce...
,
Casa Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
, Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña, and Casa de la Masacre) continue to be controlled by the ICP. Downtown Ponce in particular features several museums and landmarks.
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
, the town's main square, features a prominet fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the
Ponce CathedralThe Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
, 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...
, an old fire house, now a museum, that stands as an iconic symbol of the city and a tribute to the bravery of its firefighters. 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, across from Plaza Las Delicias in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building serves as the seat of the executive branch of government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, including the office of the Mayor of Ponce. It is the...
), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s, and the
Armstrong-Poventud ResidenceResidencia Armstrong-Poventud is a historic building located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The construction of this home set the stage for the construction of other homes of similar architectural elements, character and opulence in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Ponce...
, an example of the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architectural heritage of the island.
Just north of downtown Ponce lies the
Serrallés CastleSerrallés Castle is a mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown area . It was built during the 1920s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serrallés, founder of Destilería Serrallés...
and the
Cruceta El VigíaCruceta del Vigía 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 feet (30.5 m) observation tower which overlooks the city. The Serralles castle is reported to receive nearly 100,000 visitors every year. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones. The invasion of American troops in 1898 was first spotted from here.
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's oldest cemetery; in fact, it is the oldest cemetery in the
AntillesThe Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
. In the city outskirts, the
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Barrio Portugués, Ponce, Puerto Rico, houses one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles. The discovery provides an insight as to how the indigenous tribes of the Igneri and Taínos lived and played during and before the arrival...
was discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered
potteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
. 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. Two other cemeteries in Ponce worth noting are the
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de CastroThe Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
and the
Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de PaulThe Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul is a cemetery in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the only cemetery in Puerto Rico with a group of niches built forming a basement, in which the burials occurred beneath ground level, thus giving the effect of a catacomb...
, both of which are listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...
. The Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de Paul has the most eye-catching burial constructions of any cemetery for the wealthiest families, both local and foreign-born, of southern Puerto Rico.
Also in the city outskirts is
Hacienda Buena VistaHacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives , is a coffee plantation and estate in Ponce, Puerto Rico, 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 with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantationA plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
and
gristmillThe terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- 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 360m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid 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 move and...
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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
is located in the town's sea shore. It features kiosks with food and beverages, an open-space stage for activities, and a
marinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
called
Club Náutico de PonceThe Club Náutico de Ponce is a sports complex located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The club is located on Isla de Gatas , near the La Guancha recreational and cultural area, and next to the Port of Ponce....
. From the observation tower on the boardwalk,
Cardona Island LightCardona Island Light is the only 6th order lighthouse in Puerto Rico with a cylindrical attached tower. The light is located on Cardona Island, a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was listed in the U.S...
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 1887 lighthouse in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that is unique amongst all other lighthouses in Puerto Rico for its unusual Lorraine cross, double-arm, T-type shape structure. The historic lighthouse is located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce,...
.
The city is also building an
aquariumA public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
, that will double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. It is due for completion in 2010. As of 2008, the city had also engaged in the development of a convention center with a capacity for 3,000 people. It is also to include two major hotels, apartment buildings and recreational facilities. Puerto Rico Route 143 (PR-143), known as the
Panoramic RouteThe Ruta Panorámica , officially the Ruta Panorámica Luis Muñoz Marin , is a network of some 40 secondary highways which traverse the island of Puerto Rico from west to east along its Cordillera Central . Most of the route consists of three roads, PR-105, PR-143, and PR-182...
, runs edging near the municipality's northern border.
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
libraryThe Ponce Municipal Library, formally, Biblioteca Municipal e Infantil Mariana Suárez de Longo y Archivo Histórico de Ponce , and also known as Bibliteca Publica de Ponce , is the library system of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with seven other branches scattered throughout the municipality.
A number of cultural events take place during the year, most prominently:
- February — Ponce Carnival
- March — Regional Crafts Fair
- May — Danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dances, performed to a pattern, usually of squares, to...
Week; PlayaLa Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
Festival
- July — San Anton
San Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
's Bomba Festival
- November — Discovering Our Indian Roots (Las Mañanitas)
- December — Patron Saint's Day Festival (Fiestas Patronales)
- December — Christmas Concert
The city values its cultural traditions as evidenced by the revitalization project
Ponce en Marcha. It is deeply rooted in its old cultural, artistic, and musical heritage. The love for art and architecture, for example, can be appreciated at its museums of art, music, and architecture. "Over the last century or so, the north [i.e., San Juan] willingly accepted the influence of
western cultureWestern culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
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 many different inter-related 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."
Some argue that the Ponceño culture is different from the rest of the Island: "Ponceños have always been a breed apart from other Puerto Ricans. Their insularity and haughtiness are legendary, and some Puerto Ricans claim that even the dialect in Ponce is slightly different from that spoken in the rest of the Island. They are also racially different: you'll see more people of African descent in Ponce than anywhere else in the Island except
LoizaLoíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...
." Others claim that Ponceños exhibit considerable more civic pride than do residents of other locales. The most important statesman of the time in the Island,
Luis Muñoz RiveraLuis Muñoz Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico....
, by the close of the 19th century referred to Ponce as "the most Puerto Rican city of Puerto Rico."
Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like
BombaBomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
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 were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
and African 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 traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
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, usually in a theatrical setting. 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 The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
, who was renowned all around the world during the early 20th century, to contemporary singers like
Ednita NazarioEdnita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....
. Also, countless
SalsaSalsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
singers like
Héctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, 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...
,
Cheo FelicianoJosé Feliciano, 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.
Dating back to 1858,
Ponce's CarnivalThe Carnaval de Ponce , officially Carnaval Ponceño, is an annual celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The celebration lasts one week and it ends on the day before Ash Wednesday. Thus, it is generally held in February and sometimes in March. It is one of the oldest carnivals of the Western...
is the oldest in Puerto Rico, and acquired an international flavor for its 150th anniversary. It is one of the oldest
carnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
s celebrated in the Western Hemisphere. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
The
Museum of Puerto Rican MusicThe Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña 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...
, 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.
No discussion of music in Ponce would be complete without rendering honor to the great performances of King of Tenors
Antonio PaoliAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
and danza master
Juan Morel CamposJuan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...
, both from Ponce. Today, there is a statue of Juan Morel Campos that adorns the Plaza Las Delicias city square, and the
homeCasa Paoli on 2648 Mayor Street, Ponce, Puerto Rico, is nationally significant as the birthplace of Antonio Emilio Paoli y Marcano , a tenor who was the "first Puerto Rican to reach international recognition in the performing arts" and one of the most outstanding opera singers of all times...
where Paoli was born and raised functions as the Puerto Rico Center for Folkloric Research, a research center for Puerto Rican culture.
Arts
Ponce's love for the arts dates 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 . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and others. The City is one of only seven cities in the
Western HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
(the others being
Mexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
,
HavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
,
ValparaísoValparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
,
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary 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, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, and
RosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
) in the Ruta Europea del Modernisme, an international non-profit association for the promotion and protection of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. 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. FerréDon Luis 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...
. 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 who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
, 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 in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, MAP is the only museum of international stature on the Island, the only one accredited by the
American Association of MuseumsThe American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
(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.
Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the
Leones de Ponce (
Ponce Lions, or
Ponce LionessesThe Leonas de Ponce is the professional female volleyball team of Ponce, Puerto Rico.-Current:As of April 2011* Head Coach: Rafael Olzagasti* Assistant coach: José Mieles-Release or Transfer:-References:* *...
as the case may be) regardless of the sport.
The Leones de Ponce 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 AuditoriumThe Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns , formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. The baseball and volleyball teams (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the
Francisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
. 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 is a Puerto Rican professional association football team based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League, and is the reigning Supercopa DirecTV champion....
football team, which 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 had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...
. The league plays at the
Francisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
and are expected to play in the
United Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico to join the League. Ponce was also host to 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 city also hosts an annual
track and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
event, the Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo.
The
Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Sports MuseumThe Museo Francisco "Pancho" Coímbre is a sports museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.-History:The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum was inaugurated on January 21, 1992...
, named after the
baseball playerFrancisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles , more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo and moved to Ponce early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and...
of the same name, was dedicated to the honor of Puerto Rico's great sports men and women. It is located on the grounds of the
Charles H. Terry Athletic ParkCampo Atlético Charles H. Terry , or simply, El Charles H. Terry is the oldest continuously-functioning athletic field and baseball park in Puerto Rico, and the second oldest in the Caribbean. It is located in the city of Ponce.-History:The Campo Atletico Charles H...
on Lolita Tizol Street, just north of the entrance to Historic Ponce at Puente de los Leones (Lions' Bridge) and the Ponce Tricentennial Park.
Recreation
The municipality is home to several parks and beaches, including both passive and active parks. Among the most popular passive parks are the
Julio Enrique Monagas Family ParkThe Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas is Puerto Rico's largest passive park. It is located in barrio Bucaná, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the banks of rivers Bucaná and Portugués...
on Ponce By-pass Road (
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
) at the location where the Rio Portugués feeds into
BucanáRío Bucaná, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Rio Cerrillos and Rio Bayagan. It is also fed by Rio Portugues during its southernly run. Rio Bucana used to run...
. The
Parque Urbano Dora Colon ClavellThe Parque Urbano Dora Colón Clavell is a passive park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The park is named after the mother of ex-governor of Puerto Rico and Ponce native, Rafael Hernández Colón.-Location:...
, another passive park is in the downtown area. Active parks include the Charles H. Terry Athletic Field, and several municipal tennis courts, including one at Poly Deportivos with 9 hard courts, and one at La Rambla with six hard courts. There are also many public basketball courts scattered throughout the various barrios of the municipality.
The municipality has six beaches, namely,
El TuqueEl Tuque is a beach and family recreational and tourist complex in the Punta Cucharas sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was designed in the early 1960s by Luis Flores, an architect from Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is located on PR-2, Km 220.1, in the El Tuque sector of Barrio Canas in Ponce...
Beach in the El Tuque sector on highway PR-2 west of the city,
La Guancha BeachThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
at the La Guancha Sector south of the city, and four beaches in
Caja de MuertosCaja de Muertos is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...
: Pelicano, Playa Larga, Carrucho, and Coast Guard beach. A
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
must be boarded at La Guancha for transportation to the Caja de Muertos beaches.
Religion
Religion had traditionally been an intrinsic part of Puerto Rican culture until the
U.S. invasion in 1898The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
, with the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
the
de facto state churchState churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Island. The Roman Catholic
Ponce CathedralThe Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
, listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, was built in 1839. The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815, had made it possible for non-Catholics to immigrate to Puerto Rico, but it still did require a vow of alliance to the Catholic Church for those non-Catholics agreeing to settle in the island.
