Aguada, Puerto Rico

Aguada (/əˈɡwɑːdə/; Spanish: [aˈɣwaða]) is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located in the western coastal valley region bordering the Atlantic Ocean, east of Rincón, west of Aguadilla and Moca; and north of Añasco and Mayagüez. It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aguada's population is spread over 17 wards and Aguada Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city).

Aguada

Municipio de Aguada
City and Municipality
The main plaza and the Roman Catholic Church of Aguada
Flag
Coat of arms
Nicknames: 
"La Villa de Sotomayor", "Ciudad Del Descubrimiento", "Villa de San Francisco de Asís de la Aguada", "El Pueblo Playero", "La Ciudad del Vaticano"
Anthem: "Muchos siglos han pasado"
Location of Aguada in Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18°22′46″N 67°11′18″W
Commonwealth Puerto Rico
Founded1508-1510[1])
Founded byDon Cristóbal de Sotomayor
Government
 • MayorManuel "Gabina" Santiago Mendoza (Partido Nuevo Progresista)
 • Senatorial dist.4 - Mayagüez
 • Representative dist.18
Area
 • Total45.55 sq mi (118.0 km2)
 • Land30.93 sq mi (80.1 km2)
 • Water14.62 sq mi (37.9 km2)  32[2]%
Population
 (2010[3])
 • Total41,959
 • Density920/sq mi (360/km2)
Demonym(s)Aguadeños
Time zoneUTC−4 (AST)
Zip code
00602
Major routes
Websiteaguada.gov.pr

History

A Taíno settlement called Aymamón was located close to the Culebrinas River.[4][5]

Some sources believe that Christopher Columbus entered the island of Puerto Rico through Aguada on his second voyage in November 1493.[6][7]

In July 1510, Cristóbal de Sotomayor received control of the area from Juan Ponce de León and renamed the town Villa de Sotomayor. [8] However, in 1511 the settlement was attacked and burned by the local Taínos. That same year, the King ordered a monastery established in the island, and the Ermita de Espinar was founded. The name of the region was then changed to San Francisco de Asís de la Aguada, since the friars were Franciscan. The monastery was finished in 1516. In 1526, King Charles I of Spain officially founded the Aguada settlement. However, in 1529, Taínos attacked the monastery killing the friars and burning the settlement.[9]

Still, Aguada resurfaced and became a stopover point for ships on their way to Spain from South America.[10] On September 17, 1662, King Charles II of Spain emitted a Royal Decree declaring Aguada as a "village", and assigning Juan López de Segura as First Lieutenant.[9]

In 1737, Philip V, King of Spain, declared that all mail en route to Venezuela and other South American countries from Puerto Rico must exit from Aguada's ports, leading to the area's economic growth. Also, an increase in population has been attributed to possible desertions from foreign merchant ships.[11]

The United States acquired Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. In 1899, the US conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, finding that the population of Aguada was 10,581.

In the early years of the 20th Century, two disasters affected the town of Aguada. First, a huge fire in 1912 destroyed most of the town buildings, including the old city hall, which contained all the city archives. On October 11, 1918 at 10:14:42 local time an earthquake known as the San Fermín earthquake destroyed the church and other structures.[12] At Rio Culebrinas, 1000 kg blocks of limestone from the wrecked Columbus monument were carried inland to distances of 46–76 meters (151–249 feet) by waves 4.0 m (13.1 ft) high.[13]

Folklore

El Matador de Tiburones (the killer of sharks) is folklore that comes out of Aguada and was written around 1640. A young man who was accustomed to fighting sharks, was without his religious, good luck charms, when he was asked to demonstrate his shark-fighting capabilities to dignitaries who were visiting the island, from Spain. All day and night he pondered whether he would or would not fight a shark because he had never fought a shark without his religious lucky charm. The Spanish had increased their offer to 3 bars of Spanish gold. In the morning, as the shark came into the bay, the spectators who were gathered on the beach screamed and yelled in anticipation. Encouraged and unable to stop himself he jumped into the sea pursuing the shark and fought the shark with his bare hands, as he had done so many times before. Only this time he was nearly killed when the shark hit him with his tail. He received his prize of gold, he healed, but never again fought a shark in the open sea.[14]

