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Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico

Trujillo Alto is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Northern Coastal Plain, on the boundary between the karst zone and Sierra de Luquillo, north of Caguas, and Gurabo; southeast of San Juan, and west of Carolina. Trujillo Alto is part of the San Juan Metropolitan Area, which includes the municipalities of Bayamón, Guaynabo, Cataño, and Toa Baja. The city is spread over 6 barrios and Trujillo Alto Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Trujillo Alto was officially founded in 1801, but gained more importance during the 20th century. Due to its proximity to the capital, San Juan, the city has become a suburb of the metropolitan area, which has sparked its growth during recent years. The population of Trujillo Alto has increased through the last century from 9,576 (1930) to 74,482 (2010). According to the 2010 Census, it is Puerto Rico's tenth-most populated municipality.

In 1953–54, the Carraízo hydroelectric dam was constructed in Trujillo Alto by the Sumner Sollitt Construction Company of Chicago, under contract by the Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority. The dam forms the Loíza Lake, a reservoir which serves as the main source of the water supply for San Juan, Puerto Rico.

History
The region of what is now Trujillo Alto belonged to the Taíno region of Cayniabón, which stretched from the northeast coast of Puerto Rico into the central region of the island. The region was led by cacique Canobaná. Archeological findings have identified two sites within the municipality of Trujillo Alto with archeological significance: Las Cuevas, which was studied by Irving Rouse, and Quebrada Grande.

After the Spanish colonization, families started settling at both sides of the Río Grande de Loíza. During the 17th century, the Spanish crown granted Alonso Pizarro Hermona, from Trujillo in Spain, a vast ranch that covered the region. Residents began using his family name to refer to the location. Eventually, the inhabitants went to the Governor and asked for a permit to build a chapel, which was a requisite to officially found a town. Despite some opposition, Trujillo Alto was founded on January 8, 1801, under the name of Municipio La Santa Cruz de Trujillo. The town was settled on a meander of the Río Grande de Loíza. Around 1820, the name Trujillo Alto was used to differentiate the town from that of Trujillo Bajo (which later became known as Carolina). In 1826, communication to and from the town improved with the construction of two bridges: one into Río Piedras, and the other into Río Grande. In 1844, Trujillo Alto was composed of only five barrios. A few years later, the first school was built. During that time, its population decreased notably due to an epidemic of cholera.

In 1898, when Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain, it became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the US Department of War conducted its first census of Puerto Rico and found that the population of Trujillo Alto was 5,683.

In 1902, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico approved a law for the consolidation of certain municipalities. As a result, Trujillo Alto was incorporated into the town and municipality of bordering Carolina. In 1905 the law was revoked returning Trujillo Alto to its status of municipality again.

In 1952, along with the Carraízo Dam constructed in barrio Carraízo, a filtration plant was constructed in barrio Cuevas in Trujillo Alto.

The proximity of the city to the capital, San Juan, sparked significant growth and development in the region and during the 20th century, the population of Trujillo Alto increased dramatically. As of 2010, the city is the tenth-most populous city of Puerto Rico. Mayor José Luis Cruz Cruz, who has been serving since 2009, has labeled the city as "The New Metropolis".

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Trujillo Alto, with its rain and winds. The hurricane winds and rain damaged infrastructure and caused almost the entire electrical system of Trujillo Alto to collapse, leaving its nearly 75,000 residents with no electrical power. Also, 90% of the residents lost access to clean, drinking water.

Geography
Trujillo Alto sits on the Northern Coastal Plain region of Puerto Rico. It is bordered by the municipalities of San Juan, Carolina, Gurabo, and Caguas. Trujillo Alto is a small municipality, covering only 21.47 square miles (55.6 km2).

Trujillo Alto's terrain is mostly plain in the north, while the south features small hills. Heights can range from 660 to 1,600 feet (200–500 meters) above sea level.

Water features
Trujillo Alto's hydrographic system consists mainly of the Río Grande de Loíza, which crosses the municipality. There are also several creeks in the city: Colorada, Infierno, Limones, Naranjo, Grande, Pastrana, Haya Fría, and Maracuto.

Also, Trujillo Alto is the site of Puerto Rico's main water reservoir: The Carraízo Dam, at the Loíza Lake. Both were built in 1953 by the Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewers Authority (PRASA). Although it was originally built to generate hydroelectricity, it is now used solely as a public water-supply source. The Loíza Lake is also used for water sports and recreational fishing.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Trujillo Alto is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".
 * 1) Carraízo
 * 2) Cuevas
 * 3) Dos Bocas
 * 4) La Gloria
 * 5) Quebrada Grande
 * 6) Quebrada Negrito
 * 7) St. Just
 * 8) Trujillo Alto barrio-pueblo

Trujillo Alto's townscape is fairly simple. Most of the barrios are spread through the rural section of the city, while the downtown area (Trujillo Alto Pueblo) is small, consisting only of eight primary streets. This gave the city the nickname of the "City of the Eight Streets". Also, there are no high-rise buildings and structures.

Sectors
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores  (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Trujillo Alto: San Nicolás neighborhood, Bethania, Comunidad Talanco, El Hoyo II, El Resbalón, Parcelas Carraízo, Parcelas Ramón T. Colón, Sector Arayanes, Sector La Prá, Sector Las Cruces, Sector Los Nuñez, Villa Escondida, Villa Margarita and Villa Platanal.

Tourism
There are several places of interest for tourists to visit in Trujillo Alto. The Bicentenary Walkway, located in the entrance to the city at the PR-181, features the remodeled historic steel bridge (one of the first permanent crossings of the Grande de Loiza River) as well as a gazebo. It was built in 2001 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Trujillo Alto.

Also on the PR-181, is the Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation which was established in 1980. It includes a museum, a historic archive, and a park.

The Carraízo Dam and the Loíza Lake reservoir are also frequently visited. Other places of interest are the Carmelitas de San José Convent, the Lourdes Grotto, and the Trujillo Alto Mountain Spring.

Economy
The economy of Trujillo Alto has relied mostly on agriculture, particularly sugarcane, coffee, tobacco, and minor fruits. Cattle ranching is also a source of economy in Trujillo Alto. In recent years, commerce and industry have become integral parts of the economy of the city. Trujillo Alto is the site of several factories of nutritional products, wood, metal, electrical machinery, and others. There are also stone quarries in town for the production of building materials.

As of 2013, Trujillo Alto's unemployment was 10.2%, making it the second municipality with the lowest rate after Guaynabo.

Festivals and events
Trujillo Alto celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales de Santa Cruz is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

The Festival Trujillano de Orquídeas (Orchid Festival) has been held in July since 2011. It is an horticultural competition and festival where orchids are ranked, exhibited and sold.

The Festival del Macabeo (Macabeo Festival), a festival celebrating a food specific to Trujillo Alto, is celebrated each year around the second week of December.

Other festivals and fairs celebrated in Trujillo Alto include an agricultural fair held in January and a Paso Fino Festival held in November.

In 2001, Trujillo Alto commemorated its bicentenary with the opening of a new park in the PR-181, which included a remodeling of the historical steel bridge.

Religion
There are a number of churches and chapels from several denominations in Trujillo Alto. The main parish, Santa Cruz Church, was built in 1817. Part of a related structure was damaged by Hurricane San Felipe in 1928. The current structure was designed by Luis Perocier and built in 1933.

Trujillo Alto has also been a place of pilgrimage for Catholics after a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes was blessed in 1925. The site also features a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. The Lourdes grotto is visited frequently by religious people and tourists. There's also a convent in Trujillo Alto called the Convento Carmelitas de San José.

Sports
Trujillo Alto doesn't have a professional sports team. However, there are several sports facilities in the city for amateur and novice leagues. In 2011, the Rubén Sánchez Montañez Court in Trujillo Alto, hosted the Cangrejeros de Santurce team of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), which is the professional basketball league. The facility has a capacity for 2,250 people.

In September, Trujillo Alto celebrates the Arrecosta'o Marathon, which is one of the most important events in the city. The race has been celebrated yearly since 1985. It originally covered a 6.2-mile (10-kilometer) trajectory around town, but in 2007, it was shortened to 3.1 miles (5 kilometers). In 2010, the marathon was recognized as one of the best organized events of the year.

The Loíza Lake is also a frequent spot for sports and recreational fishing. The lake features a wide variety of fishes like: largemouth bass, peacock bass, sea chubs, tilapia, and beardfish.

Cuisine
The macabeo is the most known typical food of Trujillo Alto. It is a fried dish made with plantains and meat. The popularity of the dish is such that a festival is celebrated annually on its honor. The Macabeo Festival began in the early 1980s and is held annually in December.