With the U.S. invasion there was a significant change in the religious landscape in the City and in Puerto Rico at large. "The Protestant missionaries followed the footprints of the United States soldiers, right after the Treaty of Paris was ratified and Puerto Rico was ceded to the American government." By March 1899, eight months after the occupation, executives from the Methodists,
EpiscopalianThe Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
s,
BaptistThe Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
s, Presbyterians, and others, had arranged for an evangelical division whereby Ponce would have Evangelical, Baptist, and Methodist "campaigns". With the passing of the
Foraker ActThe Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...
in 1900, which established total separation between Church and State, the absolute power of the Catholic Church eroded quickly. Various churches were then established and built in Ponce that are today historic sites. Among them are the
McCabe Memorial ChurchMcCabe Memorial Church, also known as Iglesia Metodista Unida de La Playa de Ponce , is a historic church building in Barrio Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It dates from 1908, and was designed by Antonin Nechodoma. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2008...
(Methodist) (1908), and the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Episcopalian) (1907).
The bells of the Episcopalian-faith
Holy Trinity ChurchThe Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad , an Episcopal-faith church building located at the intersection of Marina, Mayor, and Abolicion streets in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first Episcopal church built in Latin America. The building dates to 1873. It was the only Protestant church in Puerto Rico...
in
Barrio CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, ran for the first time upon the arrival of the Americans on July 25, 1898. Built in 1873, the church was allowed to function by the Spanish Crown under the conditions that its bell would not be rung, its front doors would always remain closed and its services would be offered in English only.
Today, Ponce is home to a mix of religious faiths; both Protestants and Catholics, as well as
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, have places of worship in Ponce. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Pentecostals,
AdventistThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
s,
EvangelicalThe Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika, was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th century until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the...
s, Disciples of Christ, and
CongregationalistCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
s are among the Protestant faiths with a following in Ponce. Catholicism, however, is the faith that a majority of
ponceños identify themselves with. The Catholic Church has 18 parishes in the municipality of Ponce, two bishops and 131 priests.
Economy
Traditionally the city's economy had depended almost entirely on the sugar cane industry. Since around the 1950s, however, the town's economy has diversified and today its economy revolves around a mixed-industry manufacturing sector, retail, and tourism. The building of a mega port, anticipated to be completed in 2012, is expected to add significantly to the area's economy. Agriculture, retail, and services are also significant players in the local economy. "It is an agricultural, trade, and distribution center. Industries include tourism, the processing of agricultural products,
rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
distilling, canning, and diamond cutting. Manufactures include textiles, shoes, cement, paper, electrical devices, and metal products." The city, though, suffers from an unemployment rate that hovers around the 15 percent mark.
Manufacturing
The municipality is considered one of the most developed municipalities in Puerto Rico. Its
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods 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
electronicElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and electrical equipment, communications equipment,
food processingFood processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
, pharmaceutical drugs,
concrete plantA concrete plant, also known as a batch plant, is a device that combines various ingredients to form concrete. Some of these inputs include sand, water, aggregate , fly ash, potash, and cement. There are two types of concrete plants: ready mix plants and central mix plants...
s, and
scientific instrumentA scientific instrument can be any type of equipment, machine, apparatus or device as is specifically designed, constructed and often, through trial and error, ingeniously refined to apply utmost efficiency in the utilization of well proven physical principle, relationship or technology to...
s. It also produces leather products,
needleworkNeedlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
, and
fishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
flourFlour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
to a lesser extend. Ponce is home to the Serralles rum distillery, which manufactures
Don QDon Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
,
Captain MorganCaptain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan...
, and Parrot Bay rums. It is also home to
Industrias VassalloIndustrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, a leader in
PVCPolyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
manufacturing. Another important local manufacturer is
Ponce CementPonce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
.
Agriculture
In the agricultural sector, the most important products are
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, followed by
plantainPlantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
s,
bananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s,
orangesAn orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, and
grapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
s. A mix of public and private services, as well as finance, retail sales, and construction round up Ponce's economic rhythm.
Cafe RicoCafé Rico is a Puerto Rican corporation that manufactures coffee branded by the same name. The company's headquarters are located in Barrio San Antón in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Las Americas Avenue/Route 163 and Calle Comercio/Route 133...
, which metamorphosed from coffee-grower Cafeteros de Puerto Rico, has its headquarters in Ponce.
Retail
For many years commercial retail activity in Ponce centered around what is now
Paseo AtochaPaseo Atocha is a pedestrian mall in the Ponce Historic Zone, a historic district in Ponce, Puerto Rico. For over a century Paseo Atocha was a commercial street opened to motor vehicle traffic. The street, which is now pedestrian-only, 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, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
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....
. Centro del Sur is also a significant retail area, as is Ponce Mall.
Mega port
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's chief Caribbean port, the Port of Ponce. The port is expanding to transform it into a mega port, called the Port of the Americas that will operate as an international transshipment port. When fully operational, it is expected to support 100,000 jobs.
Demographics
Ponce (ˈ; ˈponθe) is both a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and a
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the southern part of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
metropolitan area, is named for
Juan Ponce de León y LoayzaJuan Ponce de León y Loayza was the son of Juan Ponce de Leon II , an interim Spanish governor of Puerto Rico in 1579. His mother was Isabel de Loayza, daughter of Governor Cervantes de Loayza...
, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador
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 (The Noble, or Lordly, City), and
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City). The city 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
commonwealthIn the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.The definition of "Commonwealth" according to current U.S. State Department policy reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific...
and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government agencies.
The
Municipality of PonceThe Municipalities of Puerto Rico number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth. Each municipality is divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with political authority.-Administrative divisions:...
, 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 located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The municipality has a total 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), including 19 outside the city's urban area and 12 in the urban area of the city. The historic
Ponce PuebloThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
district, located in the downtown area of the city, is shared by several of the downtown barrios, and is located approximately three miles inland from the shores of the Caribbean. 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, 2009 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 262,414, a 0.95% decrease from the 2000 census figure of 264,919.Ponce is the third largest...
and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. The
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area, and it was the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
, becoming
The Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 1992.
Early settlers
The region of what is now Ponce belonged to the
TaínoThe Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak 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 Rico. Agüeybana, a
caciqueCacique 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...
who led the region, was among those that greeted Spanish conquistador
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,
SpanishThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
families started settling around the
Jacaguas RiverThe Río Jacaguas is a river shared between the municipalities of Ponce and Juana Diaz. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea east of the city of Ponce. One of the 14 rivers in the municipality of Ponce, it is also the longest, at...
, in the south of the island. For security reasons, these families moved to the banks of the Rio Portugués, then called Baramaya. Starting around 1646 the whole area from the Rio Portugués to the Bay of Guayanilla was called Ponce. In 1670, a small
chapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
was raised in the middle of the small settlement and dedicated in honor of
Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
. Among its earliest settlers were
Juan Ponce de León y LoayzaJuan Ponce de León y Loayza was the son of Juan Ponce de Leon II , an interim Spanish governor of Puerto Rico in 1579. His mother was Isabel de Loayza, daughter of Governor Cervantes de Loayza...
, and the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Don Pedro Rodríguez de Guzmán, from nearby San Germán.
On September 17, 1692, the King of Spain Carlos II issued a
Cédula Real (Royal Permit) converting the chapel into a parish, and in so doing officially recognizing the small settlement as a hamlet. It is believed that Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson, was instrumental in obtaining the royal permit 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. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
. Captains Enrique Salazar and Miguel del Toro where also instrumental. The city is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León.
In the early 18th century Don Antonio Abad Rodriguez Berrios built a small chapel under the name of San Antonio Abad. The area would later receive the name of
San AntónSan Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
, a historically important part of modern Ponce. In 1712 the village was chartered as
El Poblado de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Ponce (The Village of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ponce).
19th century wave of immigrants
In the early 19th century, Ponce continued to be one of dozens of hamlets that dotted the Island. Its inhabitants survived by
subsistence agricultureSubsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
, cattle raising, and
maritimeA sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
contrabandThe word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
with foreigners. However, in the 1820s, three events took place that would dramatically change the size of the town forever. The first of these events was the arrival of a significant number of French citizens, fleeing the
Haitian RevolutionThe Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
of 1792-1804. The effect of this mass migration was not felt significantly until the 1820s. These French entrepreneurs were attracted to the area because of its large flatlands and came with enough capital, slaves, and commercial connections to make a significant impact in Ponce's sugar cane production. The second event was the arrival of landlords and merchants from Latin American countries (and in particular from
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) resulting from the deterioration of the Spanish Empire in Central and South America when those countries gained their independence from Spain in the 1810s-1820s. The third event was the declaration of the Spanish
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....
, which allowed any citizen of a country politically friendly to Spain to settle in Puerto Rico as long as they converted to the Catholic faith and agreed to work in the
agriculturalAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
business. With such mass migrations, not only the size of the town was changed, but the character of its population was changed as well. On July 29, 1848, and as a result of this explosive growth, the Ponce hamlet was declared a
villa (village) by Queen Isabella II, and in 1877 the village obtained its city charter.
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....
, also brought a strong influx of immigrants from Europe, further strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from many regions of Europe. This was in addition to the wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
,
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
,
cornMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and
sugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
harvesting,
rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
production,
bankA bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
ing and
finance"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, the importing of industrial machinery,
iron foundriesA foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
and other enterprises. At the time of the American invasion of the Island in 1898, Ponce was already a thriving city, boasting the Island's main financial center, the Island's first communications link to another country, the best capitalized financial institutions, and even its own currency. It had consular offices for England, Germany, the Netherlands, and other nations.
While Europe was celebrating its
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
(
Victorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
), Ponce followed suit with its own exposition fair, the Ponce Fair. Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877,
Don Miguel RosichMiguel Rosich y Mass was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1889 to 1890 and again in 1897.Rosich y Mass is best remembered for what he did for Ponce as a non-citizen more than what did as mayor...
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 plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
and various other buildings, including the Mercantile Union Building, the
Ponce CasinoThe Antiguo Casino de Ponce , or simply the Casino de Ponce, 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"...
, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the
incandescent light bulbThe incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
for the first time".
U.S. invasion
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, running from Ponce to
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, which had been built by the Spaniards for military purposes. 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 material into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the West Indies, putting the U.S. forces on the island in direct communication with
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
for the first time since the beginning of the campaign. Just prior to the United States occupation of the island, Ponce was a flourishing and dynamic city with a significant number of public facilities, a large number of industries and commercial firms, and a great number of exquisite residences that reflected the high standing of its bourgeoisie.