Geography

Aguada is located in the west coast of the island of Puerto Rico. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and Aguadilla on the north, Moca on the east, Añasco on the south, and Rincón on the west. Aguada is part of the Coastal Plains of the West, which features alluvial and fertile terrain. Although the terrain is mostly plain, there are some mountains to the south and southeast.[15][16]

Among the mountains located in Aguada are the Atalaya peak, located within the limits of Aguada and Rincón. Also, the San Francisco mountain, which is the birthpoint of the Cordillera Central, and Cerro Gordo, peaking at 853 feet (260 meters).[17]

Water features

Aguada's hydrographic system is composed of the Río Culebrinas, Río Grande, Río Cañas, Río Culebra, Río Guayabo, and Río Ingenio. All of these rivers flow into the Mona Passage.[15] There are ten beaches in Aguada.[18]

Barrios
Aguada map labeled with barrio subdivisions

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Aguada is subdivided into barrios:[19][20][21][22]

  1. Aguada pueblo
  2. Asomante
  3. Atalaya
  4. Carrizal
  5. Cerro Gordo
  6. Cruces
  7. Espinar
  8. Guanábano
  9. Guaniquilla
  10. Guayabo
  11. Jagüey
  12. Lagunas
  13. Mal Paso
  14. Mamey
  15. Marías
  16. Naranjo
  17. Piedras Blancas
  18. Río Grande

Sectors
Further information: List of barrios and sectors of Aguada, Puerto Rico

Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions)[23] in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (which means sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.[24]

Special Communities
See also: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development

Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico), the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods are in Aguada: Parcelas Noboa Vieja and Parcelas Noboa Nuevas in Guanaquilla barrio, Calle San Francisco, Calle San José, Comunidad Las Flores, Sector Las Bimbas in Luyando comunidad, Parcelas Matías, Parcelas Nieves, and Sector García.[25]

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
190010,581—    
191011,587+9.5%
192012,981+12.0%
193014,670+13.0%
194017,923+22.2%
195020,743+15.7%
196023,234+12.0%
197025,658+10.4%
198031,567+23.0%
199035,911+13.8%
200042,042+17.1%
201041,959−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[26]
1899 (shown as 1900)[27] 1910-1930[28]
1930-1950[29] 1960-2000[30] 2010[21]
Racial - (self-defined) Aguada, Puerto Rico
- 2010 Census[31]
Race Population % of Total
White36,35086.6%
Black/Afro Puerto Rican2,2265.3%
Native Americans and
Alaska Native		1290.3%
Asian220.1%
Native Hawaiian
Pacific Islander		00.0%
Some other race2,2225.3%
Two or more races1,0102.4%

In 2010, the population of Aguada was 41,959, which represented a small decrease from the 42,042 registered in the 2000 Census.[32] This has been the first decrease in population in the last century, since Aguada's population had been increasing steadily from 14,670 in 1930 to its current population.[33]

According to the 2010 Census, 86.6% of the population identifies themselves as White, and 5.3% as Black. Also, according to the census, the population is equally divided by gender (49.1% are males, while 50.1% are females). Finally, 23.7% of the population is under 18 years old. The next biggest percentage of population (20.8%) is between 35 and 49 years old.[34]

Religion

The Caribs, indigenous people of Puerto Rico, were believed to have practiced polytheism. As the Spanish began to colonise the Caribbean area, they wanted to convert the natives to Catholicism.[35] The Caribs destroyed a church of Franciscans in Aguada, and killed five of its members, in 1579.[36]

Economy
Coloso Sugar Cane Refinery

Historically, the economy of Aguada was mostly based on the processing of sugarcane. The Central Coloso, located in the Guanábano ward of Aguada, was one of the most important refineries in the island. It was also the last one to cease operations, officially closing in 2003.[16][37]

Aside from sugar mills, there was also a cattle and wood industry. As of 2012, the economy relies mostly on small businesses and manufacturing.[15]

In late 2014, the government announced a $172 million deal with private investors to restart sugar production in Puerto Rico for the purpose of supplying the island rum producers with up to 56% of the molasses needed. The plan involved building a new processing plant on the grounds of the old Coloso Sugar Cane factory in Aguada.[38]