Demographics
The population of Trujillo Alto increased steadily during the 20th century and until the year 2000. There was a 1.2% decrease from 2000 to 2010 and a 9.5% decrease from 2010 to 2020. According to the 2020 census, the municipality had 67,740 inhabitants. Despite the decline, in 2020 Trujillo Alto was the tenth largest municipality in Puerto Rico, in terms of population.

According to the 2010 Census, 72% of the population identifies themselves as White, and 14.6% as African-American. Also, 47.5% of the population identified themselves as males, and 52.5% as females. Finally, 25% of the population is under 18 years old. The next biggest percentage of population (20.7%) is between 35 and 49 years old.

Government

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Trujillo Alto is administered by a mayor. The first official mayor of Trujillo Alto was Juan Francisco Carazo, who was one of the residents that vouched for the founding of the town in 1801. The mayor as of July 16, 2022 is Pedro Rodríguez González. Before him was José Luis Cruz Cruz (from the Popular Democratic Party), who was elected in the 2004 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and Luis Daniel Rivera were elected as District Senators. Representatives Javier Aponte Dalmau (District 38) and Roberto Rivera Ruiz (District 39), both from the PPD, represent different regions of Trujillo Alto in the House of Representatives.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
The flag of Trujillo Alto features a white background with the town's coat of arms in the center.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms features a shield with a blue border, with eight spurts of water representing the many springs, creeks, and rivers that flow in town. Inside the shield, there's a silver field with three green mountains and a blue Latin cross above them. The flag features a white banner below the shield with the name of the city, and a coronet in the form of a five-tower mural crown alluding to the Spanish crown. The banner and the coronet aren't featured in the flag.

Nicknames
Trujillo Alto is known by various names. It is known as the "City of Springs" for its many rivers and creeks. It is also known as the "Town of the Eight Streets" because the downtown area consists of eight streets. Trujillo Alto is also known as the "City in the Country", for its proximity to the San Juan Metropolitan Area despite being mostly a mountain town. Finally, it is also called the "Laid-back Town".

Transportation
The main road to Trujillo Alto is the PR-181 that crosses the municipality from north to south. Distance from the capital is 11 mi, with a travel time of roughly 15 minutes by car. Other highways that lead to Trujillo Alto are PR-852 of the Quebrada Grande neighborhood and Dos Bocas, PR-175 of the neighborhood Carraízo, the Las Cumbres Avenue and PR-851 from La Gloria neighborhood.

In the past, communication with the town was limited because of its location on the other side of the Río Grande de Loíza. The construction of two bridges in 1826 helped facilitate access to the town. In 1939, the United States Army built a steel bridge in the entrance to the town on the PR-181, to replace one of the older ones. Although the bridge is no longer used for vehicles, it has become a symbol of the city and still stands today.

The northern part of Trujillo Alto is serviced by the Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority, with various stops along the PR-181 and nearby neighborhoods. Other public transportation in the city is provided by taxis and independent public cars.

There are 11 bridges in Trujillo Alto.

Notable natives and residents

 * Dariam Acevedo – 1984 Olympic gold medalist representing Puerto Rico in female beach volleyball
 * Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – 2020 Olympic gold medalist representing Puerto Rico in Women's 100m Hurdles, was able to represent Puerto Rico because her family, namely her mother, is from Trujillo Alto.
 * Tulio Larrínaga – Architect of the city of San Juan in 1872.
 * Yolandita Monge – International singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality.
 * Irad Ortiz Jr – Champion jockey and winner of over 3000 races in the USA. Also three-time consecutive winner (2018,2019,2020) of the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey of the year.
 * Jose Ortiz – Champion jockey and winner of over 2300 races in the USA. 2017 winner of the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey of the year.

title: Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico


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Utuado, Puerto Rico

Utuado is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central mountainous region of the island known as the Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. It is the third-largest municipality in land area in Puerto Rico (after Arecibo and Ponce). According to the 2020 US Census, the municipality has a population of 28,287 spread over 24 barrios and Utuado pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city).

Utuado is the main municipality of the Utuado micropolitan statistical area and is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology and nicknames
The name Utuado derives from the Taíno word otoao, meaning roughly between mountains (i.e., a valley). The letters "o" and "u" are often variable in Taíno. The "d" originated as a hypercorrection: colloquial Spanish often reduces /aðo/ to /ao/, so an un-etymological "d" was added to the Taíno name.

The municipality is known as Ciudad del Viví (Viví City), derived from the Viví River which runs through Utuado: one river branch comes from Adjuntas and the other from Jayuya. These two rivers then meet near the Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci Avenue and continue the journey to Lago Dos Bocas.

History
The town of Utuado was founded October 12, 1739, by Irishman Sebastian de Morfi (Sebastian Murphy), on behalf of 60 families from Arecibo. It was the first town established in the interior, mountainous region of the island known as Cordillera Central and the 11th oldest established municipality in Puerto Rico, following San Juan, San Germán, Coamo, Arecibo, Aguada, Loiza, Ponce, Añasco, Guayama and Manatí.

Columbus's arrival
At the time of the Spanish initial occupation of the island on November 19, 1493, by Christopher Columbus, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taíno. The Taínos were a culturally developed society with a universal language, a developed agricultural system, and a social organization based on caciques or chieftains. The Utuado area was ruled over by cacique Guarionex. In Caguana, the Taínos built a series of courts or bateyes, Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site, the most extensive example of Taino engineering in the West Indies. The site is designated a US National Historic Landmark.

Early history: XVI–XVIII centuries
From 1510 through 1513, the island witnessed a Taíno rebellion as a result of harsh and inhumane treatment by the Spanish settlers. During the process of pacification many Spaniards settled in the area now occupied by the municipality of Utuado and set up farms (haciendas), initially on behalf of the Spanish government (Hacienda Real Dos), to provide food for the Indian slaves working the gold mines and the Spanish colonists in the area. One of the first settlers in the Otoao region in 1512 was Antonio Sedeño, the island's bookkeeper. His farm's main crop was yuca. His farm was sold in 1519 to Blas de Villasante, the island's treasurer, for 525 gold pesos.

Areas in the Utuado region that were exploited for gold include Salto Arriba barrio, initially, then later in the 1530s Caguana barrio and Don Alonso barrio. In the 1530s, landowners in the Don Alonso area petitioned the Spanish Crown allow for the establishment of a town in the area but it was never granted.

Once the gold mining era ended toward the end of the 16th century, very little is known about the Utuado region until the early 18th century. According to the Puerto Rican historian Fernando Picó, the few documents that exist indicate the area was mostly unpopulated and densely forested. On the other hand, he states that Utuado is the municipality with the most caves, that most likely served as dwellings for Indians or runaway slaves.

The agreement to establish the town of Utuado by the 60 families of Arecibo states they purchased the Hato de Otoao for 569 pesos and 5 reales from owners Manuel Natal and Felipa Román. It also states their desire to choose where on the land the town center would be located, which indicates the area was not populated yet.

During his visit to the island in 1771, Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra states the principal economic activity in the Utuado region was cattle raising, horses and mules. He mentions a small amount of agricultural activity existed but the population only produced enough tobacco and coffee for their own consumption.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Utuado's population continued to grow as coffee gained in importance and growers saw the need for high altitudes and mountainous terrain to produce the best coffee beans. People not only migrated from the Puerto Rican coastal towns but also from Ireland (founder Sebastian de Morfi was Irish), the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Menorca, all seeking the riches that coffee had to offer.

Golden era of coffee – "black gold"
During the late 19th century Utuado experienced an explosive economic growth centered around the cultivation of coffee, also known at the time as oro negro or "black gold". By the 1890s Utuado was the largest producer of coffee in Puerto Rico and the second municipality (after Ponce) with the largest population. It produced a rich social life for many of its citizens and a casino and theatre were established in the town. The progress of the town was so evident that the regent Queen of Spain, María Cristina, honored the town with the title of Ciudad (City) on August 20, 1894. In 1896 or 1897 Utuado was the first city in Puerto Rico with a public electric lighting system powered by a hydraulic turbine power plant, and in that same year mayor Juan Casellas planned a train system to connect Utuado with Arecibo. By 1899 this golden era ended due to two events: the United States occupation of the island in 1898, which made sugar the new crop of importance instead of coffee (Utuado's mountainous landscape was not ideal for growing sugarcane, making it impossible for it to compete in the sugar industry), and Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899, which destroyed the coffee haciendas.

Utuado was the first municipality to elect officials after Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States.