On July 27, American troops, aboard the
CincinnatiUSS Cincinnati was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy and was launched on 10 November 1892 by New York Navy Yard; sponsored by Miss S. Mosby; and commissioned on 16 June 1894, Captain Henry Glass in command...
,
DixieThe first USS Dixie was a United States Navy auxiliary cruiser and later a destroyer tender. The Dixie was the first ship of the United States Navy to have this name....
,
WaspThe seventh USS Wasp was an armed yacht that served in the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1919 and saw service in the Spanish-American War.-Acquisition and commissioning:...
, and
GloucesterUSS Gloucester was a gunboat in the United States Navy. Formerly J. P. Morgan's yacht Corsair, Gloucester was built in 1891 by Neafie & Levy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and acquired by the Navy on 23 April 1898...
, disembarked at Playa de Ponce. General Nelson Miles arrived the next day with reinforcements from
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....
and took possession of the city. There were some minor skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. Three men were killed and 13 wounded on the Spanish side, while the Americans suffered four 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.
Period of stagnation
After the U.S. invasion, the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s chose to centralize the administration of the island in
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, the capital, neglecting the south and thus starting a period of socio-
economic stagnationEconomic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. 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 San Ciriaco hurricane, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, was the longest-lived Atlantic hurricane and the eleventh 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...
in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of sugar mills 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 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....
, drew commercial and agricultural activity away from Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations in the 1920s.
- The loss of the Spanish and Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main 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...
n markets.
"The Spanish American War had paralyzed the trade of the Island of Puerto Rico and when Spain surrendered the sovereignty she closed her [Spain's] ports to Puerto Rican products, while the American occupation of Cuba destroyed the only other important market. As a result, the trade in coffee and tobacco was ruined, and nothing was provided by the Americans to take their place."
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back into the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the
Ponce CementPonce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
,
Puerto Rico Iron WorksPuerto Rico Iron Works is a heavy industry iron foundry located in barrio La Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1918...
,
Vassallo IndustriesIndustrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, and Destilería Serrallés.
Ponce massacre
On March 21, 1937, a peaceful march was organized by the
Puerto Rican Nationalist PartyThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, 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 independence and he...
to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and protest the incarceration of their leader, Dr.
Pedro Albizu CamposDon Pedro 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...
, in a federal prison on charges of
seditionIn law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
.
The march turned into a bloody event when the Insular Police, a force somewhat resembling the National Guard of the typical U.S. state and which answered to U.S.-appointed governor Blanton Winship, opened fire upon unarmed and defenseless cadets and bystanders.
When the shooting stopped, nineteen civilians had been killed or mortally wounded. Over two hundred others were badly wounded. Many were shot on their backs while running away, including a seven-year-old girl named Georgina Maldonado who was “killed through the back while running to a nearby church." An
American Civil Liberties UnionThe American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
report declared the event a massacre, and it has since been known as the
Ponce massacreThe Ponce massacre occurred on 21 March 1937 when a peaceful march in Ponce, Puerto Rico, by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party commemorating the ending of slavery in Puerto Rico by the governing Spanish National Assembly in 1873, and coinciding with a protest against the incarceration by the...
. It was the largest massacre in Puerto Rican history.
The history of this event can be viewed at the
Ponce Massacre MuseumThe Museo de la Masacre de Ponce, or , is a historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building was 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 Parque Pedro Albizu Campos is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 1991, 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...
, is dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. As a result of this event, Ponce has been identified as "the birthplace of Puerto Rican national identity." 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. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city...
, on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets in the historic downtown area.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity on 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. FerréDon Luis 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...
and
Rafael Hernández ColónRafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
, 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...
, as well as the childhood town of governor
Roberto Sanchez VilellaRoberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
.
The Mameyes landslide
On October 7, 1985, Ponce was the scene of a major tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in a sector of Barrio
Portugués UrbanoPortugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
called Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and recover corpses. The United States and many other countries, including Mexico, France, and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, sent economic, human, and machinery relief. The commonwealth government, subsequently, relocated hundreds of people to a new community built on stable
ground. In 2005, the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the United States reported that the Mameyes landslide held the record for having inflicted "the greatest loss of life by a single landslide" up to that year.
Recent history
Ponce has improved its economy in the last years. In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of Puerto Rico based on its economic progress and increasing population. Today, the city of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico outside of the
San JuanSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
metropolitan area. It continues to live up to its nicknames:
La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South) and
La Ciudad Señorial (The Noble or Lordly City). The city is also known as
La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City), from the abundant amount of this fruit that grows within its borders.
The city is the governmental seat of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, and the regional hub for various
commonwealthThe 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. For example, it serves as the southern hub for the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other commonwealth and
federalThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government agencies.
On October 27, 1992, the
municipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ponce became the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its
autonomyAutonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
under a new law (
The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
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. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three consecutive 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 his term. Cordero was succeeded by
Francisco Zayas SeijoDr. Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. In the 2008 general elections
María "Mayita" MeléndezDr. María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita, is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected during the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office in Ponce's political history...
was elected 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. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city...
, which opened in the city in 1992. It depicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the end of the 20th century.
Geography
The Municipality of Ponce sits on the Southern Coastal Plain region of the Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by the municipalities of Adjuntas, Utuado, Jayuya, Peñuelas, and Juana Díaz.
Ponce is a large municipality, with only
AreciboArecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
larger in land area in Puerto Rico. In terms of physical features, the municipality occupies a roughly rectangular area in south-central portion of the Island of approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) wide (east-to-west) by 13 miles (20.9 km) long (north-to-south). It has a surface area of 116 square miles (300.4 km²). The main physiographic features of the municipality of Ponce are: (1) the mountainous interior containing the headwaters of the main river systems, (2) an upper plain, (3) a range of predominantly east-west trending limestone hills, (4) a coastal plain, and (5) a coastal flat. The northern two-thirds of the municipality consists of the mountainous interior, with the southern third divided between hills, coastal plains, and the coastal flat.
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. Barrio
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
is home to
Cerro Maravilla, a peak that at 4,085 feet (1,245 m) is Puerto Rico's fourth highest peak.
Nineteen barrios comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to steep mountain slopes. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these seven:
Quebrada LimónQuebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
MarueñoMarueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
,
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
TibesTibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
PortuguésPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
, and
CerrillosCerrillos is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Machuelo Arriba, Cerrillos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:...
. The barrios of
CanasCanas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
CapitanejoCapitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
,
SabanetasSabanetas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Sabanetas is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
VayasVayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
, and
BucanáBucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
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):
GuaraguaoGuaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
Monte LlanoMontes Llanos , is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, and Cerrillos, Montes Llanos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:Montes Llanos is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
MaragüezMaragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
, and
RealReal is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
. The ruggedness of these barrios is because through these areas of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island. The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city. There are six barrios in the core urban zone of the municipality named
PrimeroPrimero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
SegundoSegundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
Tercero,
Cuarto,
QuintoQuinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, and
Sexto. They are delimetered by streets, rivers, or major highways. For example, Barrio Tercero is bounded in the north by Isabel Street, in the east by the Rio Portugués, in the south by Comercio Street, and the west by
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
. Barrio Tercero includes much of what is called the historic district.
There is a seismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.
Land features
Elevations include
Cerro de PuntaCerro de Punta or just Cerro Punta is the highest peak in Puerto Rico, raising to above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Ponce.-Location:...
at 4,390 feet (1,338 m), the highest in Puerto Rico, located in Barrio
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
in the territory of the municipality of Ponce. Mount Jayuya, at 4,314 feet (1,315 m) is located on the boundary between Barrio Anón and Barrio Saliente in Jayuya.
Cerro Maravilla, at nearly 3,970 feet (1,210 m) above sea level, is located to the east of Barrio Anón. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 2,231 feet (680 m) and Mount Marueño, at 2,100 feet (640 m), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the
Toro Negro ForestToro Negro State Forest is one of the 16 state forests in Puerto Rico. The forest is located in the central region of the island. The forest covers 6,945 cuerdas of mountains, with heights that include Cerro de Punta, the highest peak in the island...
is located in Barrio Anón. 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. Fifty-six (56) percent of the municipality consists of slopes 10 degrees or greater.
Water features
The 14 rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are
MatildeThe Río Matilde is a short river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It forms from the confluence of Rio Pastillo and Rio Canas This river is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality and, forming at an altitude of just , it is the river forming at the lowest altitute in Ponce.-Origin:At ...
,
InabónRío Inabón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. With a length of some , it is Ponce's second longest river after Rio Jacaguas. It is fed by the Río Anón, Río Guayo and the Emajagua Brook. It it also fed by Rio Bacas and Rio de las Raices. This river is one of the 14 rivers in the...
,
BucanáRío Bucaná, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Rio Cerrillos and Rio Bayagan. It is also fed by Rio Portugues during its southernly run. Rio Bucana used to run...
,
JacaguasThe Río Jacaguas is a river shared between the municipalities of Ponce and Juana Diaz. It flows from north to south, draining into the Caribbean Sea east of the city of Ponce. One of the 14 rivers in the municipality of Ponce, it is also the longest, at...
, Portugués,
CañasThe Río Cañas, also known as Río Canas, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as Río Magueyes in the area of barrio Magueyes in the municipality of Ponce...
,
PastilloRío Pastillo is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as "Rio Marueño". Together with Rio Canas, Rio Pastillo forms Rio Matilde. Rio Pastillo is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.-Origin:...
,
CerrillosRío Cerrillos is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Cerrillos has its origin in barrio Anón and runs south until it feeds into Rio Bucana. Rio Cerrillos is commonly known by the locals as Rio Maragüez, because most of its course runs through Barrio Maragüez. This river is one...
, Chiquito,
BayaganRío Bayagán is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bayagán is a tributary of Río Cerrillos. It has a length of approximately 6 kilometers and generally runs south. It originates in barrio Montes Llanos and runs south through barrio Machuelo Arriba for about 9 kilometers until it...
, Blanco,
PrietoRío Prieto is the name of several rivers in Puerto Rico:* Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto * Río Prieto...
,
AnónRío Anón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Anón is one of 13 rivers in the municipality of Ponce and, at , it is also the third with the highest river mouth location, after Río Prieto and Río Blanco, both of which have their mouths at . Río Anón is a tributary of Río Inabón....
and
San PatricioThe Río San Patricio is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is part of the Rio Bucana river system via Rio Cerrillos. RIo San Patricio is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.-Origin:...
