Guanica

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guanica
Flag of Guanica
flag
Location in Puerto Rico
Guánica (Puerto Rico)
Guanica
Guanica
Basic data
Foundation : August 12, 1508
State : United States
Outside area : Puerto Rico
Coordinates : 17 ° 58 ′  N , 66 ° 54 ′  W Coordinates: 17 ° 58 ′  N , 66 ° 54 ′  W
Time zone : Atlantic Standard Time ( UTC − 4 )
Residents : 21,888 (as of: 2000)
Population density : 228 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 138.35 km 2  (approx. 53 mi 2 ) of
which 96 km 2  (approx. 37 mi 2 ) are land
Height : 3 m
Postcodes : 00653, 00647
Area code : +1 787 939
FIPS : 72-31189
GNIS ID : 1610855
Guanica Bay.jpg
Guanica Bay

Guánica is a coastal city in southwest Puerto Rico .

geography

Geographical location

Guánica is located on the south coast of the island, south of Sabana Grande , east of Lajas and west of Yauco . The distance to the capital San Juan is around 160 km.

geology

The city sits on a deeply sunken harbor resembling a tropical fjord only a quarter of a mile wide and about two miles long from the mouth to the city and bordered by rugged hills.

Expansion of the urban area

With 21,888 inhabitants (as of 2000) on an area of ​​96 km², the population density is 230.6 inhabitants per km².

City structure

Guánica extends over the seven boroughs of Arena, Caño, Carenero, Ciénaga, Ensenada, Montalva and Susuá Baja.

The city center consists of five streets in north-south and seven streets in east-west, which is why Guánica is also known as "el pueblo de las doce calles" (the city of twelve streets). One of the 24 blocks is the plaza, which includes green spaces, pathways and a music stand. The plaza is home to the Catholic church, town hall, school and many shops. The Club Med chain failed with its plan to build luxury resorts on the beaches in the east.

history

Juan Ponce de León reached the port of Guánica on August 12, 1508 and founded a city called Guaynía, which in the language of the indigenous Taíno means "here is a place with water". The city, which was considered the capital of the island of Puerto Rico (then called Isla de San Juan Bautista), was destroyed by the local uprising in 1511 and abandoned by the Europeans for a few years. During this time, San Juan developed into the capital of the island. The newly founded Guánica initially belonged to the municipality of Yauco before it became independent on March 13, 1914.

On July 25, 1898, US troops (led by General Nelson Appleton Miles and with the young poet Carl Sandburg ) landed in Guánica as part of the Spanish-American War . This invasion, which led to the US seizure of power in Puerto Rico, took place here because of the protected harbor and proximity to Ponce . In addition, the attack came as a surprise here than in the heavily protected capital San Juan. Today a controversial monument on the bank commemorates the invasion; on a wide promenade ( el malecón ) the words "3rd Battalion, 1st USV Engineers, Sept. 1898" are engraved in a large coral rock.

In an earthquake on January 7, 2020 , more than 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the city.

politics

mayor

The Mayor Martín Vargas Morales is a member of the Popular Democratic Party.

Coat of arms, flag and anthem

The coat of arms is divided into four quarters. Above right, a bohio (hut) under a crown commemorates the chief Agüeybaná , whose territory was in this region. To the left of it is a lion as a symbol for Juan Ponce de León. The checkered stripes on a silver background in the lower right corner stand for the shields of Don Cristóbal de Sotomayor, the founder of the town of Tavara, which was located on the site of today's Guánica. The striped waves symbolize the bay. The branches surrounding the shield are a sign of the sugar cane industry that was very important to the region.

The flag shows the blue and yellow waves from the coat of arms.

The anthem was written by José Luis Padilla.

America es jardín del mundo;
Puerto Rico es el jardín de America,
America es jardín del mundo;
Puerto Rico es el jardín de América
Pero mis versos los dedico
a mi pueblito del alma

Guánica, Guánica
pueblo que es obra de Dios.
Su bahía de cristal,
sus valles verdes de caña;
adornando cual collar,
bordeando están sus montañas.

Guánica, Guánica
que es jardín de Puerto Rico;
Guánica, Guánica
pueblo que es obra de Dios.
Son sus playas, tan azul,
playas gemelas del cielo;
Sus mujeres sasonáz ...
con sabor dulce de caña.

Guánica, Guánica
que es jardín de Puerto Rico;
Guánica, Guánica
pueblo que es obra de Dios.