Massacre
One of the most tragic moments in Utuado's history occurred on October 30, 1950, during the Utuado uprising against United States rule, which culminated in what is known as the Utuado Massacre. In Utuado, a group of 32 nationalists, led by nationalist leaders Heriberto Castro and Damián Torres, fought against the local police during the independence revolts which occurred in various cities and towns of the island. The group was reduced to 12 men and retreated to Damián Torres' house. Torres' residence was attacked by 50-caliber machine-gun fire from ten American P-47 Thunderbolt planes. The National Guard arrived later that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. Once the nationalists surrendered, they were forced to march down Dr. Cueto Street to the main town square where their shoes, belts and personal belongings were removed. The group was then taken behind the police station where they were gunned down. Five of the nationalists died in the act, these were nationalist leader Heriberto Castro, Julio Colón Feliciano, Agustín Quiñones Mercado, Antonio Ramos and Antonio González. González, who was 17 years old, pleaded for water and instead was bayoneted to death.

Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Utuado. In many areas of Utuado there were more than 25 landslides per square mile due to the intense rainfall from Hurricane Maria.

Geography
Utuado is in the central mountainous region.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Utuado is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Ángeles
 * 2) Arenas
 * 3) Caguana
 * 4) Caníaco
 * 5) Caonillas Abajo
 * 6) Caonillas Arriba
 * 7) Consejo
 * 8) Don Alonso
 * 9) Guaonico
 * 10) Las Palmas
 * 11) Limón
 * 12) Mameyes Abajo
 * 13) Paso Palma
 * 14) Río Abajo
 * 15) Roncador
 * 16) Sabana Grande
 * 17) Salto Abajo
 * 18) Salto Arriba
 * 19) Santa Isabel
 * 20) Santa Rosa
 * 21) Tetuán
 * 22) Utuado barrio-pueblo
 * 23) Viví Abajo
 * 24) Viví Arriba

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Utuado: Altos de Arena, Sector El Guano in Arenas Abajo, Sector Las Cuevas in Viví Abajo, Sector Mina de Oro in Ángeles Poblado, Sector Jácanas in Caguana, Mameyes, Caniaco, Cayuco, Chorreras, Don Alonso Motor, El Ensanche, El Hoyo in Mameyes, Judea, La Granja, La Playita, Loma Maestre, Lomas Colón (Colón neighborhood), Los Pinos, Matadero Viejo, Nuevo Londres, Sector (Calle) San Antonio, Sector Cuba, Sector (Calle) Borinquén, Tetuán III, and Calle Progreso in barrio-pueblo.

Landmarks and places of interest

 * El Saltillo waterfall
 * Dos Bocas Lake
 * Caonillas Lake
 * Hacienda Roses
 * Monuments to the Utuado Soldiers
 * Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site
 * Río Abajo State Forest

With narrow streets leading up to a central plaza surrounded by a church and the governor's house, Utuado Pueblo is an example of a town built during the Spanish colonial era of Puerto Rico. The Iglesia San Miguel Arcangel, the local Catholic parish, was founded in 1746. The current double-steepled church was built between 1872 and 1878 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, along with the Caguana Ceremonial Park and the Blanco Bridge or Puente Blanco located in Arenas barrio which connects Utuado with Adjuntas. Other buildings in Utuado Pueblo that retain their colonial architectural features include The Center for Art, Culture and Tourism in the old Tobacco Coop building, the old hospital Hospital Catalina Figueras and Teatro San Miguel, among others.

The Rio Abajo State Forest (Bosque Estatal Rio Abajo) is a 5780 acre forest reserve shared with Arecibo and home to 223 plants and wildlife species including: native ceiba (Ceiba pentandra), Asian teaks (Tectona spp.), West Indian mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), Honduran mahogany (S. humilis) and Australian pines (Casuarina spp.). It is also home to the federally endangered Puerto Rican broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus brunnescens) as well as a captive population of the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata). Captive parrots are slowly being released into Río Abajo in an attempt to form a second population of parrots on the island.

East of the Rio Abajo Forest Reserve is the Dos Bocas Lake and dam, one of several man-made lakes in Utuado. From El Embarcadero, near routes 123 and 146, boats take guests around the water to one of the many restaurants for lakeside dining.

The Caonillas Lake and dam in the western region of Utuado is another man-made lake. This reservoir encompasses over 50 sqmi and was constructed in 1948 by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

Agriculture
Utuado has regained some of its coffee producing power and was the 3rd largest coffee producer in Puerto Rico in the 2002 USDA Agricultural Census. It also produces oranges (ranked 4th), plantains (ranked 6th) and bananas (ranked 9th). It has been successful with livestock inventory ranking 3rd with hives of bees and 13th with pigs. In terms of manufacturing, Utuado has facilities producing textiles, paper and stone.

Business
Utuado today is equipped with a modern and competitive telecommunications infrastructure. Major cell phone companies including Claro and AT&T offer mobile coverage. Liberty Cablevision and DirecTV offer cable and satellite television service, with Spanish and English channels as well as high-speed Internet service.

Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Utuado is administered by a mayor. Jorge "Jorgito" Pérez Heredia (NPP) took office as mayor of Utuado on January 16, 2021, succeeding Ernesto Irizarry Salvá (PDP) after an 8-year term. Utuado belongs to Representative District 22, which is represented by one Representative. In 2020, Jorge Alfredo Rivera Segarra was elected as District Representative.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Ramón Ruiz and Martín Vargas Morales (both PDP), were elected as District Senators. In 2020, Marially González (PDP) succeeded Vargas Morales for her first term as District Senator, while Ramón Ruiz was elected to his second.

Baseball
The Montañeses de Utuado (Utuado Mountaineers) are a semi-professional baseball team based in Utuado that competes in the Puerto Rico Amateur Baseball Federation's Liga Doble A. The team achieved its first national championship in 1941 under the then Federación Deportiva del Norte (Sports Federation of the North) as the Utuado Stars. Their second national championship was in 1970 under the current baseball federation. The team won their third national championship on September 1, 2007, against the Bravos de Cidra (Cidra Braves). On September 14, 2014, the Montañeses won their fourth national championship title against the Brujos de Guayama (Guayama Warlocks) in a 7-game final.

On May 16, 2019, the Montañeses signed Diamilette Quiles, making her not only the first female to play for the team, but also the first female signed in Béisbol Doble A. Quiles was previously on the roster for the Lobas de Arecibo (Arecibo Wolves) in the Puerto Rico Women's Amateur Baseball Federation as well as playing softball for Puerto Rico in the Central American and Pan American Games.

Table tennis
Utuado's table tennis players include sisters Adriana, Melanie, Gabriela and Fabiola Díaz, Brian Afanador (cousin to the Díaz sisters), Daniel González, Richard Pietri, Daniely Ríos and Yomar González, all members of the Águilas de la Montaña Table Tennis Club. Both Brian Afanador and Adriana Diaz, members of the International Table Tennis Federation World HOPES Team, have risen to prominence all over the Caribbean, Latin America and the world in their respective categories. The head coaches of the table tennis athletes are Bladimir Diaz, father of the Díaz sisters, and Eladio Afanador, a high-level performance program coach.

Festivals and events
Utuado celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales de San Miguel Arcangel is a religious and cultural celebration to honor the archangel Michael and generally features games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Utuado include:
 * National BBQ Festival – Originated by locals Samuel Kanig and Ramon G. Garcia, it is a one-day barbecue festival held on the first Sunday of January. It is an annual family event where people exhibit their own creativity by building unique barbecues made from common and uncommon household items. The festival has exhibited barbecue grills made from items such as a toolbox, coffin, light post and even an automobile.
 * Juan Domingo Reyes Negrón Bike Day of Friendship – An annual bike day celebrated since 2001, between February and March. Celebrated in memory of Juan Domingo Reyes Negrón, a boy who died in a truck impact while on his bicycle in 2000, the idea was originated by the First Lady, Ivelisse Reyes and Director of the Municipal Office of Recreation and Sports at the time, José F. Collazo, it has since been sponsored by the Municipal Government of Utuado and the Municipal Office of Recreation and Sports.
 * Barrio Ángeles Fiesta – April
 * Tierra Adentro Festival – Hosted annually by the Agricultural Technology department of the University of Puerto Rico at Utuado, featuring arts and crafts by local artisans, cultural music, food and plant and animal exhibitions. This festival is held in April from a Wednesday to Sunday.
 * Guarionex Fiestas – April
 * Ángeles Artisanal Fair – An annual arts & crafts fair held in early May in Ángeles barrio featuring local artisans, music and food.
 * Rosary Cross Day – May
 * Longaniza Festival – Celebrated its first year in June 2009, it was the lifelong dream of Don Jose A. Carmona "Don Toño" to establish it to celebrate his legacy with his children (his own recipe for seasoning the sausage) and bring another special celebration to the mountain town and celebrate the longaniza.
 * Otoao Cultural Festival – An annual cultural event held in the beginning of December celebrating Utuado's Taino heritage.