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 18 miles (28.5 km); the tributaries of the Inabón are the
AnónRío Anón is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Anón is one of 13 rivers in the municipality of Ponce and, at , it is also the third with the highest river mouth location, after Río Prieto and Río Blanco, both of which have their mouths at . Río Anón is a tributary of Río Inabón....
and
GuayoThe Río Guayo is a river in the municipality of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.-See also:*List of rivers of Puerto Rico-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 18.5 miles (29.5 km) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio,
BayagánRío Bayagán is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Río Bayagán is a tributary of Río Cerrillos. It has a length of approximately 6 kilometers and generally runs south. It originates in barrio Montes Llanos and runs south through barrio Machuelo Arriba for about 9 kilometers until it...
, and
PrietoRío Prieto is a river in the minicipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Forming at an altitude of , Rio Prieto originates at the second highest point of any river in the municipality after Rio Inabon. It empties into Rio Cerrillos. Together with Rio Blanco, Río Prieto is one of the two rivers in Ponce...
Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 17.3 miles (27.6 km) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 12 miles (19 km); 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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
and
El TuqueEl Tuque is a beach and family recreational and tourist complex in the Punta Cucharas sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was designed in the early 1960s by Luis Flores, an architect from Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is located on PR-2, Km 220.1, in the El Tuque sector of Barrio Canas in Ponce...
beaches. There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island.
Lake CerrillosLake Cerrillos is a man-made lake located in barrio Maraguez, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The lake was finished in 1992 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The main purposes of the reservoir are flood control, water supply, and recreation. There is a variety of fish available for fishing such as...
is located within the limits of the municipality, as will be the future lake resulting from the
Portugues DamThe Portugués Dam is a roller-compacted concrete thick arch dam that is currently under construction on the Portugués River, three miles northwest of the city Ponce, in Barrio Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Construction on the dam began in April 2008, soon after the U.S...
.
Coastal geographic features in Ponce include the Cabullón inlet, and four keys: Ratones, Cardona,
GatasGatas is a small island in barrio Playa in the municipality of Ponce in southern Puerto Rico. The island is home to the Club Náutico de Ponce, a private sports complex, and it is located near La Guancha and next to the Port of Ponce...
, and
Isla del FrioIsla del Frío is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Together with Caja de Muertos, Gatas, Morrillito, Ratones, Cardona, and Isla de Jueyes, Isla del Frío is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce...
. Caja de Muertos Island and
MorrillitoMorrillito is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...
islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a
mangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
covering an area of approximately 100 acres (40 ha) at Cabullón promontory and Isla del Frio. The Salinas Lagoon has a mangrove that expands about 37 acres (15 ha). The lagoon itself consists of 698
cuerdas (678 acres; 274 ha). The Rita cave is located in Barrio Cerrillos.
Climate
Ponce features a tropical savannah climate (
Koppen AwThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
). 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 (11 °C) which occurred on February 28, 2004, tying the record low of 51 °F (10.6 °C) from January 25, 1993. The city averages about 40 inches of rain per year. The long-term mean annual rainfall in the municipality of Ponce ranges from 36 inches (914.4 mm) in the coastal plain to 100 inches (2,540 mm) at the highest elevations of the mountainous interior. The mean annual temperature in the municipality is 79 °F (26 °C).
Architecture
During the 19th century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development, including the birth of a new architectural style later dubbed
Ponce CreolePonce Creole is an architectural style created in Ponce, Puerto Rico in the late 18th and early 19th century. This style of Puerto Rican buildings is found predominantly in residential homes in Ponce that developed between 1895 and 1920...
. Architects like Francisco Valls,
Manuel Víctor DomenechManuel V. Domenech was a Puerto Rican politician and engineer.-Early years:Domenech was born in Isabela, Puerto Rico...
, Eduardo Salich, Blas Silva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers,
Francisco Porrata DoriaFrancisco Porrata-Doria was a twentieth-century Puerto Rican architect from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Porrata-Doria was a pioneer in the development of the local modern architecture and one of the architects responsible for what has been called "Ponce Monumental Architecture", of which the Banco Crédito...
and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and
neoclassicNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
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 Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
at the
Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
residence.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to
chamferA chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed street corners) are modeled on
BarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
's architecture, given the city's strong
CatalonianThe Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
heritage.
Barrios
With 31
barrios, Ponce is Puerto Rico's municipality with the largest number of barrios. Ponce's barrios consist of 12 located in the urban area of the city plus 19 outside the urban zone. Of these nineteen, seven were considered suburban in 1999. The suburban barrios were:
CanasCanas or Cañas may refer to:People:* Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican politician* Antonio José Cañas, Salvadoran military officer, diplomat and politician* Carlos Cañas, Salvadoran painter...
,
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
PortuguesPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
, Sabanetas,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
, and
CerrillosCerrillos may refer to:*Argentina**Cerrillos Department, Salta Province**Cerrillos, Argentina*Chile**Cerrillos, Chile*Puerto Rico**Cerrillos, Ponce, Puerto Rico*United States**Los Cerrillos, New Mexico*Uruguay**Cerrillos, Uruguay...
. A 2000 report by the U.S. Census Bureau provides detailed demographics statistics for each of Ponce's barrios.
The 2000 Census showed that Montes Llanos is the least populated barrio in the municipality. Thanks to its larger area, barrio Canas was by far the most populated ward of the municipality. At 68 persons per square mile,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
was the least populated, while
CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
was the most densely populated at 18,819 persons per square mile.
Ponce has nine barrios that border neighboring municipalities. These are
CanasCanas or Cañas may refer to:People:* Alberto Cañas Escalante, Costa Rican politician* Antonio José Cañas, Salvadoran military officer, diplomat and politician* Carlos Cañas, Salvadoran painter...
,
Quebrada LimónQuebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
MarueñoMarueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
,
GuaraguaoGuaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
,
San PatricioSan Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
AnónAnón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
,
RealReal is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
,
Coto LaurelCoto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
, and
CapitanejoCapitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
. Canas and Capitanejo are also coastal barrios, and together with three others (
PlayaLa Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
,
BucanáBucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
, and
VayasVayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
) make up the municipality's five coastal barrios.
There are also five barrios within the city limits (
Canas UrbanoCanas Urbano is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
,
Machuelo AbajoMachuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
,
Magueyes UrbanoMagueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
,
Portugués UrbanoPortugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
, and
San AntónSan Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
) that in addition to the original six city core barrios — named
PrimeroPrimero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
SegundoSegundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
TerceroTercero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Tercero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
,
QuintoQuinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, and
SextoSexto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto, Sexto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
— make up the 11 urban zone barrios of the municipality. The
historic zoneThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
of the city is within these original six core city barrios. These eleven barrios composed what is known as the urban zone of the municipality.
The remaining eight barrios (
MagueyesMagueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
,
TibesTibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
, Montes Llanos,
MaragüezMaragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
,
PortuguésPortugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
,
Machuelo ArribaMachuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
,
CerrillosCerrillos may refer to:*Argentina**Cerrillos Department, Salta Province**Cerrillos, Argentina*Chile**Cerrillos, Chile*Puerto Rico**Cerrillos, Ponce, Puerto Rico*United States**Los Cerrillos, New Mexico*Uruguay**Cerrillos, Uruguay...
, Sabanetas) are located in the interior of the municipality. These last eight are outside the city limits and are neither coastal nor bordering barrios.
A summary of all the barrios of the municipality, their population, population density, and land and water areas as given by the U.S. Census Bureau is as follows:
| No. |
Barrio |
Population
(Census 2000) |
Density
(/sq mi) |
Total Area
(sq mi) |
Land Area
(sq mi) |
Water Area
(sq mi) |
| 1 |
Anón Anón is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Marueño, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Anón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Anón borders the municipalities...
|
1669 |
129.9 |
12.85 |
12.85 |
0.00 |
| 2 |
Bucaná Bucaná is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Canas, Playa, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Bucaná is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
|
3963 |
2957.5 |
2.16 |
1.34 |
0.81 |
| 3 |
Canas Canas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
|
34065 |
2349.3 |
22.82 |
14.50 |
8.32 |
| 4 |
Canas Urbano Canas Urbano is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
|
21482 |
9299.6 |
2.31 |
2.31 |
0.00 |
| 5 |
Capitanejo Capitanejo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Canas, Capitanejo is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of...
|
1401 |
355.4 |
4.82 |
3.95 |
0.88 |
| 6 |
Cerrillos Cerrillos is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Machuelo Arriba, Cerrillos is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios.-Location:...
|
4284 |
1377.5 |
3.31 |
3.11 |
0.20 |
| 7 |
Coto Laurel Coto Laurel is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Laurel is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
5285 |
1492.9 |
3.60 |
3.54 |
0.06 |
| 8 |
Cuarto |
3011 |
18818.8 |
0.17 |
0.16 |
0.00 |
| 9 |
Guaraguao Guaraguao is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Marueño, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Guaraguao is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the...
|
1017 |
247.4 |
4.11 |
4.11 |
0.00 |
| 10 |
Machuelo Abajo Machuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
|
13302 |
7515.3 |
1.86 |
1.77 |
0.90 |
| 11 |
Machuelo Arriba Machuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural interior barrios....
|
13727 |
2124.9 |
6.61 |
6.46 |
0.15 |
| 12 |
Magueyes Magueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Monte Llano, Portugues, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. The name of this barrio is of native Indian...
|
6134 |
1345.2 |
4.56 |
4.56 |
0.00 |
| 13 |
Magueyes Urbano Magueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce...
|
1332 |
1074.2 |
1.24 |
1.24 |
0.00 |
| 14 |
Maragüez Maragüez is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Maragüez is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
|
754 |
142.0 |
6.42 |
5.31 |
1.11 |
| 15 |
Marueño Marueño is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Marueño is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. Marueño borders the...
|
1474 |
350.1 |
4.21 |
4.21 |
0.00 |
| 16 |
Montes Llanos |
462 |
214.9 |
2.15 |
2.15 |
0.00 |
| 17 |
Playa La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
|
16926 |
3864.4 |
14.98 |
4.38 |
10.60 |
| 18 |
Portugués Portugués is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Portugués is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios.-Location:Portugués is a mountainous rural barrio located...
|
4882 |
1386.9 |
3.56 |
3.52 |
0.04 |
| 19 |
Portugués Urbano Portugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
|
5886 |
5163.2 |
1.14 |
1.14 |
0.00 |
| 20 |
Primero Primero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
3550 |
14200.0 |
0.25 |
0.25 |
0.00 |
| 21 |
Quebrada Limón Quebrada Limón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Marueño, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Quebrada Limón is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
804 |
301.1 |
2.67 |
2.67 |
0.00 |
| 22 |
Quinto Quinto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Sexto, Quinto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
724 |
6581.8 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
0.00 |
| 23 |
Real Real is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Marueño, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Real is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
3139 |
595.6 |
5.28 |
5.27 |
0.01 |
| 24 |
Sabanetas |
6420 |
2351.6 |
2.79 |
2.73 |
0.06 |
| 25 |
San Antón San Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
|
11271 |
10063.4 |
1.17 |
1.12 |
0.04 |
| 26 |
San Patricio San Patricio is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, and Marueño, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, San Patricio is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios...
|
465 |
67.8 |
6.86 |
6.86 |
0.00 |
| 27 |
Segundo Segundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
11321 |
17416.9 |
0.65 |
0.65 |
0.00 |
| 28 |
Sexto Sexto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, and Quinto, Sexto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
|
4745 |
18250.0 |
0.27 |
0.26 |
0.01 |
| 29 |
Tercero |
773 |
9662.5 |
0.08 |
0.08 |
0.00 |
| 30 |
Tibes Tibes is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Magueyes, Portugues, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios...
|
866 |
123.5 |
7.01 |
7.01 |
0.00 |
| 31 |
Vayas Vayas is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Playa, Bucana, Canas and Capitanejo, Vayas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios...
|
1338 |
187.9 |
10.47 |
7.12 |
3.35 |
| |
Ponce |
186475 |
1625.5 |
193.6 |
114.7 |
78.9 |
Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. The downtown area contains the bulk of Ponce's tourist attractions. Tourism has seen significant growth in recent years. In 2007, over 6,000 tourists visited the city via cruise ships. Passenger movement at the
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. Passenger movement at the airport in FY 2008 was 278,911, an astounding 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all...
in FY 2008 was 278,911, a 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all the regional airports for that 5-year period. Though not all of these were tourists, it represents a volume larger than the population of the city itself.
