Town and municipality in Puerto Rico
Town and Municipality in Puerto Rico, United States
Guayanilla
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[?wa?a?ni?a]
,
locally
[wa?a?ni?a]
) is a
town
and
municipality
of
Puerto Rico
located on the southern coast of the island, bordering the
Caribbean Sea
, south of
Adjuntas
, east of
Yauco
; and west of
Penuelas
and about 12 miles (19 km) west of
Ponce
. Guayanilla is spread over 16 barrios and
Guayanilla Pueblo
(the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the
Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
History
[
edit
]
Guayanilla was founded by Puerto Rican
criollos
. The original name was
Guadianilla
in memory of a river and town of the same name in
Spain
. However, it was changed to
Guayanilla
to resemble a native word in the
Taino
language. The name Guayanilla is derived from a combination of
Guaynia
and
Santa Maria de Guadianilla
.
The first Europeans settled in this area in 1511. In 1756,
Yauco
was founded as a
town
. Then Guayanilla was a borough of Yauco. Due to the very fertile lands and access to the local port where most of the local commerce occurred, Guayanilla became an important agricultural center where
sugarcane
was cultivated. Guayanilla grew quickly and was established as a separate municipality on February 27, 1833 by
Governor
Miguel de la Torre
.
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 Department of War
conducted a
census
of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Guayanilla was 9,540.
[4]
On September 20, 2017
Hurricane Maria
struck Puerto Rico. In Guayanilla, the hurricane triggered numerous landslides and caused major destruction with an estimated 600 homes losing their roof and 300 homes completely destroyed. Roads, crops and structures were destroyed by the winds and flooding.
[5]
[6]
[7]
On January 6, 2020 a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in Guayanilla and several structures and cars were destroyed. A family of eight escaped a home that was destroyed by the earthquake.
[8]
[9]
On January 7, 2020 a 6.4 magnitude earthquake destroyed the Catholic church in
Guayanilla Pueblo
.
[10]
Geography
[
edit
]
Guayanilla is located on the southern coast. The coastline forms the
Guayanilla Bay
, one of the best natural harbors in Puerto Rico, to the south, also. The nearest city is
Ponce
, which is 12 miles (19 km) to the east. The northern regions are bordered by mountains that reach 3,300 feet (1,000 m) at the
Cordillera Central
. In the central regions, the terrain descends where it does not exceed 1,410 feet (430 m). Finally in the coastal plain, the elevations do not exceed 951 feet (290 m). The
Yauco
,
Guayanilla
, and
Macana
rivers all run through the municipality. The
Yauco River
briefly runs through the Boca borough, where its exit into the
Caribbean Sea
and accompanying marshlands are located.
[11]
Barrios
[
edit
]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Guayanilla is subdivided into
barrios
. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as
"el pueblo"
, near the center of the municipality.
[12]
[13]
Sectors
[
edit
]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to
minor civil divisions
)
[14]
and subbarrios,
[15]
are further subdivided into smaller areas called
sectores
(
sectors
in English). The types of
sectores
may vary, from normally
sector
to
urbanizacion
to
reparto
to
barriada
to
residencial
, among others.
[16]
[17]
[18]
Special Communities
[
edit
]
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 Guayanilla: Magas Abajo, Villa del Carmen in Playa barrio, Piedras Blancas, Playita, and San Pedro.
[19]
Tourism
[
edit
]
To stimulate local tourism, the
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
launched the
Voy Turistiendo
("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Guayanilla page lists
Paseo Tablado Guayacan
,
Charco Los Peces
, and
Peninsula del Rio
, as places of interest.
[20]
According to a news article by
Primera Hora
, there are 17 beaches in Guayanilla.
[21]
- Places to visit
: Mario Mercado Castle, Chorro de Oro Waterfall,
El Convento Cave
,
Guilarte State Forest
, Emajagua Beach, La Ventana Beach, Tamarindo Beach, Central Rufina Ruins. El Castillo del Nino (The Child's Castle) amusement park.
- Festivals
: Town
Carnival
(April), Student Festival (May), Beach Festival (May), Cross Festivities (May), Fishing Festival (June), Seafood Festival (June),
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Festival (July), Ladies' Marathon (November),
Immaculate Conception
Festivities (December).