Transportation
With the recent completion of Highway 10, Utuado has become one of the easiest towns in the interior mountainous region to reach from the San Juan metropolitan area. What used to be a 3-hour trip has been reduced to 1 hour and 30 minutes (to reach the central town). There are 64 bridges in Utuado. Many of Utuados roads and bridges were destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Utuado sustained approximately $36 million in damages to its roads and bridges as a result of the hurricane. Funding to reconstruct a bridge in Arenas barrio, destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, was made available in February 2021 and work was set to begin in June.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms. The flag, coat of arms and anthem of Utuado were all adopted in 1987, under the incumbency of Mayor Waldemar Quiles. The flag and coat of arms were designed by Amílcar Rivera Díaz; he is also the writer and composer of the anthem of Utuado.

Flag
The flag consists of three colored stripes, green, brown and blue laid across; green for the mountains of the town, brown for the fertile soils and blue for the many rivers across the municipality. Centered in the flag is the sun of Otoao, a Taíno representation of the sun.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms bears a shield with a cemí (deity or ancestral spirit) and a silver sword. The color of the cemí alludes to the color of the earth, while the silver sword with a hilt in gold recalls Saint Michael, the town's patron. The Taíno mythological figure that appears on the upper left side symbolizes the "Caguana woman". The mine, the peak and the gold shovel crossed by the lamp of the copper miners establish the mineral wealth of this area. Finally, the blue background of the coat of arms remembers its skies, while the lower white stripe alludes to the Viví River that crosses the town.

Anthem
The anthem of Utuado is titled "Valle Bendito el de Mi Otoao" (Blessed Valley of my Otoao).

Education
There are currently 20 schools under the Puerto Rico Department of Education system, 2 private schools and one college level institution; the vast majority of children in Utuado attend public schools. The main primary-level education institutions include María Libertad Gómez, Bernardo González, and Judith A. Vivas, among others located outside Utuado Pueblo. Among the principal secondary-level institutions are the Francisco Ramos Middle School, Luis Muñoz Rivera High School and Antonio Reyes Padilla Vocational High School. While most students attend the before-mentioned schools, Utuado also has two private education institutions, both primary-level: Colegio Utuadeño San José and Academia Dailén. Founded in 1979, the University of Puerto Rico at Utuado is the youngest campus of the University of Puerto Rico and the only post secondary-level institution in Utuado, specializing in agricultural studies in areas such as pest control, horticulture, livestock industry and agricultural production.

Notable people

 * Brian Afanador, table tennis athlete and Olympian, cousin to sisters Adriana and Melanie Díaz
 * Roberto Cortés, Telemundo Puerto Rico weather anchor
 * Adriana and Melanie Díaz, table tennis athletes and Olympians, cousins to Brian Afanador
 * PFC Fernando Luis García, US Marine private, killed in action in 1952 during the Korean War
 * María Libertad Gómez Garriga, educator and politician
 * Major Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci, US Air Force pilot, killed in action during Operation El Dorado Canyon
 * Marisol Malaret, Miss Puerto Rico 1970 and Miss Universe 1970
 * Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand, one of the first Puerto Rican women to earn a medical degree
 * Nuria Sebazco, Telemundo Puerto Rico news reporter
 * Ramona Trinidad Iglesias (1889–2004), world's oldest person and the last person born in 1889, she was 114 years and 272 days old
 * Normando Valentín, WAPA-TV news reporter, anchor and journalist
 * Melvin "Memo" Rodriguez, Baseball player
 * Celimar Adames, Journalist Teleonce
 * Katiria Soto, Journalist WAPA
 * Kefren Velazquez, Journalist
 * Luis Daniel Rivera television, film, radio and thearer actor, politician

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Utuado, Puerto Rico


text:
Vega Alta, Puerto Rico

Vega Alta is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico. Vega Alta is on the northern coast of the island, north of Morovis and Corozal; east of Vega Baja; and west of Dorado with an area of 28 sqmi. Vega Alta is subdivided into seven barrios and Vega Alta barrio-pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Vega Alta is west of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Vega Alta is known for the beach at Cerro Gordo. Other points of interest include the town's Catholic church, known as Inmaculada Concepción, which was founded in 1813, and the Vega Alta Forest.

During the first week of December, Vega Alta celebrates its patron saint, the Immaculate Conception.

”Vega Alta” translates to “high meadow” or "upper meadow" in English.

History
Vega Alta was founded in 1775 by Francisco de los Olivos. It was first named La Vega de Espinosa and popularly known as el pueblo de los 'ñangotaos ("the town of the squatters", in reference to the jíbaros country folk who would wait for the train in a squatting position, due to lack of benches). Before this, it was part of a group of towns known as Las Vegas. It was then separated into two municipalities: Vega Baja and the other Vega Alta.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Vega Alta was 6,107.

On October 12, 1898, the city's mayor, Francisco Vega, received U.S. troops as part of the Spanish–American War. On that same day, for the first time in Vega Alta's history, the U.S. flag was lifted on city hall. From 1902 to 1905, Vega Alta became once more part of the neighboring municipality of Vega Baja. In 1905, the government of Puerto Rico passed a law, allowing Vega Alta to become a municipality with its own limits.

Hacienda Carmen and Hacienda Ortega sugar plantations were owned by Juan Gualberto Landron y Martinez born in 1791 in Toa Baja. He owned slaves and purchased them, some coming directly from Africa.

The second-largest mosque in Puerto Rico, built in 1992, is located in Vega Alta.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Vega Alta and 90% of homes made of wood were destroyed.

Geography
Vega Alta is on the northern coast in the Northern Karst region.

Río Cibuco, Río Mavilla and Río Unibón are located in Vega Alta. The Javier Calderón Beach, better known as Cerro Gordo Beach is administered by the Puerto Rico Department of Sports and Recreation.

Vega Alta has a land area of 27.75 square miles (71.87 km2) and water area of 9.76 square miles (25.28 km2).

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Vega Alta is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Bajura
 * 2) Candelaria
 * 3) Cienegueta
 * 4) Espinosa
 * 5) Maricao
 * 6) Mavilla
 * 7) Sabana
 * 8) Vega Alta barrio-pueblo

Sectors
Barrios (which are roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Vega Alta: Villa Alegria, Villa del Rio, Mavilla, Machuchal, El Nueve, Ponderosa, Manantial, and Corea.

Climate
According to the Weather Channel's website, June is the warmest month, March is the coolest month, October is the wettest month, and June is the driest month. Records:
 * The highest recorded temperature was 98 °F in July 2007.
 * The lowest recorded temperature was 40 °F in January 1945.

Economy
In 1908, Vega Alta was producing coffee, sugar, oranges, tobacco and rum.

Agriculture

 * Banana, fruits, grains, and sugar cane.
 * Flowers and ornamental plants.
 * Dairy and meat cattle, pigs, and poultry.

Industry

 * Manufacture of chemicals, electrical and electronic machinery, furniture, food, and plastics.
 * Logistics Center

Tourism
There are 6 beaches in Vega Alta, including Cerro Gordo.

Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Puerto Rican, award-winning, musician and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda who created the Broadway hit, Hamilton, is from a family with roots in Vega Alta. In 2017, his father opened La Placita de Güisín, a cafe and restaurant in the downtown area of Vega Alta, and in 2019 Lin-Manuel moved his memorabilia to a new gallery, the Lin-Manuel Miranda Gallery, a few steps from Placita de Güisín and opened a store there too, TeeRico. The location has become a tourist attraction. In one of his musicals, "In the Heights", a woman named "Dani" supposedly is from Vega Alta, according to the following lines:

When I was a little girl, growing up in the hills of Vega Alta

My favorite time of year, was christmastime.

Festivals and events
Vega Alta celebrates its patron saint festival in December. The Fiestas Patronales de La Inmaculada Concepción de María is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Vega Alta include:
 * Three Kings Fiestas - January
 * Rosarios Cantados (Sung Rosary) - February
 * Carnaval Vegalteño - February
 * Kite Festival - July
 * Virgen del Carmen Parade - July
 * Rooster Festival - October

Sports
Vega Alta Maceteros are the Double-A (baseball) team of Vega Alta.

Vega Alta is known for having amateur ball players as well as professional. Basketball is played in local communities. Other sports practiced include tennis, volleyball, handball, and amateur surfing among others.