To support a growing tourist industry, around the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce
Holiday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, several hotels have been built. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce
HiltonHilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
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 comprises 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...
. The Melia Hotel has operated in the city continuously since the early 20th century. The Intercontinental Hotel, which opened in February 1960 and closed in 1975, is under refurbishment and expected to re-open atop the hill near
El VigiaCruceta del Vigía 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. Other hotel projects in the works include the Ponce Plaza Hotel, Four Points by
SheratonSheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's 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. The downtown Ponce Ramada Hotel plans to add a casino to its 70-room structure. Ponce is part of the Government of Puerto Rico's
Porta CaribePorta Caribe is a tourism region in southern Puerto Rico. It consists of 14 municipalities in the south central zone: Adjuntas, Arroyo, Coamo, Guayama, Guayanilla, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Patillas, Peñuelas, Ponce, Salinas, Santa Isabel, Villaba, Yauco. Porta Caribe was established in 2003 by the...
tourist region.
Ponce en Marcha
In recent years an intensive $440 million revitalization project called "
Ponce en Marcha" ("Ponce on the Move") 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 three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
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...
and Ponce mayor
Jose Dapena ThompsonJosé Joaquin Dapena Thompson, known as Josito, was a Puerto Rican politician and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1986 to 1988.-Training:...
. The plan was aproved by the Ponce Municipal Legislature on 14 January 2003. It was signed by Govenor Sila Calderon via Executive Order of 28 Dicember 2003, and went into effect of 12 January 2004. The plan incorporates a one billion dollars in spending during the period of 2004 through 2012. A significant number of buildings in Ponce are listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...
. The nonprofit
Project for Public Places listed the
historic downtown Ponce city centerThe Ponce Historic Zone is a historic district in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico with construction that dates to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The zone was originally designated in 1962, and then it only included the center core of the city, but it has since been expanded to...
as one of the
60 of the World's Great Places, for its "graciously preserved showcase of Caribbean culture". The revitalized historic area of the city goes by various names, including "Ponce Centro" (Ponce Center), "Historic Ponce", and "Historic District."
Landmarks
The city has been christened as
Museum City for its many quality museums. All museums in Ponce are under municipal government administration. On September 15, 2004, the last four museums not under local control were transferred from the
Institute of Puerto Rican CultureThe Institute of Puerto Rican Culture , or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preserve, promote, enrich, and diffuse the cultural values of Puerto Rico...
to the Ponce Municipal Government by act of the Puerto Rico Legislature. However, these four museums (
Casa Armstrong PoventudResidencia Armstrong-Poventud is a historic building located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The construction of this home set the stage for the construction of other homes of similar architectural elements, character and opulence in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Ponce...
,
Casa Wiechers-VillarongaThe Casa Wiechers-Villaronga is a Neo-classical 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. The house sits in the...
, Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña, and Casa de la Masacre) continue to be controlled by the ICP. Downtown Ponce in particular features several museums and landmarks.
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
, the town's main square, features a prominet fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the
Ponce CathedralThe Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
, 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...
, an old fire house, now a museum, that stands as an iconic symbol of the city and a tribute to the bravery of its firefighters. 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, across from Plaza Las Delicias in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building serves as the seat of the executive branch of government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, including the office of the Mayor of Ponce. It is the...
), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s, and the
Armstrong-Poventud ResidenceResidencia Armstrong-Poventud is a historic building located in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The construction of this home set the stage for the construction of other homes of similar architectural elements, character and opulence in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Ponce...
, an example of the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architectural heritage of the island.
Just north of downtown Ponce lies the
Serrallés CastleSerrallés Castle is a mansion located in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico overlooking the downtown area . It was built during the 1920s by Juan Eugenio Serrallés, son of businessman Juan Serrallés, founder of Destilería Serrallés...
and the
Cruceta El VigíaCruceta del Vigía 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 feet (30.5 m) observation tower which overlooks the city. The Serralles castle is reported to receive nearly 100,000 visitors every year. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones. The invasion of American troops in 1898 was first spotted from here.
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's oldest cemetery; in fact, it is the oldest cemetery in the
AntillesThe Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
. In the city outskirts, the
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Barrio Portugués, Ponce, Puerto Rico, houses one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles. The discovery provides an insight as to how the indigenous tribes of the Igneri and Taínos lived and played during and before the arrival...
was discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered
potteryPottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
. 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. Two other cemeteries in Ponce worth noting are the
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de CastroThe Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
and the
Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de PaulThe Cementerio Católico San Vicente de Paul is a cemetery in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is the only cemetery in Puerto Rico with a group of niches built forming a basement, in which the burials occurred beneath ground level, thus giving the effect of a catacomb...
, both of which are listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThis is a list of properties and districts in the southern municipalities of Puerto Rico that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes places along the southern coast, and on islands, and in the peaks and on the south slope of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central.The area...
. The Cementerio Catolico San Vicente de Paul has the most eye-catching burial constructions of any cemetery for the wealthiest families, both local and foreign-born, of southern Puerto Rico.
Also in the city outskirts is
Hacienda Buena VistaHacienda Buena Vista, also known as Hacienda Vives , is a coffee plantation and estate in Ponce, Puerto Rico, 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 with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantationA plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
and
gristmillThe terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- 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 360m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid 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 move and...
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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
is located in the town's sea shore. It features kiosks with food and beverages, an open-space stage for activities, and a
marinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
called
Club Náutico de PonceThe Club Náutico de Ponce is a sports complex located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The club is located on Isla de Gatas , near the La Guancha recreational and cultural area, and next to the Port of Ponce....
. From the observation tower on the boardwalk,
Cardona Island LightCardona Island Light is the only 6th order lighthouse in Puerto Rico with a cylindrical attached tower. The light is located on Cardona Island, a small island on the west side of the entrance to the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was listed in the U.S...
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 1887 lighthouse in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that is unique amongst all other lighthouses in Puerto Rico for its unusual Lorraine cross, double-arm, T-type shape structure. The historic lighthouse is located in Caja de Muertos, an uninhabited island off the coast of Ponce,...
.
The city is also building an
aquariumA public aquarium is the aquatic counterpart of a zoo, housing living aquatic species for viewing. Most public aquariums feature tanks larger than those kept by home aquarists, as well as smaller tanks. Since the first public aquariums were built in the mid-19th century, they have become popular...
, that will double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. It is due for completion in 2010. As of 2008, the city had also engaged in the development of a convention center with a capacity for 3,000 people. It is also to include two major hotels, apartment buildings and recreational facilities. Puerto Rico Route 143 (PR-143), known as the
Panoramic RouteThe Ruta Panorámica , officially the Ruta Panorámica Luis Muñoz Marin , is a network of some 40 secondary highways which traverse the island of Puerto Rico from west to east along its Cordillera Central . Most of the route consists of three roads, PR-105, PR-143, and PR-182...
, runs edging near the municipality's northern border.
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
libraryThe Ponce Municipal Library, formally, Biblioteca Municipal e Infantil Mariana Suárez de Longo y Archivo Histórico de Ponce , and also known as Bibliteca Publica de Ponce , is the library system of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
in 1894 and, as of 2007 had a new central library with seven other branches scattered throughout the municipality.
A number of cultural events take place during the year, most prominently:
- February — Ponce Carnival
- March — Regional Crafts Fair
- May — Danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dances, performed to a pattern, usually of squares, to...
Week; PlayaLa Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
Festival
- July — San Anton
San Antón is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and Portugués Urbano, San Antón is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It is...
's Bomba Festival
- November — Discovering Our Indian Roots (Las Mañanitas)
- December — Patron Saint's Day Festival (Fiestas Patronales)
- December — Christmas Concert
The city values its cultural traditions as evidenced by the revitalization project
Ponce en Marcha. It is deeply rooted in its old cultural, artistic, and musical heritage. The love for art and architecture, for example, can be appreciated at its museums of art, music, and architecture. "Over the last century or so, the north [i.e., San Juan] willingly accepted the influence of
western cultureWestern culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
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 many different inter-related 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."
Some argue that the Ponceño culture is different from the rest of the Island: "Ponceños have always been a breed apart from other Puerto Ricans. Their insularity and haughtiness are legendary, and some Puerto Ricans claim that even the dialect in Ponce is slightly different from that spoken in the rest of the Island. They are also racially different: you'll see more people of African descent in Ponce than anywhere else in the Island except
LoizaLoíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...
." Others claim that Ponceños exhibit considerable more civic pride than do residents of other locales. The most important statesman of the time in the Island,
Luis Muñoz RiveraLuis Muñoz Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico....
, by the close of the 19th century referred to Ponce as "the most Puerto Rican city of Puerto Rico."
Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like
BombaBomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
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 were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
and African 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 traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
and
PlenaPlena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
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, usually in a theatrical setting. 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 The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
, who was renowned all around the world during the early 20th century, to contemporary singers like
Ednita NazarioEdnita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....
. Also, countless
SalsaSalsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
singers like
Héctor LavoeHéctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, 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...
,
Cheo FelicianoJosé Feliciano, 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.