Economy
[
edit
]
Industry
[
edit
]
The main industries in Guayanilla are the manufacturing of
petrochemicals
and the production of electricity by
thermoelectrical
plants. Guayanilla produces over half of Puerto Rico's electricity. The breakdown of occupations are as follows:
- 22.2% : Educational, medical, and social services
- 14.5% : Public administration
- 14.5% : Construction
- 11.3% : Manufacturing
- 9.6% : Retail trade
- 6.4% : Transportation and warehousing, and utilities
- 5.3% : Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services
- 4.5% : Other services
- 3.6% : Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services
- 2.9% : Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining
- 2.3% : Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing
- 1.8% : Wholesale trade
- 1.2% : Information
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1900
| 9,540
| | ?
|
---|
1910
| 10,354
| | 8.5%
|
---|
1920
| 12,083
| | 16.7%
|
---|
1930
| 13,121
| | 8.6%
|
---|
1940
| 15,577
| | 18.7%
|
---|
1950
| 17,402
| | 11.7%
|
---|
1960
| 17,396
| | 0.0%
|
---|
1970
| 18,144
| | 4.3%
|
---|
1980
| 21,050
| | 16.0%
|
---|
1990
| 21,581
| | 2.5%
|
---|
2000
| 23,072
| | 6.9%
|
---|
2010
| 21,581
| | ?6.5%
|
---|
2020
| 17,784
| | ?17.6%
|
---|
According to the
Census
in 2000, 99.2%
Hispanic
of any race. 65.5%
white
, 11.1% black, 19.3% mixed, 5.1% other. There were 7,209 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% were non-families. 15.2% live alone, and 7.1% live alone and were over 65 years of age. The average household size was 3.19, and the average family size was 3.55.
The age distribution of the population was 30.0% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% over 65. The median age was 31 years.
The median income for a household was $11,361, and the median income for a family was $13,187. The per capita income for the city was $5,954. 57.0% of the population and 54.9% of the families were below the poverty line.
Culture
[
edit
]
Festivals and events
[
edit
]
Guayanilla celebrates its
patron saint
festival in December. The
Fiestas Patronales Inmaculada Concepcion de Maria
is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.
[11]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Guayanilla include:
- Youth Festival ? May
- Beach Festival ? May
- Cross Festival ? May
- Shore Fishing Festival and Triathlon ? June
- Virgen del Carmen Festival ? June
- Seafood Festival ? June
- Farazo Festival ? July
- Town Carnival ? July
- International Women's Marathon ? November
Government
[
edit
]
Like all municipalities in
Puerto Rico
, Guayanilla is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is
Nelson Torres Yordan
, from the
Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico
(PPD).
The city belongs to the
Puerto Rico Senatorial district V
, which is represented by two senators. In 2012,
Ramon Ruiz
and
Martin Vargas Morales
, from the
Popular Democratic Party
, were elected as district senators.
[30]
Symbols
[
edit
]
The
municipio
has an official flag and coat of arms.
[31]
Flag
[
edit
]
This municipality has a flag.
[32]
Coat of arms
[
edit
]
This municipality has a coat of arms.
[32]
Education
[
edit
]
The following schools are located in Guayanilla and students from both schools have participated in the
Rose Parade
in
California
on several occasions:
[33]
[34]
- Escuela Aristides Cales Quiros
- Asuncion Rodriguez de Sala
Transportation
[
edit
]
There are 35 bridges in Guayanilla.
[35]
Nazario Collection
[
edit
]
The
Nazario Collection
, a set of inscribed stones discovered by
Catholic
priest and amateur archeologist Jose M. Nazario (and which popular culture links to
Taino
chief
Agueybana II
), has become a cultural symbol for the municipality. The statuettes serve as the center piece of Guayanilla's Father Nazario Museum of Lithic Epigraphy.
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
The Punta Ventana window feature collapsed during the 2019 earthquakes.
-
The Caribbean Sea from Guayanilla
-
View of mountains in the countryside of Guayanilla
-
Guayanilla City Hall
-
Guayanilla school band performing at a parade in California, US in 2012
-
Photo by NOAA, Exploring Puerto Rico's Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs (Guayanilla)
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census"
.
The United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 25,
2021
.
- ^
"Guayanilla ? Populated Place"
.
Geographic Names Information System
.
USGS
. Retrieved
May 13,
2008
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
.
Archived
from the original on December 27, 1996
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
Joseph Prentiss Sanger; Henry Gannett; Walter Francis Willcox (1900).
Informe sobre el censo de Puerto Rico, 1899, United States. War Dept. Porto Rico Census Office
. Washington : Govt. print. off. p. 162.
- ^
"Maria, un nombre que no vamos a olvidar. Guayanilla, abatida por la crecida del rio"
[Maria, a name we will never forget. The river swoops down on Guayanilla].
El Nuevo Dia
(in Spanish). June 13, 2019
. Retrieved
September 11,
2022
.
- ^
"Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico"
.
USGS Landslide Hazards Program
. USGS.
Archived
from the original on March 3, 2019
. Retrieved
March 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico"
(PDF)
.
USGS Landslide Hazards Program
. USGS.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on March 3, 2019
. Retrieved
March 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Colapsan cinco residencias en la barriada Esperanza en Guanica por el temblor [Five residences in the Esperanza neighborhood of Guanica collapse as a result of the earthquake]"
.