Vega Alta is also known for having famous Major League Baseball players such as The Molina Brothers which consist of Yadier Molina, Bengie Molina and José Molina. Other famous sport personalities include former New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams and professional boxer Ángel Chacón.

Music
A well known musician from Vega Alta was Ladislao Martinez a.k.a. El Maestro Ladi (June 27, 1898–February 1, 1979), a master cuatro musician. He became the first Puerto Rican to play a cuatro solo on the radio.

Fiel a la Vega, a rock en español (rock in Spanish) band, was formed in 1994. Band members Tito Auger and Ricky Laureano are from Vega Alta, while brothers Pedro Arraiza and Jorge Arraiza come from next-door Vega Baja. Their first album spawned hits like Salimos de Aquí and El Wanabí, both of which were released with videos.

Government
The main women's prison of the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Escuela Industrial para Mujeres in Vega Alta, opened in 1954, replacing a prison in Arecibo; work began on the facility in 1952. Puerto Rico also operates the Hogar de Adaptación Social in Vega Alta, which opened in 1987.

Past and present mayors

 * Antonio Navas
 * Lorenzo Cabrera
 * Emilio Escalera
 * Arturo Rivera
 * Ramon Cestero
 * Emilio Davila Diaz
 * Jose Vega Nevarez
 * Francisco Chinea
 * Carmelo Mercado
 * Jacinto Seijo
 * Jose Rosado Negron, (1977–1980; b. 1934, d. 1999)
 * Manuel "Manolin" Chinea (PDP, 1981–1993)
 * Isabelo "Chabelo" Molina (PNP, 1993–2001)
 * Juan "Mane" Cruzado (PPD, 2001–2002) resigned, Vice-Mayor Jose Colon assumed post.
 * Jose Colon (PPD, 2002–2005)
 * Isabelo "Chabelo" Molina (PNP, 2005–2017)
 * Oscar Santiago Martinez (PPD, 2017–2021)
 * María Vega Pagán (PNP, 2021–Present)

Transportation
Puerto Rico's Highway 22 provides access to Vega Alta from as far away as Mayagüez, and connects the municipality to San Juan. Highway 2 also provides access from the western municipalities of Manatí, Arecibo and the eastern San Juan suburban municipalities of Bayamón and Guaynabo bordering the shore to the Atlantic Ocean. It takes approximately 30 minutes to reach the town from San Juan. The closest airport is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina. Other public transportation close to the area is Tren Urbano metro system in Bayamón.

There are 16 bridges in Vega Alta.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
This municipality has a flag which is made up of 7 vertical stripes; blue in the center, with narrower green and white stripes on its sides.

Coat of arms
This municipality has a coat of arms which was designed by Roberto Biascochea Lota. It consists of three bars, the center one has a bouquet of natural lilies. It symbolizes the Immaculate Conception of Mary, who is represented by the silver and azure colors. On its sides are two olive branches, a symbol of the town's founder, Francisco de los Olivos. Two sugarcane branches are featured, because it an important part of Vega Alta's economy.

Anthem
The anthem used by Vega Alta is the musical composition created in 1958, with lyrics by Domingo Figueroa Ramírez Arreglo and music by Domingo and Elliot A. Knight.

Public schools

 * Antonio Paoli/Elementary
 * Elemental Urbana/Elementary
 * Elisa Davila Vazquez/Elementary
 * Ignacio Miranda/elementary school
 * Dr. Cañaco Stalingrad III/ High School
 * Jose D. Rosado/Elementary
 * Jose M. Pagan/Elementary
 * Rafael Hernadez/Elementary
 * Apolo San Antonio/Former high school
 * Nueva Escuela Brenas/Middle School, Second Unit
 * Adelaida Vega/Middle School, Second Unit
 * Ileana de Gracia/High School
 * Ladislao Martinez (Maestro Ladi)/Second High School

Private schools

 * Academia Dicipulos de Cristo (Disciples of Christ)/Elementary and Middle School
 * Colegio de la Vega
 * Academia Cambu

Notable natives and residents

 * Yadier Molina - Professional baseball player
 * Dennis Rivera - Professional wrestler, brother of Savio Vega
 * Savio Vega - Professional wrestler, brother of Dennis Rivera

title: Vega Alta, Puerto Rico


text:
Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

Vega Baja is a town and municipality located on the coast of north central Puerto Rico. It is north of Morovis, east of Manatí, and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 14 barrios. The population of the municipality was 54,414 at the 2020 census. It is part of the San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan statistical area.

History
The name Vega Baja in Spanish means 'lower valley' (Vega Alta meaning 'upper valley'). Historians believe that the name Vega Baja comes from La Vega. Vega is a surname of one of the families involved in the foundation of Vega Baja. It is also believed that the name comes from the region of Spain La Vega Baja del Segura. Additionally, in Caribbean Spanish, a vega is also a tobacco plantation.

Although is generally believed that Vega Baja was founded in 1776, after the division of Vega Alta from La Vega (modern day Vega Alta) historians have verified that it was many years later when it was officially recognized by the Spanish government. The foundation day is October 7, and it is also the day of commemorating the Virgin of the Rosary. Vega Baja was originally known as Vega-baxa del Naranjal de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Vega Baja of the Orange Grove of Our Lady of the Rosary).

Cibuco is one of the rivers that goes through Vega Baja, and is a variation of the name Sebuco, who was a chief or Cacique Taíno of the region. These small tribes of Taínos were known to settle in the vicinity of the rivers. Although the Cibuco River is prone to floods due to heavy seasonal rains, the benefits provided to the land by the river are numerous.

Taino rock carvings have been found on some of the exposed reefs in the vicinity of the Cibuco River. Among these carvings is one depicting a face and others shaped as fish. They are an indication that these reefs were frequented for spear fishing and perhaps other day-to-day activities. Other places like Carmelita, Maisabel, Cueva Maldita and Paso del Indio are known as archaeological sites where the aborigines established their communities.

Drug trafficking has been an issue in Vega Baja for many years and in early 1990, $43 million dollars in cash was found buried in plastic barrels, thought to have been deposited by drug smugglers for later retrieval. The sudden wealth of a few Vega Baja residents attracted attention and prompted an investigation by FBI and local police. By May 1990, the FBI had traced $11 million and seized and confiscated property and goods purchased with the money thought to belong to drug lord Ramon Torres Gonzalez.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. With an area of about 121.4 km2 Vega Baja is a municipality on the north coast with some barrios on the coast and others in more mountainous areas. With an estimated population of 53,674 (2016, Census estimates) when Hurricane Maria struck, 48.5% were below poverty and 21.8% were people over the age of 60. The hurricane triggered numerous landslides in the municipality. Rivers were breached causing flooding of low-lying areas, and infrastructure including homes were destroyed. A tributary of the Cibuco River rose immediately putting 100 people's lives at risk. Many of those residents took refuge on roofs or sought out small boats to navigate the flooded waters and to help remove people who were trapped on roofs or inside residences. Then municipal staff picked people up in buses and took them to the shelter at the Lino Padrón school, where the electric generator nor school cistern worked. Telecommunications systems were destroyed causing state and municipal rescue officers to have to rely on radio communication signals, which were limited to a radius of a few miles. Radio signals did not reach Vega Baja and news, such as the fact that a curfew had been declared, only spread by word of mouth. The mayor, who lost his home, said the storm surge and hurricane winds destroyed most of the structures in Cerro Gordo, a coastal sector. The urban, downtown areas were impassable due to the large number of downed trees and power lines. The Cibuco River roe above PR-2 highway, preventing the passage to the adjoining town/ municipality of Vega Alta and heading west, a stretch could be covered with extreme difficulty, until it was also blocked with the rising of the Río Grande de Manatí. The mayor stated, “We don't know what happened on the mountain. We have not been able to get there yet,” and “The destruction is so great. I don't know how to explain seeing the despair of a mother or an elderly person right now. It is not easy what we are living.”

Geography

Vega Baja is located on the northern coast. The municipality is located along the Northern Karst region of Puerto Rico, and the town is located on the Northern Plains.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Vega Baja is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio called "Pueblo" (barrio-pueblo on the US Census). Note: While the US Census and the PR GIS data, indicate there are 14 barrios in Vega Baja, the Vega Baja government page seems to exclude Vega Baja barrio-pueblo in its list of barrios.