Dating back to 1858,
Ponce's CarnivalThe Carnaval de Ponce , officially Carnaval Ponceño, is an annual celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The celebration lasts one week and it ends on the day before Ash Wednesday. Thus, it is generally held in February and sometimes in March. It is one of the oldest carnivals of the Western...
is the oldest in Puerto Rico, and acquired an international flavor for its 150th anniversary. It is one of the oldest
carnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
s celebrated in the Western Hemisphere. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
The
Museum of Puerto Rican MusicThe Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña 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...
, 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.
No discussion of music in Ponce would be complete without rendering honor to the great performances of King of Tenors
Antonio PaoliAntonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
and danza master
Juan Morel CamposJuan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...
, both from Ponce. Today, there is a statue of Juan Morel Campos that adorns the Plaza Las Delicias city square, and the
homeCasa Paoli on 2648 Mayor Street, Ponce, Puerto Rico, is nationally significant as the birthplace of Antonio Emilio Paoli y Marcano , a tenor who was the "first Puerto Rican to reach international recognition in the performing arts" and one of the most outstanding opera singers of all times...
where Paoli was born and raised functions as the Puerto Rico Center for Folkloric Research, a research center for Puerto Rican culture.
Arts
Ponce's love for the arts dates 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 . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
,
sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and others. The City is one of only seven cities in the
Western HemisphereThe Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
(the others being
Mexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
,
HavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
,
ValparaísoValparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
,
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary 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, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, and
RosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
) in the Ruta Europea del Modernisme, an international non-profit association for the promotion and protection of
Art NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. 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. FerréDon Luis 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...
. 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 who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
, 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 in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, MAP is the only museum of international stature on the Island, the only one accredited by the
American Association of MuseumsThe American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
(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.
Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the
Leones de Ponce (
Ponce Lions, or
Ponce LionessesThe Leonas de Ponce is the professional female volleyball team of Ponce, Puerto Rico.-Current:As of April 2011* Head Coach: Rafael Olzagasti* Assistant coach: José Mieles-Release or Transfer:-References:* *...
as the case may be) regardless of the sport.
The Leones de Ponce 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 AuditoriumThe Auditorio Juan Pachín Vicéns , formerly, Coliseo Juan Pachín Vicéns, is a sports venue in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
. The baseball and volleyball teams (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the
Francisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
. 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 is a Puerto Rican professional association football team based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League, and is the reigning Supercopa DirecTV champion....
football team, which 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 had a total of six teams for the 2011 season. Association football has been growing in popularity in recent years, and this is an attempt to...
. The league plays at the
Francisco Montaner StadiumThe Estadio Francisco Montaner is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats...
and are expected to play in the
United Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico to join the League. Ponce was also host to 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 city also hosts an annual
track and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
event, the Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo.
The
Francisco "Pancho" Coimbre Sports MuseumThe Museo Francisco "Pancho" Coímbre is a sports museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico.-History:The Francisco Pancho Coimbre Sports Museum was inaugurated on January 21, 1992...
, named after the
baseball playerFrancisco "Pancho" Coimbre Atiles , more commonly known as Pancho Coimbre, was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He was born in the municipality of Coamo and moved to Ponce early in his life. It was in Ponce where he would begin to actively participate in sports, both in sprinting and...
of the same name, was dedicated to the honor of Puerto Rico's great sports men and women. It is located on the grounds of the
Charles H. Terry Athletic ParkCampo Atlético Charles H. Terry , or simply, El Charles H. Terry is the oldest continuously-functioning athletic field and baseball park in Puerto Rico, and the second oldest in the Caribbean. It is located in the city of Ponce.-History:The Campo Atletico Charles H...
on Lolita Tizol Street, just north of the entrance to Historic Ponce at Puente de los Leones (Lions' Bridge) and the Ponce Tricentennial Park.
Recreation
The municipality is home to several parks and beaches, including both passive and active parks. Among the most popular passive parks are the
Julio Enrique Monagas Family ParkThe Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas is Puerto Rico's largest passive park. It is located in barrio Bucaná, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the banks of rivers Bucaná and Portugués...
on Ponce By-pass Road (
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 2, the longest highway in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico at about 156 miles long, connects San Juan to Ponce....
) at the location where the Rio Portugués feeds into
BucanáRío Bucaná, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rio Bucana has its origin in barrio Machuelo Arriba where it forms at an altitude of . It forms from the confluence of Rio Cerrillos and Rio Bayagan. It is also fed by Rio Portugues during its southernly run. Rio Bucana used to run...
. The
Parque Urbano Dora Colon ClavellThe Parque Urbano Dora Colón Clavell is a passive park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The park is named after the mother of ex-governor of Puerto Rico and Ponce native, Rafael Hernández Colón.-Location:...
, another passive park is in the downtown area. Active parks include the Charles H. Terry Athletic Field, and several municipal tennis courts, including one at Poly Deportivos with 9 hard courts, and one at La Rambla with six hard courts. There are also many public basketball courts scattered throughout the various barrios of the municipality.
The municipality has six beaches, namely,
El TuqueEl Tuque is a beach and family recreational and tourist complex in the Punta Cucharas sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was designed in the early 1960s by Luis Flores, an architect from Cayey, Puerto Rico. It is located on PR-2, Km 220.1, in the El Tuque sector of Barrio Canas in Ponce...
Beach in the El Tuque sector on highway PR-2 west of the city,
La Guancha BeachThe La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
at the La Guancha Sector south of the city, and four beaches in
Caja de MuertosCaja de Muertos is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve, because of its native turtle traffic...
: Pelicano, Playa Larga, Carrucho, and Coast Guard beach. A
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
must be boarded at La Guancha for transportation to the Caja de Muertos beaches.
Religion
Religion had traditionally been an intrinsic part of Puerto Rican culture until the
U.S. invasion in 1898The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
, with the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
the
de facto state churchState churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
in the Island. The Roman Catholic
Ponce CathedralThe Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or simply, Ponce Cathedral, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ponce located in downtown Ponce, Puerto Rico. The cathedral lies in the middle of Ponce's town square, known as Plaza Las Delicias, located at the center of the Ponce Historic...
, listed in the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, was built in 1839. The Royal Decree of Graces of 1815, had made it possible for non-Catholics to immigrate to Puerto Rico, but it still did require a vow of alliance to the Catholic Church for those non-Catholics agreeing to settle in the island.
With the U.S. invasion there was a significant change in the religious landscape in the City and in Puerto Rico at large. "The Protestant missionaries followed the footprints of the United States soldiers, right after the Treaty of Paris was ratified and Puerto Rico was ceded to the American government." By March 1899, eight months after the occupation, executives from the Methodists,
EpiscopalianThe Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
s,
BaptistThe Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
s, Presbyterians, and others, had arranged for an evangelical division whereby Ponce would have Evangelical, Baptist, and Methodist "campaigns". With the passing of the
Foraker ActThe Foraker Act,officially the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had been newly acquired by the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto...
in 1900, which established total separation between Church and State, the absolute power of the Catholic Church eroded quickly. Various churches were then established and built in Ponce that are today historic sites. Among them are the
McCabe Memorial ChurchMcCabe Memorial Church, also known as Iglesia Metodista Unida de La Playa de Ponce , is a historic church building in Barrio Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It dates from 1908, and was designed by Antonin Nechodoma. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2008...
(Methodist) (1908), and the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Episcopalian) (1907).
The bells of the Episcopalian-faith
Holy Trinity ChurchThe Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad , an Episcopal-faith church building located at the intersection of Marina, Mayor, and Abolicion streets in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the first Episcopal church built in Latin America. The building dates to 1873. It was the only Protestant church in Puerto Rico...
in
Barrio CuartoCuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, ran for the first time upon the arrival of the Americans on July 25, 1898. Built in 1873, the church was allowed to function by the Spanish Crown under the conditions that its bell would not be rung, its front doors would always remain closed and its services would be offered in English only.
Today, Ponce is home to a mix of religious faiths; both Protestants and Catholics, as well as
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, have places of worship in Ponce. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Pentecostals,
AdventistThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
s,
EvangelicalThe Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika, was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th century until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the...
s, Disciples of Christ, and
CongregationalistCongregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
s are among the Protestant faiths with a following in Ponce. Catholicism, however, is the faith that a majority of
ponceños identify themselves with. The Catholic Church has 18 parishes in the municipality of Ponce, two bishops and 131 priests.
Economy
Traditionally the city's economy had depended almost entirely on the sugar cane industry. Since around the 1950s, however, the town's economy has diversified and today its economy revolves around a mixed-industry manufacturing sector, retail, and tourism. The building of a mega port, anticipated to be completed in 2012, is expected to add significantly to the area's economy. Agriculture, retail, and services are also significant players in the local economy. "It is an agricultural, trade, and distribution center. Industries include tourism, the processing of agricultural products,
rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
distilling, canning, and diamond cutting. Manufactures include textiles, shoes, cement, paper, electrical devices, and metal products." The city, though, suffers from an unemployment rate that hovers around the 15 percent mark.
Manufacturing
The municipality is considered one of the most developed municipalities in Puerto Rico. Its
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods 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
electronicElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and electrical equipment, communications equipment,
food processingFood processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
, pharmaceutical drugs,
concrete plantA concrete plant, also known as a batch plant, is a device that combines various ingredients to form concrete. Some of these inputs include sand, water, aggregate , fly ash, potash, and cement. There are two types of concrete plants: ready mix plants and central mix plants...
s, and
scientific instrumentA scientific instrument can be any type of equipment, machine, apparatus or device as is specifically designed, constructed and often, through trial and error, ingeniously refined to apply utmost efficiency in the utilization of well proven physical principle, relationship or technology to...
s. It also produces leather products,
needleworkNeedlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework...
, and
fishFish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
flourFlour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
to a lesser extend. Ponce is home to the Serralles rum distillery, which manufactures
Don QDon Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
,
Captain MorganCaptain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century, Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan...
, and Parrot Bay rums. It is also home to
Industrias VassalloIndustrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, a leader in
PVCPolyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
manufacturing. Another important local manufacturer is
Ponce CementPonce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
.
Agriculture
In the agricultural sector, the most important products are
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, followed by
plantainPlantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
s,
bananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s,
orangesAn orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, and
grapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
s. A mix of public and private services, as well as finance, retail sales, and construction round up Ponce's economic rhythm.
Cafe RicoCafé Rico is a Puerto Rican corporation that manufactures coffee branded by the same name. The company's headquarters are located in Barrio San Antón in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Las Americas Avenue/Route 163 and Calle Comercio/Route 133...
, which metamorphosed from coffee-grower Cafeteros de Puerto Rico, has its headquarters in Ponce.