El Nuevo Dia
. January 6, 2020.
Archived
from the original on January 7, 2020
. Retrieved
January 7,
2020
.
- ^
"Terremoto Dia de Reyes Desde el Epicentro/ Earthquake in Puerto Rico"
.
Archived
from the original on August 23, 2020
. Retrieved
January 7,
2020
– via www.youtube.com.
- ^
"Colapsa la Parroquia Inmaculada Concepcion de Guayanilla tras el temblor"
.
El Nuevo Dia
. January 7, 2020.
Archived
from the original on August 23, 2020
. Retrieved
January 7,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Guayanilla Municipality"
.
enciclopediapr.org
. Fundacion Puertorriquena de las Humanidades (FPH).
Archived
from the original on August 23, 2020
. Retrieved
March 20,
2019
.
- ^
Gwillim Law (May 20, 2015).
Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998
. McFarland. p. 300.
ISBN
978-1-4766-0447-3
. Retrieved
December 25,
2018
.
- ^
"Map of Guayanilla at the Wayback Machine"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 24, 2018
. Retrieved
December 29,
2018
.
- ^
"US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition"
.
factfinder.com
. US Census. Archived from
the original
on May 13, 2017
. Retrieved
January 5,
2019
.
- ^
"P.L. 94-171 VTD/SLD Reference Map (2010 Census): Guayanilla Municipio, PR"
(PDF)
.
www2.census.gov
. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on August 23, 2020
. Retrieved
August 22,
2020
.
- ^
"Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconomico y la Autogestion (Proposed 2016 Budget)"
.
Puerto Rico Budgets
(in Spanish).
Archived
from the original on June 28, 2019
. Retrieved
June 28,
2019
.
- ^
Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014),
El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004
(first ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundacion Sila M. Calderon,
ISBN
978-0-9820806-1-0
- ^
"Leyes del 2001"
.
Lex Juris Puerto Rico
(in Spanish).
Archived
from the original on September 14, 2018
. Retrieved
June 24,
2020
.
- ^
Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014),
El vuelo de la esperanza:Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004
(Primera edicion ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundacion Sila M. Calderon, p. 273,
ISBN
978-0-9820806-1-0
- ^
Pasaporte: Voy Turisteando
(in Spanish). Compania de Turismo de Puerto Rico. 2021.
- ^
"Las 1,200 playas de Puerto Rico [The 1200 beaches of Puerto Rico]"
.
Primera Hora
(in Spanish). April 14, 2017.
Archived
from the original on December 12, 2019
. Retrieved
December 12,
2019
.
- ^
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. United States Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
September 21,
2017
.
- ^
"Report of the Census of Porto Rico 1899"
. War Department Office Director Census of Porto Rico.
Archived
from the original on July 16, 2017
. Retrieved
September 21,
2017
.
- ^
"Table 3-Population of Municipalities: 1930 1920 and 1910"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on August 17, 2017
. Retrieved
September 21,
2017
.
- ^
"Table 4-Area and Population of Municipalities Urban and Rural: 1930 to 1950"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on August 30, 2015
. Retrieved
September 21,
2014
.
- ^
"Table 2 Population and Housing Units: 1960 to 2000"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on July 24, 2017
. Retrieved
September 21,
2017
.
- ^
Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf
(PDF)
. U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. 2010.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on February 20, 2017
. Retrieved
August 1,
2019
.
- ^
"PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census"
.
The United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 25,
2021
.
- ^
"Population and Housing Unit Estimates"
. United States Census Bureau.
Archived
from the original on December 27, 1996
. Retrieved
September 21,
2017
.
- ^
Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General
Archived
2013-01-15 at the
Wayback Machine
on CEEPUR
- ^
"Ley Num. 70 de 2006 -Ley para disponer la oficialidad de la bandera y el escudo de los setenta y ocho (78) municipios"
.
LexJuris de Puerto Rico
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
June 15,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"GUAYANILLA"
.
LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico
(in Spanish). February 19, 2020.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2020
. Retrieved
September 22,
2020
.
- ^
Torres, Michelle Estrada (January 2, 2019).
"Banda Escolar de Guayanilla cumplio sueno de desfilar en Pasadena"
.
Archived
from the original on November 3, 2019
. Retrieved
November 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Banda Escolar de Guayanilla honra a Keylla Hernandez"
.
El Vocero de Puerto Rico
.
Archived
from the original on November 3, 2019
. Retrieved
November 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Guayanilla Bridges"
.
National Bridge Inventory Data
. US Dept. of Transportation.
Archived
from the original on February 21, 2019
. Retrieved
February 20,
2019
.
Further reading
[
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]
External links
[
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]
Places adjacent to Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
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