 * 1) Algarrobo
 * 2) Almirante Norte
 * 3) Almirante Sur
 * 4) Cabo Caribe
 * 5) Ceiba
 * 6) Cibuco
 * 7) Puerto Nuevo
 * 8) Pugnado Adentro
 * 9) Pugnado Afuera
 * 10) Quebrada Arenas
 * 11) Río Abajo
 * 12) Río Arriba
 * 13) Pueblo
 * 14) Yeguada

Sectors
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores  (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Vega Baja: Alto de Cuba, Callejón Pérez and Sector El Hoyo in Barrio Algarrobo, Guarico Viejo, and La Trocha-Río Abajo.

Demographics
Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Vega Baja was 10,305.

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 14 beaches in Vega Baja. Some main attractions of Vega Baja include:

 * Casa Alcaldía (the historic city hall)
 * Casa Alonso Museum
 * Casa Portela Museum
 * Cibuco Swamp
 * El Trece Recreational Area
 * Vega Baja House of Culture and Tourism
 * Man of the Sugar Cane Monument
 * Melao Melao Artisan Center
 * Migrants Square
 * Museo del Salon de la Fama del Deporte Vega Baja Melao Melao
 * Puerto Nuevo Beach and its recreational area
 * José Francisco Náter Square (main town square or plaza)
 * Teatro América
 * Teatro Fénix
 * Tortuguero Lagoon
 * Tortuguero Recreational Area
 * Trinitarias Park

Economy

The abundant fertility of its soil has meant Vega Baja has much agricultural and farming land. In addition, Vega Baja has one of the most visited beaches of the northern coastline, Puerto Nuevo Beach (officially Mar Bella Beach). This beach attracts thousands of beachgoers annually, making it a center for local tourism, especially during the hot summer months. It boasts a natural rock formation of enormous proportions both in height and length colloquially named La Peña. This rock feature shelters the beach portion from the open seas just behind it. During rough marine conditions, the rock feature protects beachgoers, while the spectacle of waves crashing from behind and cascading down its face can be appreciated in the relative safety of the beach.

Agriculture

 * Pineapple, cattle feed (hay). In decades past, the land portion situated between the neighborhood of Monte Carlo and the neighborhood of Los Naranjos, was the site for the cultivation of sugar cane.
 * Dairy farming

Industry

 * Clothing, leather articles; electrical and electronic equipment, machinery
 * Medical, and pharmaceutical.

Festivals and events
Vega Baja celebrates its patron saint festival in October. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Virgen del Rosario is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Vega Baja include:

 * Three Kings Festival – January
 * Triathlon – March
 * Annual Tournament of Champions – June
 * San Juan Night – June
 * Virgen del Carmen Festival – July
 * Beach Festival at Mar Bella - July
 * Socio-Cultural Fair – May
 * Melao Melao Festival – October
 * Christmas Festival – December

Government
Vega Baja, like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, elect a mayor every four years to administer the city. The educator Marcos Cruz Molina is the mayor since 2013 and Rafael “Piro” Martinez is the President of the Municipal Legislature.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district III, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, José "Joito" Pérez and Ángel "Chayanne" Martínez were elected as District Senators. Rafael (Tatito) Hernández is the Eleventh District Representative and Hector Torres the Twelve District Representative at the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.

Transportation
There are 23 bridges in Vega Baja.

Notable people

 * Bad Bunny – Platinum rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and professional wrestler.
 * Chicky Starr – Professional wrestler and manager in the World Wrestling Council (WWC) and the International Wrestling Association (IWA)
 * Ivan Rodriguez – a.k.a. “Pudge” was widely considered the best catcher of his generation, MLB AL MVP, perennial all star and gold glover. Hall of Fame baseball player who played mostly for the Texas Rangers
 * Juan Gonzalez – Two time AL MVP, 3 time Allstar, Multiple time AL HR leader, Home run derby winner, MLB RBI leader and in 1998 he was owner of the second most RBIs by all star break ever (101). He played mostly for the Texas Rangers.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
Vega Baja's flag consists of a yellow cloth crossed by a green band. The band relates to the fertile valley and the river.

Coat of arms
The Vega Baja coat of arms has a v-shaped green band with overlapping roses in silver and three oranges trees, with gold fruit. At the top part is a five-tower crown, silver, black and green. The main colors of the shield; green and gold are used traditionally in civic, scholastic and sports activities. The crown five tower indicates that the town holds the rank of "Villa" by royal decree.

Anthem
The anthem of Vega Baja is "A Vega Baja" with lyrics as written in 1974 by Adrián Santos Tirado and music by Roberto Sierra.

Education

The following schools are in Vega Baja:

 * Agapito Rosario Rosario Grades: K - 5
 * Angel Sandin Martinez Grades: 6 - 8
 * Centro De Adiestramiento
 * Juan Quirindongo Morell (Superior) Grades: 9 - 12
 * Lino Padro Rivera Grades: 9 - 12
 * Manuel Martinez Davila Grades: K - 8
 * Nueva Brigida Alvarez Rodriguez Grades: K - 12
 * Rafael Hernandez Grades: K - 5
 * San Vicente Grades: K - 5
 * Su Almirante Norte Grades: Pre-K - 8

Higher education

 * Caribbean University-Vega Baja Private Not-for-profit 4-year or above

Private schools

 * Mech-Tech College

title: Vega Baja, Puerto Rico


text:
Villalba, Puerto Rico

Villalba, originally known as Villa Alba, is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region, northeast of Juana Díaz; south of Orocovis; and west of Coamo. Villalba is spread over 6 barrios and Villalba Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Villalba was founded in 1917 by José Ramón Figueroa y Rivera and Walter McJones. Its current mayor is Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz. By 1918, there weren't any highways connecting Villalba to its neighboring towns but by 1927 there was at least one.

Hurricane Maria passed through the area on September 20, 2017 and triggered numerous landslides in Villalba with significant rainfall. Bridges were destroyed and many areas where vital infrastructure was located were inaccessible. The entire electrical system was destroyed. Villalba's emergency operations center and an assisted living center were among the many buildings destroyed in Villalba. Villalba received 27.82 inches of rain. The mayor's stated “Our main need is oxygen. Many people depend on oxygen through artificial respirators that require electricity.".

"From Catastrophe to Hope" (De la catastrofe a la esperanza), a documentary describing the destruction of infrastructure in Villalba and how volunteers, community members, the mayor, and emergency service personnel worked to try to save people's lives was published in 2019 by Noticias de Villalba (Villalba News). The mountainous geography of Villalba made restoring electricity and water services extremely challenging. Chaplains, and religious leaders of all denominations, provided emotional support to all involved.

Subsequent to the hurricane, in 2018, Javier Hernández, the mayor discussed other options for electrical power, such as micro-grids, for Villalba, with the mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, reminding him that recovery from such a powerful hurricane would take years. Architect Jonathan Marvel talked about his company's plans to build an off-the-grid, 41-unit building in Villalba on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria.

Geography
Villalba is located in the central region of Puerto Rico, on a valley in the Cordillera Central. The highest point in the municipality is Cerro El Bolo at 3,526 feet (1,075 m) of elevation.
 * Guayabal Lake
 * Toa Vaca Lake
 * Toro Negro Forest Reserve

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Villalba is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Caonillas Abajo
 * 2) Caonillas Arriba
 * 3) Hato Puerco Abajo
 * 4) Hato Puerco Arriba
 * 5) Vacas
 * 6) Villalba Abajo
 * 7) Villalba Arriba
 * 8) Villalba barrio-pueblo

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Villalba: Chino neighborhood, Cooperativa neighborhood, Hato Puerco Arriba, Apeaderos, Sector Cubones in Caonillas Arriba, Palmarejo in Villalba Arriba, Céspedes in Pino, Cerro Gordo and Sector El Semil in Villalba Arriba.

Energy consortium
An Energy Consortium was signed in late February, 2019 by the mayors of Villalba, Orocovis, Morovis, Ciales and Barranquitas municipalities. The consortium is the first of its kind for the island. It is intended to have municipalities work together to safeguard their communities, in the event of a catastrophe, by creating resilient, and efficient energy networks with backups.

Landmarks and places of interest

 * Walter McK Jones School
 * Guayabal Lake
 * La Corona Hill
 * Toa Vaca Lake
 * Toro Negro State Forest
 * Biblioteca Pública
 * Centro de Bellas Artes Adrian Rosado
 * Iglesia Católica Nuestra Señora del Carmen

Agriculture

 * Coffee, green pigeon peas.

Industry

 * Manufacturing of aluminum packaging and electrical and electronic machinery, nutritional products, medical devices, and others.

Festivals and events
Villalba celebrates its patron saint festival in July. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Sra. del Carmen is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Villalba include:
 * Puerto Rico Marathon - July
 * Areyto Festival - November
 * Carlos Báez Marathon - December
 * Festival del ñame y Carne Frita- November

In 2017, Villalba celebrated the 100th year of its founding.