Retail
For many years commercial retail activity in Ponce centered around what is now
Paseo AtochaPaseo Atocha is a pedestrian mall in the Ponce Historic Zone, a historic district in Ponce, Puerto Rico. For over a century Paseo Atocha was a commercial street opened to motor vehicle traffic. The street, which is now pedestrian-only, 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, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
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....
. Centro del Sur is also a significant retail area, as is Ponce Mall.
Mega port
Ponce is home to Puerto Rico's chief Caribbean port, the Port of Ponce. The port is expanding to transform it into a mega port, called the Port of the Americas that will operate as an international transshipment port. When fully operational, it is expected to support 100,000 jobs.
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...
|
136,447 |
82.0% |
Black/African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
|
14,896 |
9.0% |
American IndianNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and Alaska NativeAlaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
|
773 |
0.5% |
| Asian Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
|
296 |
0.2% |
Native HawaiianNative Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
/Pacific IslanderPacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
|
15 |
0.0% |
| Some other race |
9,859 |
5.9% |
| Two or more races |
4,041 |
2.4% |
Ponce has consistently ranked as one of the most populous cities in Puerto Rico. Ponce's population, according to the 2010 census, stands at 166,327, 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...
of 1,449.3 persons per square mile (278.4/km²), ranking third in terms of population among
Puerto RicanPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
municipalities.
Statistics taken from the 2010 census show that 82.0% of Ponceños have
SpanishThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
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 9.0% are
blackThe term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, with peoples of
AmerindianThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
,
AsianAsian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
,
MixedThe terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
and other origins making up the rest. At 82.0% vs. 76.2% for the Island as a whole, Ponce has the highest Spanish / white population concentration of any municipality in Puerto Rico.
Government
The municipal government has its seat in the city of Ponce. Since its foundation in 1692, the city of Ponce has been led by a
mayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. Its first mayor was Don Pedro Sánchez de Matos. The 2008 election of
María Meléndez AltieriDr. María Eloisa Meléndez Altieri, also known as Mayita, is the current mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was elected during the Puerto Rican general elections of 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office in Ponce's political history...
, brought Ponce the first woman to be elected to the mayoral office in the city's history. Ponce's best known
mayor of recent years is perhaps
Rafael Cordero SantiagoRafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
, 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 R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives 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. Ponce has had a municipal council since 1812. The municipal legislature 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 Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
, two 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 one legislator who represents the "Movimiento Autónomo Ponceño".
The
Ponce City HallThe Ponce City Hall is located on Calle Degetau, across from Plaza Las Delicias in the Ponce Historic Zone in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The building serves as the seat of the executive branch of government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, including the office of the Mayor of Ponce. It is the...
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 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 Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
In 2005, the municipality's budget was US$152 million. In 2010-2011 it was $158 million. From a business perspective, the Ponce municipal government is generally praised for its efficiency and speediness, thanks to its adoption of the Autonomous Municipality Law of 1991.
Coat of arms
The
coat of armsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the municipality is based on the design of the official mayoral seal that was adopted in 1844 under the administration of mayor
Salvador de VivesSalvador de Vives Rodó was a Puerto Rican politician and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1840 to 1842 and then again from 1844 to 1845. He was the son of Quirse Vives and Ana Maria Rodo. He was a wealthy coffee plantation owner who established the now historic Hacienda Buena Vista. Under de...
.
The coat of arms of Ponce consists of an escutcheon (shield) in the Spanish tradition. This shield has a
fieldIn heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
with a party per bend division. The division runs from top left to bottom right. The field is red and black, bordered with a fine golden line. In the center of the shield is the figure of an erect lion standing on a bridge. The top of the bridge is a golden, the middle is red bricks, and the base foundation is gray rocks. Under the bridge there are gray wavy lines. Over the shield rests a five-tower golden stone wall with openings in the form of red windows. To the left of the shield is a coffee tree branch with its fruit, and to the right of the shield is a sugar cane stalk. The symbols of the shield are as follows: The field represents the flag of the municipality of Ponce, divided diagonally in the traditional city colors: red and black. The lion over the bridge alludes to the last name of the conqueror and first governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon. The waves under the bridge allude to the Rio Portugues, on the banks of which the city was born. The
coronetA coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
in the form of a five-tower mural crown above the shield allude to the Spanish crown, through which the settlement obtained its city charter. The coffee tree branch and the sugar cane stalk represent the main agricultural basis of the economy of the young municipality.
Flag
Ponce has had two official flags. The first one was approved in 1967 via a municipal ordinance. This flag, designed by Mario Ramirez, was selected from among a number of public proposals. It consisted of a rectangular cloth divided by a diagonal line into two equal isosceles triangles. The line ran from the top right-hand corner to the bottom left-hand corner. The top triangle was black; the bottom right triangle was red. On the top triangle was the figure of a lion over a bridge. On the bottom triangle was the word "Ponce" with the number "1692", the date when it was founded.
Ten years later, in 1977, a new municipal ordinance replaced the flag with one that commemorated the one hundred anniversary of the declaration of the
city charter. The new flag consisted of a rectangular cloth divided by a diagonal line, creating two equal isosceles triangles, starting from the top left hand corner and ending on the lower right hand corner. The top triangle is red; the bottom triangle is black. In the center of the flag sits the shield of the municipality. Under this shield is the number "1877", the year of the founding of the city, and above the shield is the word "PONCE". Some flags have the "1877" date on the left border of the bottom triangle and the name of the city on the right border of the triangle, as illustrated in the insert on the left.
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 Rico Fire DepartmentThe Puerto Rico Fire Department is the fire department for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and provides fire protection, rescue and other hazards. It was established in 1942 under the Puerto Rico Fire Services...
. 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 fire chief in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and the first and longest-serving Commonwealth of Puerto Rico fire chief. He served from 1942 to 1972.-Public service:...
, 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.
Major fires
The city has withstood some nearly catastrophic fires.
A major fire took place on February 27, 1820, that "almost destroyed the early Ponce settlement". It destroyed 106 "of the best homes in town." In 1823, then Governor of Puerto Rico,
Miguel de la TorreMiguel de la Torre y Pando, conde de Torrepando was a Spanish General, Governor and Captain General, who served in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico during the Spanish American wars of independence and after.At the age of fourteen he joined the Spanish Army as a soldier during the War of...
mandated that "every male from 16 to 60 years old must be a firefighter". Those firefighters had to supply their own fire fighting equipment (essentially picks, buckets, and shovels). Unfortunately, once De la Torre left office, this first fire fighting institution started to decay.
Another major fire occurred in La Playa in March, 1845, that destroyed "most of the Ponce vicinity." It significantly damaged the Spanish Customs House in Ponce, this being one of the few building left standing after the fire. The fire burned down the major buildings of the "Marina de Ponce". After this fire, then governor of Puerto Rico Conde de Mirasol (born Rafael de Aristegui y Velez), created a new fire fighting organism staffed by volunteers.
In 1862, the Ponce Firefighters Corps was reorganized under the administration of Ponce mayor
Luis de Quixano y FontLuis de Quixano y Font was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1863 to 1865.Luis de Quixano y Font is best known for having built the now historic 65-kiosk Plaza del Mercado de Ponce in 1863. Occupying a full city block, this farmers' market was modeled after the Paris farmers' market.-See...
, and Tomás Cladellas was named fire chief. In 1879 the Ponce Fire Corps reorganizes again, with a new fire chief, local architect Juan Bertoly. It then reorganizes once more, this time in a more definitive fashion, in 1883 when
Máximo MeanaMaximo de Meana y Guridi was a Spanish soldier and Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1882 to 1884.As a Spanish Army soldier, Maximo de Meana y Guridi held the rank of Lt. Colonel...
was mayor of Ponce. This time the Ponce Fire Corps was made up of 400 fire fighters. Its leadership was made up of Julio Steinacher, fire chief, Juan Seix, second fire chief, Oscar Schuch Olivero, Chief of Brigade, and Fernando M. Toro, Supervisor of the Gymnastics Academy. Concurrent with this, the music band was organized. In September of that same year (1883),
Juan Morel CamposJuan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...
formally organized the Ponce Fire Corps Municipal Band which exists to this day.
The third Ponce fire of large proportions occurred on
January 25, 1899Calle 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....
. The fire was fought by a group of firefighters amongst whom was Pedro Sabater and the civilian
Rafael Rivera EsbríRafael Rivera Esbrí was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1915 to 1917.-El Polvorin:Rivera Esbri is most remembered for an incident that has little to do with his work as mayor. He is remembered as the only brave civilian who in the company of seven of Ponce's firefighters confronted and brought...
, who would later become mayor of the city. The fire started at the U.S. Munitions Depot on the lot currently occupied by the
Ponce High SchoolThe Ponce High School is public educational institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico, offering grades ten through twelve. The school's main building is a historic structure located on Cristina Street, in the Ponce Historic Zone. From its beginning the school has secured a unique place in Puerto Rico's...
building and grounds. The heroes in that fire, believed to have saved the city from certain annihilation, are remembered to this day with monuments on their tombs as well as in a monument in the city square
Plaza Las DeliciasPlaza Las Delicias is the main plaza 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. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
.
Police
The
Ponce Municipal PoliceThe Ponce Municipal Police is the main police force for the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico, with jurisdiction in the entire municipality, including all 31 barrios of Ponce...
consists of a force of some 500 officers.
The Puerto Rico Police Department has its Ponce regional headquarters on Hostos Avenue and commands five precincts in the city: Villa, Playa, Morel Campos, La Rambla, and El Tuque. The municipal coverage of the police force is as follows:
- The Villa precinct cover barrios Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, and Portugués Urbano. This precinct includes the historic Ponce district.
- The Playa precinct (# 258) covers the barrios of Playa, Capitanejo, Bucaná, and Vayas.
- The La Rambla precinct covers barrios Anón, Real, Maragüez, Cerrillos, Coto Laurel, Sabanetas, San Patricio, Monte Llano, Machuelo Arriba, Machuelo Abajo, and Portugués.
- The El Tuque precinct covers barrios Canas and Canas Urbano.
- The Morel Campos precinct covers barrios Guaraguao, Marueño, Tibes, Magueyes, Magueyes Urbano, and Quebrada Limón.
Crime
In 2002, most of the homicides were occurring in San Juan and the greater metropolitan areas of Bayamón, Carolina and Caguas, but Ponce also had a high homicide rate. Also in 2002, Puerto Rico law enforcement officials drafted plans to increase the number of forensic investigators by 25%. The investigators, assigned to the Institute of Forensic Sciences in San Juan, covered homicides in about 65 percent of the island, but the Institute was considering assigning Ponce its own unit. By mid-year 2005, there had been 25 more murder cases in Ponce than for all of 2004, a significant increase.