America es jardín del mundo;
Puerto Rico es el jardín de América,
Guánica, Guánica
es jardín de Puerto Rico.
Guánica, Guánica
pueblo que es obra de Dios.
Guánica, Guánica


Culture and sights

Buildings

The most important structures in Guánica are the fortress Caprón, which is located on a 140 meter high hill in the east of the city, as well as the Haciendas Guánica and Santa Rita, the Old Lighthouse and the sugar cane refinery.

Parks

Biosphere reserve

The forest of Guánica ( Bosque Estatal de Guanica ) also includes a small dry forest - reserve , which was declared in 1981 to an international biosphere reserve. The park is also known as el bosque seco de Guánica .

The mostly intact dry forest is home to the largest number of bird species on the island, some of which hardly exist anywhere else. These include the Puerto Rican lizard cuckoo , the Puerto Rican woodpecker , the Puerto Rican nightjar, and the Puerto Rican emerald hummingbird. Other animals believed to be extinct appeared in this forest. Many cactus species thrive here in contrast to the lush Caribbean National Forest, a tropical rainforest in the northeast of the island. The Cordillera Central mountain range, which separates Guánica from the northeast, is responsible for the contrast. While there is 100 inches of precipitation per year there, there are only 30 in Guánica and only six in some parts of the dry forest.

36 miles of hiking trails crisscross the 9,500-acre reserve, which includes four types of forest: deciduous forest, a coastal region of tree-sized asclepias and nine-foot-high pear-shaped cacti, a mahogany forest, and twisted balsam trees . The 700 plant species include acacia and guaiac , of which one tree is 500 to 700 years old. Frogs and green and leatherback turtles are also found, but their eggs are threatened by the mongooses that were once introduced to the sugar cane fields to control rats.

Natural monuments

In addition to the bay of the port and Ballena Bay, Guánica offers the capes Punta de Brea and Punta Jorobao as well as the beaches Azul, Manglillo, Playa Santa, Rosada and Serra.

Regular events

The Fish Festival takes place in April. In July, the Patron's Festival and the July 25th parade are celebrated. In August, Juan Ponce de León is honored with a festival.

Economy and Infrastructure

Sugar cane factory, 1910–35

Guánica is shaped by fishing. Salt and sugar cane are also produced. The industry consists mainly of textile factories.

Personalities

sons and daughters of the town

  • Agripina Seda
  • Domingo Bracero Hernández
  • Domingo Suarez Cruz
  • Jaime Cancel
  • Lolita (Carmen Ramirez) Vargas - singer, actress and teacher
  • Luis A Nieves Lopez
  • Maria Heliodora Vargas (1908–1991) - author of the poem La Bandera de los Guaniqueňos
  • Miguel A Morciglio
  • Pedro Juan Vargas Mercado - journalist and historian
  • Pedro Vargas Rodríguez (1888–1930) - journalist and poet
  • Pedro Vinicio Vargas - musician and singer, composed songs about Puerto Rico and Guánica
  • Pedro Santana
  • Rose Franco (1932 – unknown), first female chief warrant officer in the US Marine Corps from Puerto Rico
  • Víctor Ángel Sallaberry Safini
  • Víctor Guillermo "Yomo" Toro Vega (1933–2012) - known for using the cuatro in salsa music, member of Fania All Stars

literature

Torres, Angel Luis, Walter Torres & Casals 1995. En el Bosque Seco de Guánica . San Juan: La Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico (Colección San Pedrito). ISBN 0-8477-0207-3 - a Spanish children's book about a visit to the dry forest

swell

  1. El desembarco en Guánica (Spanish)
  2. Jim Wyss: 'You just don't ever get used to it.' Powerful aftershock and more pain for Puerto Rico In: miamiherald.com . January 11, 2020, accessed on January 12, 2020.
  3. Further information on the forest can be found on the following websites:
    Visit the Guanica dry forest ( Memento of the original from January 26, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
    Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) Puerto Rican dry forests (English) Bosque Seco de Guánica ( Memento of the original from January 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Spanish) El Bosque Estatal de Guánica ( Memento of the original from January 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Spanish) Bosque Estatal de Guánica (Spanish) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bonsai-wbff.org

     @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ponce.inter.edu
     @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.yaucoweb.com

Web links

Commons : Guánica  - collection of images, videos and audio files