Government
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. Waldemar Rivera Torres (of the Popular Democratic Party) served as mayor since 2005 to 2012. The current mayor is Javier (Javi) Hernández who was elected in 2013.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as District Senators.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
Four horizontal, unequal stripes in width, that from top to bottom have the following order: green, white, green and yellow. In the immediate side to the flagstaff, in the superior stripe, appears, in white color, the star of the shield.

Coat of arms
On a green background, representing land, a 19th-century villa, reflected by six homes and a church in silver and red, the church is adorned with the shield of Carmelites, and a white star prominently displays and shines over the villa. Around its border are five fig leaves. Atop are three golden towers.

Transportation
In 1918, Villalba was not yet connected to neighboring towns or municipalities. By 1927, Villalba was connected to Juana Díaz, and other neighboring municipalities with Puerto Rico Highway 149.

There are 23 bridges in Villalba.

Education

 * Villalba School District (Puerto Rico Department of Education)
 * Puerto Rico Criminal Justice College- Villalba Campus (Puerto Rico Police Academy)

title: Villalba, Puerto Rico


text:
Yauco, Puerto Rico

Yauco is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco is located south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of Guayanilla. The municipality consists of 20 barrios and Yauco Pueblo (the downtown and administrative center of the municipality). It is both a principal town of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area.

It was founded by Fernando Pacheco on February 29, 1756, and developed for commodity crops of tobacco, sugar cane, and coffee. Yauco became a center for Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico in the 19th century due to its geographical similarity to their homeland. Corsicans have contributed to many areas of life in Yauco, particularly to its coffee industry. This has played a role in the town's nicknames of El Pueblo del Café (Town of Coffee), and residents of the municipality are often referred to as Los Corsos (The Corsicans).

Etymology and nicknames
Yauco was named after the Yauco River, which itself comes from the Taíno word coayuco, meaning "cassava plantation" (also where the word yucca comes from). The city has numerous nicknames such as Pueblo del Café ("coffee town"), due to the high number of coffee plantations in the area, and Pueblo de los Corsos ("Town of Corsicans"), after the large number of Corsican immigrants who settled in the town and who were later influential to the area's coffee industry. It is also popularly known as La Capital Taína ("the Taíno capital") after the native peoples of Puerto Rico who also lived in the area.

History
The Taino natives considered the area of Yauco the capital of Boriken and was governed by Agüeybana, the most powerful Taíno cacique (chief) in the island. All the other caciques were subject to and had to obey Agüeybaná, although they governed their own tribes. Upon Agüeybaná's death in 1510, his nephew, Güeybaná (also known as Agüeybaná II), became the most powerful cacique in the island. Agüeybaná II doubted the "godly" status the Spaniards were rumored to have. He came up with a plan to test these doubts: he and Urayoán (cacique of Añasco) sent some of their tribe members to lure a Spaniard named Diego Salcedo into a river and drown him. They watched over Salcedo's body to ensure that he did not revive. Salcedo's death convinced Agüeybaná II and the rest of the Taíno that the Spaniards were not gods. They rebelled against the Spanish in 1511 but were defeated.

In 1755, the Spanish settlers of the region built a small chapel and named it Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario (Our Lady of the Holy Rosary). The settlers sent Fernando Pacheco as their representative to the Spanish Government, to request the establishment of a municipality, since they had satisfied one of the requirements for the establishment of a municipality, namely, to establish a place of worship. On February 29, 1756, the King of Spain granted the settlers their request and the town of Yauco was founded. Fernando Pacheco was named First Lieutenant of War of the new town.

From the mid-19th to the early 20th century, hundreds of Corsican, Italian, French, Portuguese, Irish, Scots, and German immigrants arrived in Puerto Rico, attracted by the Spanish Crown's offer of free land to Catholic white European settlers. They settled mostly in the south-central region.

19th century Corsican immigration
The island of Puerto Rico is somewhat similar in geography to the island of Corsica and appealed to many Corsican immigrants. Corsica was part of the Republic of Genoa for centuries until 1768.Corsicans descend from a combination of ancient Corsi people from northeastern Sardinia and people who came over later from northern and central Italy (including Tuscans, Etruscans, Ligurians, and Romans) along with, to a lesser extent, Greeks and Carthaginians. Corsica has been part of France since 1768 but retains a distinct Italian culture. It was ruled by the Republic of Genoa from 1284 to 1755, when it became a self-proclaimed independent Italian-speaking Republic. In 1768, Genoa officially ceded its out of control colony to Louis XV of France as part of a pledge for debts, and in 1769 France forcibly annexed it.

Hundreds of Corsicans and their families immigrated to Puerto Rico from as early as 1830, and their numbers peaked in the 1850s, after European unrest following the Revolutions of 1848, and environmental problems of lengthy drought. The Corsicans tended to settle in the mountainous southwestern region of the island, and Yauco attracted the majority of them. As noted, the three main crops were coffee, sugar cane and tobacco. The new settlers first worked on the farms, and some saved money in order to own and operate their own grocery stores. They began to specialize in cultivation of coffee as a commodity crop.

Coffee was first cultivated in the Rancheras and Diego Hernández sectors; it was expanded to the Aguas Blancas, Frailes and Rubias sectors. The Mariani family adapted a cotton gin in the 1860s to use in mechanical de-husking of coffee. This improved the appearance of Puerto Rico's coffee beans and helped it stand out in the international coffee market. By the 1860s the Corsican settlers were the leaders of the coffee industry in Puerto Rico, and seven out of ten coffee plantations were owned by Corsicans.

Intentona de Yauco
The pro-independence movement raised the second and last major revolt here against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, known as the Intentona de Yauco (the attempted Coup of Yauco). The revolt, which occurred on March 26, 1897, was organized by Antonio Mattei Lluberas, Mateo Mercado and Fidel Vélez. They were supported by leaders of El Grito de Lares, the first major independence attempt, who were in exile in New York City as members of the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee. During this uprising, Vélez raised for the first time what became the current flag of Puerto Rico on local soil. Local Spanish authorities had heard rumors of the revolt and acted swiftly to suppress it.

Spanish–American War
In 1898, upon the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Guánica was a small barrio within the municipality of Yauco. It had 60 houses in all and was defended only by eleven members of the 4th Volante de Yauco, a Puerto Rican militia unit, under the command of Lieutenant Enrique Méndez López. When the convoy with General Nelson A. Miles, approached the barrio, Guánica lighthouse keeper Robustiano Rivera immediately alerted its residents. Nearly all the residents abandoned their homes and joined Rivera to go to Yauco, where he broke the news of the invading forces to the town's mayor. Only Agustín Barrenechea, Vicente Ferrer, Juan María Morciglio, Simón Mejil, Salvador Muñoz, Cornelio Serrano and Pascual Elena stayed to welcome the invaders. The first skirmish between Spanish/Puerto Rican and American armed forces was fought in that barrio between the Puerto Rican militia and twenty-eight sailors and Marines, under the command of Lieutenants H. P. Huse and Wood. They had come from the USS Gloucester (1891) on rafts and landed on the beach, where Lt. Méndez López and his men opened fire on the Americans. During the small battle which followed, the Americans returned fire with a machine gun and the Gloucester began to bombard the Spanish position. Lt. Méndez López and three of his men were wounded, and the militia unit retreated to the town of Yauco.

This was also the site of the first major land battle in Puerto Rico during the war between Spanish/Puerto Rican and American armed forces. On July 26, 1898, Spanish forces and Puerto Rican volunteers, led by Captain Salvador Meca and Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Puig, fought against American forces led by Brigadier General George A. Garretson. The Spanish forces engaged the 6th Massachusetts in a firefight at the Hacienda Desideria, owned by Antonio Mariani, in what became known as the Battle of Yauco of the Puerto Rico Campaign. The casualties of Puig's forces were two officers and three soldiers wounded and two soldiers dead. The Spanish forces were ordered to retreat.

Hurricane Maria
Significant rainfall from Hurricane Maria, on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Yauco, leaving entire communities cut-off. The Yauco River caused flooding that decimated entire neighborhoods.

Earthquakes in 2019 and 2020
Multiple residences and structures in Yauco were damaged in a series of earthquakes with increasing magnitude that started on December 28, 2019 and culminating with a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the island in the morning hours of January 7, 2020. More than thirty-two residences collapsed and hundreds were structurally unsound after the earthquake struck near Yauco. To aid residents who were left without power or homeless, the National Guard was mobilized. A center for emergency operations was set up in the municipality's auditorium parking area, with air-conditioned tarps and tents for evacuated hospital patients and with food being cooked by World Central Kitchen.