The police acknowledged that most crime cases in Puerto Rico are linked to drug-trafficking and illegal weapons. In mid-July 2005, Gov.
Aníbal Acevedo ViláAníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
announced a series of measures aimed at lowering Ponce's high murder rate. Some of those measures included the permanent transfer of 100 agents to the area, the appointment of a ballistics expert from the Institute of Forensic Sciences and of two prosecutors for the Department of Justice in Ponce. Puerto Rico Police Superintendent
Pedro ToledoPedro Toledo Dávila is a former Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police Department. He is known for serving as such for two non-consecutive terms, under two different administrations...
admitted that more than 100 agents are actually needed in the Ponce region in 2005, but that "there would be no additional transfers at the moment to avoid affecting other police areas."
Ponce is a convenient transition point for drug smugglers due to its location on the Caribbean Sea and its proximity to
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. From there packages are then transported to the United States by various means including the
United States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
. The city is included in the area's HIDTA region.
As most of the crime in Ponce is connected to the drug-trade, police have an eye on illegal smuggling through the Port of Ponce A 2008 government report stated that, "Drug smuggling in containerized cargo is a significant maritime threat to the HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area)region. The vast and increasing quantity of goods transshipped through the region every year provides drug traffickers with ample opportunity to smuggle illicit drugs into, through, and from the area. In July 2005, local police scored some points in their fight against drug-trafficking.
By 2007, Ponce had experienced a 61% decline in the rate of violent crimes (
Type I). In 2010, there was a further reduction of 12 percent in violent crimes over 2009 statistics.
For the Ponce MSA,
which includes the city of Ponce, its nineteen surrounding municipal barrios, the municipality of Juana Diaz, and the municipality of Villalba, crime data was tabulated in 2002 (Total MSA Population: 364,849). No data is available for the city or for the municipality of Ponce alone. The following statistics are registered:
| Category |
Number |
Rate per 100,000 |
| Violent crime^ |
929 |
254.6 |
| Property crime^^ |
5,938 |
1,627.5 |
| Murder and NNMS^^^ |
83 |
22.7 |
| Forcible rape |
25 |
6.9 |
| Robbery |
525 |
143.9 |
| Aggravated assault |
296 |
81.1 |
| Burglary |
1,588 |
435.2 |
| Larceny-theft |
3,803 |
1,042.3 |
| Motor vehicle theft |
547 |
149.9 |
Notes:
^ Violent crimes include: murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
^^ Property crimes include: burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.
^^^ NNMS, non-negligent manslaughter
Source: FBI
Education
Grade schools and high schools
Ponce's first school for boys was established in 1820. Today there are over a hundred public and private schools. As with the rest of Puerto Rico, public education in Ponce is handled by the
Puerto Rico Department of EducationThe Puerto Rico Department of Education is the department of Puerto Rico's government which manages state-operated schools in the United States commonwealth. The department is the equivalent of a state department of education and only one of two composed of a single school district...
. However, the local government is taking on a greater role in public education. On June 13, 2010, the mayor of Ponce announced the creation of a Municipal Education System and a School Board with the objective of obtaining accreditation for what would be the first free bilingual school in the city.
Colleges and universities
There are also several colleges and universities located in the city, offering higher education, including degrees in
medicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
,
lawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, 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 pharmaceutical drugs...
. Some of these are:
- Caribbean University
Caribbean University is a nonprofit 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...
- Ponce
- Colegio Universitario Tecnologico de Ponce
- Inter-American University of Puerto Rico
- Ponce School of Medicine
Ponce School of Medicine is a private medical school located in the city of Ponce in Puerto Rico, U.S. 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
- Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture
The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture is located in the Ponce Historic Zone, across from Plaza Las Delicias. Together with the School of Law, it is one of two semi-autonomous professional colleges of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in the city...
- Turabo University
University of Turabo is a private, non-profit, and secular university system in Puerto Rico.-Accreditations:*Council on Higher Education of Puerto Rico *Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools*US Department of Education...
- Ponce College Center
- 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...
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...
, Trinity College, 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, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, has a
School of Pharmacy campus in Ponce.
Health care
The city is served by several clinics and hospitals. There are four comprehensive care hospitals: Hospital Dr. Pila, Hospital San Cristobal, Hospital San Lucas, and Hospital de Damas. In addition, Hospital Oncológico Andrés Grillasca specializes in the treatment of cancer, and Hospital Siquiátrico specializes in mental disorders. There is also a
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 the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
Outpatient Clinic that provides health services to U.S. veterans. Hospital de Damas is listed in the
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
as one of the best hospitals under the U.S. flag.
Transportation
Due to its commercial and industrial significance, Ponce has consistently been a hub of transportation to the rest of the island.
Puerto Rico Highway 52 provides access to
SalinasSalinas 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...
,
CaguasCaguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
, and San Juan.
PR-2Puerto Rico Highway 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 major highway in Puerto Rico. It connects the cities of Ponce in the south and Arecibo to the north; it is also the shortest route between the two cities....
highway, which is still under construction as a faster alternative to PR-123, provides access to the north of the island (
AreciboArecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
).
PR-1Puerto Rico Highway 1 connects the city of Ponce to San Juan. Leaving Ponce, the road follows somewhat parallel along the southern coast of the island and, at Salinas, it turns north to cut through the Cordillera Central in its approach to San Juan....
provides access to various points east and southeast of Ponce, while PR-14 provides access to Coamo and other points in the central mountains. PR-132 grants country-side access to the town of Peñuelas. PR-123 is the old road to Adjuntas and, while treacherous, it does provide an appreciation for countryside living in some of the municipality's barrios.
The city is served by a network of local highways and freeways. Running entirely within the municipal limits are PR-12, PR-9, PR-133, and PR-163 and a few others. Freeway PR-12 runs northbound starting at the Port of Ponce to connect with PR-14 on the northeastern part of the city. PR-9, also known as the
Circuito de Circumnavegacion de Ponce (Ponce's
Circumferential HighwayCircumferential Highway may refer to one of the following beltways/orbital roads/ring roads:- Canada :* Nova Scotia Highway 111, known as the Dartmouth Circumferential Highway-Philippines:...
), is a highway still partly under construction. It runs mostly north of the city and connects PR-52 to PR-10 in an east-to-west fashion; when completed it will run as a beltway around most of the eastern and northern sections of the city. PR-133 (Calle Comercio) connects PR-2 in west Ponce to PR-132. It is an extension of PR-1 from its PR-2 terminus into the city center. PR-163 crosses the City east-to-west connecting
PR-52 and PR-14.
Ponce's public transportation system consists of taxicabs and share taxi service providing
public cars and vansA share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between taxis and conventional buses. These informal vehicles for hire are found throughout the world. They are smaller than buses, and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, usually leaving when all seats are filled...
known as
publicos. Most
públicos depart from the terminal hub located in downtown Ponce, the
Terminal de Carros Públicos Carlos Garay. There is also a
trolleyA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system reminiscent of the one the city used in the 19th century that travels through the downtown streets, and which is used mostly by tourists. There is also a small train that can bring tourists from the historic 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, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
on the southern shore, and a
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
that provides service to Isla de Caja de Muertos. A new intra city mass transit system,
SITRAS, is scheduled to start operating in November 2011.
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. Passenger movement at the airport in FY 2008 was 278,911, an astounding 1,228% increase over fiscal year 2003 and the highest of all...
sits 3 miles (4.8 km) east of downtown Ponce and handles both intra-island and international flights. The airport, used to be a private airfield belonging to Destileria Serralles rum distillery before it became a commercial airport serving the Ponce area in the 1940s. There is daily air service to
Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in the San Juan area as well as non-stop service to points in the United States.
Since 1804, Ponce already boasted its own port facilities for large cargo ships. The Port of Ponce is Puerto Rico's chief Caribbean port. It is known as the
Port of the AmericasThe Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas 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 Rotterdam. The Port...
and is under expansion to convert it into a major international shipping hub. It receives both cargo as well as passenger cruise ships. A short-haul freight railroad also operates within the Port facilities.
Notable Ponceños
The following is a list of Ponceños who have distinguished themselves at the international or the national level.
- Antonio Paoli
Antonio Paoli was a Puerto Rican tenor. He was known at the height of his fame as "The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings." He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts...
, "The King of Tenors", and considered to be the first Puerto Rican to reach international fame in the musical arts
- Denise Quiñones
Denise Marie Quiñones August is a Puerto Rican actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was the fourth woman from her country to win the Miss Universe contest...
, Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
contest winner
- José Torres
José Torres , was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he defeated Willie Pastrano to win the WBC and WBA light heavyweight championships...
, Profesional boxer, won a silver medal in the 1956 melbourne olympics and a former Light heavyweight champion.
- Ednita Nazario
Ednita Nazario is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age, and has released over twenty albums throughout her career....
, Latin GrammyA Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the...
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 is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
- Isolina Ferré
Isolina Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican 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 an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
- Juan Morel Campos
Juan Morel Campos , sometimes erroneously spelled Juan Morell Campos, was a Puerto Rican composer, considered by many to be responsible for taking the genre of danza to its highest level.-Early years:...
, musician, composer, and inductee into the International Latin Music Hall of FameThe International Latin Music Hall of Fame was established in 1999.In addition to the induction into the Hall of Fame, the award ceremonies include Special Recognition Awards and Beny Moré Memorial Award.-1999:...
- Juan Serrallés
Juan Serrallés Colón was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a world renowned brand of Puerto Rican rum.-Early years:...
, founder of Destilería Serralles, producers of Ron Don Q, a world-renowned brand of rumRum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
- Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis 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...
, philanthropist, industrialist, politician, Governor 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...
and founder of the New Progressive Party of Puerto RicoThe New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state...
- Orlando Cepeda
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes is a former Puerto Rican Major League Baseball first baseman.Cepeda was born to a poor family. His father, Pedro Cepeda, was a baseball player in Puerto Rico, which influenced his interest in the sport from a young age. His first contact with professional baseball was...
, inductee into the American National Baseball Hall of Fame and MuseumThe National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
- Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro 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...
, leader and 35-year president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist PartyThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, 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 independence and he...
- Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
, politician, Governor 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...
- Ruth Fernández
Ruth Fernández, a.k.a. Titi Ruth , is a Puerto Rican singer and former member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" is said to be one of three artists whose contributions have helped unite Latin America...
, first Puerto Rican woman singer at the celebrated Metropolitan Opera HouseThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City
- Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, 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...
, Internationally known salsa singer
International relations
The
Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
maintains a consular office in the city. The city of
ZaragozaZaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, Spain, is a sister city with Ponce.
External links