Geography
Yauco is a mountainous municipality located in the Cordillera Central and bisected by the Río Yauco. Other rivers in the municipality are the Río Chiquito, Duey Loco and Río Naranjo. Hills in the area include Mount Membrillo, the highest point in the municipality and 9th highest peak in the island at 3,579 feet (1,090 m) of elevation, the Rodadero Peak and the Curet Hill.

Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Yauco is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

 * 1) Aguas Blancas
 * 2) Algarrobo
 * 3) Almácigo Alto
 * 4) Almácigo Bajo
 * 5) Barina
 * 6) Caimito
 * 7) Collores
 * 8) Diego Hernández
 * 9) Duey
 * 10) Frailes
 * 11) Jácana
 * 12) Naranjo
 * 13) Quebradas
 * 14) Ranchera
 * 15) Río Prieto
 * 16) Rubias
 * 17) Sierra Alta
 * 18) Susúa Alta
 * 19) Susúa Baja
 * 20) Vegas
 * 21) Yauco barrio-pueblo

Sectors
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Yauco: Diego Hernández, Frailes, Ranchera, Sector Primitivo Irizarry in Quebradas, El Pozo, Sector Cantera, Pueblo Norte (El Cerro), and Río Prieto.

Demographics
According to the United States Census Bureau the population of Yauco in the year 2000 was 46,384 persons, decreasing to 42,043 persons in 2010, a net loss of 4,341 people or 9.36% of its population. The urban zone accounted for 17,186 of its inhabitants in the 2010 census. The 2020 census indicated the population was 34,172 a decline of 18.7% from the 2010 census.

Tourism
Following Hurricane Maria, in order to lift up their spirits, Yauco's artists worked on "Yaucromatic", a project to paint colorful murals in Cerro de Yauco in Yauco barrio-pueblo.

Landmarks and places of interest
There are 2 beaches in Yauco, including Playa Ballenas. Some of the places of interest in Yauco include:

At Yauco Pueblo (the historic downtown):

 * Cesari House, historic house from 1893.
 * Chalet Amill, Beax Arts-style house from 1914.
 * Cuesta Los Judios (Spanish for "ascent of the Jews"), next to Reparto La Esperanza it has a length of 0.21 kilometres.
 * Filardi House, Beaux Arts-style house from 1916.
 * Franceschi Antongiorgi House, Beaux Arts-style house from 1907.
 * González Vivaldi House, Criollo-style house from 1880.
 * Logia Masónica Hijos de la Luz, the historic masonic lodge from 1894.
 * Negroni Mansion, also known as the Agostini House, a Classical Revival-style house designed by Miguel Briganti Pinti.
 * Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church and City Hall at Plaza Fernando Pacheco.
 * Nuestra Señora del Rosario Hermitage Ruins, just outside the city center, today a museum and ruins.
 * Santísimo Rosario School, a school located in a historic building.
 * Teatro Ideal, a historic theater which was inaugurated on April 24, 1920.
 * Yaucromatic painted houses and murals.

Elsewhere in Yauco:
 * Apiturismo honey production farm dedicated to agritourism.
 * Atolladora Beach, shared with Guayanilla.
 * Guilarte State Forest, shared with Adjuntas, Guayanilla and Peñuelas.
 * Hacienda Mireia, also known as Hacienda La Juanita, a historic plantation, is a 50-acre coffee farm.
 * Lake Luchetti, a reservoir and wildlife refuge named after engineer Antonio S. Luchetti.
 * Mario "Ñato" Ramírez Torres Municipal Stadium
 * Mount Membrillo, the highest mountain in the municipality and 9th tallest in Puerto Rico.
 * Pico Rodadero, the second highest mountain in the municipality.
 * Raúl "Pipote" Oliveras Vera Coliseum
 * Susúa State Forest, shared with Sabana Grande.
 * Tozza Castle, replica of a small castle in Corsica, built by the Gilormini family.
 * Volkyland Museum, dedicated to the Volkswagen Beetle or Bug.

To stimulate local tourism, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo ("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Yauco page lists the murals at Yaucromatic, the view from the top of a mountain in Sierra Alta called Pico Rodadero, the Refugio de Vida Silvestre del Embalse Luccieti, and (for agritourism) a honey production farm in barrio Diego Hernandez called Apiturismo, as places of interest.

Economy
Yauco's main crops are coffee, plantains, oranges and tobacco. Yauco coffees are a revived specialty origin that, at best, display the qualities that made Jamaica Blue Mountain famous: A deep, vibrant, yet restrained acidity and balanced, gently rich flavor. However, this potentially finest of Caribbean coffees is often marred by inconsistency. Coffee production and sales from Yauco reached faraway places such as Europe in the 19th century and many non-Yauco coffee producers even tried to link their products to the city. Cafe Yaucono is a well-known Puerto Rican coffee brand that is named after Yauco.

Yauco also produces textiles and other light manufactured materials.

Sartorius pharmaceuticals, located in Yauco, expanded their current operations there in mid 2019.

Festivals and events
Yauco celebrates its patron saint festival in October. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Virgen del Rosario is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Yauco include:
 * Coffee Festival – February
 * Christmas Festival - December
 * Festival Internacional de las Culturas – December

DNA Ancestry Tests
Recent genealogical DNA-based testing, which look at specific locations of a person's genome, in order to find or verify ancestral genealogical relationships or to estimate the ethnic mixture of an individual, have found significant Portuguese, Spanish, Native American, Corsican, Irish, Scottish, Germanic European, Italian, North African, West African and European Jewish DNA presence in individuals who are descendants from inhabitants who were born within the geographical area of Yauco and other parts of southwestern Puerto Rico.

These ethnicities have significantly influenced the local culture, to include food, art, some words used in the language, customs, beliefs, and music.

Government
In 2019, Angel Luis Torres is the mayor of Yauco.

Abel Nazario Quiñones of the New Progressive Party had held the office of Mayor of Yauco since 2000. He succeeded Pedro Jaime Torres by winning the 2000 general election and retained his seat in both 2004 and 2008. Nazario took a 50% pay cut which was reversed in 2005, yet his current annual wage of $36,000 is the lowest for any of the 78 Puerto Rican mayors, despite Yauco not being the least-populated municipality or the one with the lowest budget.

Yauco belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Ramón Ruiz and Martín Vargas Morales, from the Popular Democratic Party, were elected as District Senators.

Transportation
Interstate Highway PRI-2 goes through Yauco. The interstate highway is designated as such because it receives up to 90% of its funding from the US Interstate Highway System.

In 2019, there were 40 bridges in Yauco. A bridge that goes over Yauco River suffered damages during 2017 Hurricane Maria. A bridge that carries PR-359 would have to be demolished due to damages caused by the 2019–2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes.

Symbols
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag
The flag of Yauco consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, black the superior and gold the inferior one. The municipal coat of arms is in the center.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Yauco is quartered by a central cross representing Christendom. In a silver field a gold and black boiler, with seven necks and heads of black serpents in each handle, three to the right hand, confronted with four to the left-hand side. Bordered by a checkered band in gold and black. The second and third quarters, in a field of gold, two coffee plant flowers of five leaves of silver and four red. The coffee plant flower and the coffee grains represent their cultivation in the Yauco municipality. The border of the Arms represents the beads of the rosary. The four-tower crown represents its town status.

Notable people
The following is a list of people born in Yauco.
 * Elmer Román (born 1972) - 26th Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and 2nd Secretary of Public Safety of Puerto Rico
 * Johnny Albino (1919–2011) – bolero vocalist
 * Benny Ayala (born 1951) – 1983 World Series-winning left fielder for the Baltimore Orioles
 * Carmelo Filardi - cartoonist who published El Mundo in 1927
 * Harry Fraticelli (born 1944) - singer and musician
 * Mihiel Gilormini (1918–1988) – airman of World War II. Founded the Puerto Rico Air National Guard
 * Francisco Lluch Mora (1924–2006) – poet and history professor
 * Antonio Mattei Lluberas (1857–1908) – leader of the Intentona de Yauco against Spanish rule
 * Héctor Andrés Negroni (born 1938) – first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy
 * Mike Perez (born 1964) – 1990s Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Francisco Rojas Tollinchi (1911–1965) – poet and journalist.
 * José Semidei Rodríguez (1868–1958) – soldier in the Cuban Liberation Army in the Cuban War of Independence, later Cuban diplomat.
 * Ray Suarez – alderman in the 31st ward of Chicago, Illinois since 1991

title: Yauco, Puerto Rico