Tourism

Aguada is part of the Porta del Sol touristic region in Puerto Rico. The Porta del Sol website highlights Aguada's town square and beaches as its most notable touristic attractions. It also mentions landmarks like the Espinar Hermitage Ruins[39] and a children playground.[40]

Landmarks and places of interest
Museo de Antiguedades, Aguada

Human resources

Education

Like all other municipalities in the island, public education is overseen by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. In 2020, there were 11 public schools in Aguada, most of them in the elementary level.[41][42]

#School Name± Students as of 2018-2019Grades
1.Anselmo Villarubia303PK-5
2.Aquilino Caban501PK-8
3.Centro Vocacional Especial126Vocational
4.Dr. Carlos Gonzalez83210-12
5.Eladio Tirado Lopez2799-12
6.Jose Gonzalez Ruiz146KG-5
7.Juan L. Santiago601PK-6
8.Lydia Melendez253KG-5
9.Profesora Juana Rosario4916-9
10.Su Epifanio Estrada664PK-8
11.Su Juan B. Soto293PK-8

Public health

Although there are no hospitals in Aguada, the town does have a small emergency medical center located near the town center.

Culture

Festivals

Celebrations in Aguada include:[4]

Festival de Reyes (Three Kings Festival) which is celebrated in January at Paraíso de los Niños park. It is an activity dedicated to children of Aguada and is celebrated with gifts, music, clowns, and raffles.[4]

Festival de Playa (Beach Festival) is celebrated on June 24, the day of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist), at the Pico de Piedra Beach.

Aguada celebrates its fiestas patronales dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. The Patron Saint Festival in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi is held from September 24 to October 4 at the Plaza Carlos Ruiz. Some of the activities surrounding this festival include the praying of the rosary, a procession, arts and crafts, rides, and competitions in the area for parties.[43]

Festival y Feria de Artesanías (Craft Fair) takes place from November 17-20 at the Plaza Cristóbal Colón.[4]

Every year in November, a parade called La Parada del Descubrimento takes place to remember the discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus. In this parade the people walk from the Catholic church in the town square to the Santurario Histórico a Colón (Cross of Columbus) next to the beach in Guaniquilla.[44]

Festival de Cabras de Raza is held on the last weekend of May in the Atalaya barrio, with exhibitions of different goat breeds and competitions.[4]

Parranda del Octavón is a one-day annual, cultural activity that takes place in January at the Plaza Cristóbal Colón, with local music.[4]

Encuentro de Talladores (Carvers' Meeting) is a one-day annual celebration that takes place the first weekend of July at the Plaza Cristóbal Colón, to commemorate the birthday of Don Zoilo Cajigas a carver of wooden saints. Carved wooden saints are on exhibition and for sale.[4]

Sports

Los Santeros de Aguada is the name of Aguada's basketball team.[45]

Transportation

The main road leading to Aguada is PR-115, if you're coming from the north. If you're traveling from the south, you have to take PR-2.

There are 18 bridges in Aguada.[46]

Government

Mayors

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Aguada is Manuel "Gabina" Santiago Mendoza, of the (PNP). He was elected at the 2016 general elections.

This is a list of registered and known mayors of Aguada, until present time.[47]

Years Mayor Political Party
1921 - 1928 Manuel Ruiz Gonzalez
1928 - 1932 Carlos Gonzalez
1932 - 1936 Efigenio Charneco
1936 - 1940 Femando Rivera
1940 - 1944 Andres Carrero
1944 - 1948 Juan Villarrubia Santiago PPD
1948 - 1960 Manuel Egipciaco PPD
1960 - 1968 Juan Figueroa Gonzalez PPD
1968 - 1972 Julio C. Roman Gonzalez (Yuyo) PNP
1972 - 1976 Mabel Velez de Acevedo PPD
1976 - 2000 Julio C. Roman Gonzalez (Yuyo) PNP
2000 - 2004 Miguel A. Ruiz Hernandez (Miguelito) PPD
2004 - 2012 Luis A. Echevarria Santiago (Berty) PNP
2012–2016 Jessie Cortés Ramos PPD
2017–present Manuel "Gabina" Santiago Mendoza PNP

Senate

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV of Mayagüez-Aguadilla, which is represented by two Senators. In 2016, Evelyn Vázquez and Luis Daniel Muñiz were elected as District Senators.[48]

Symbols

Flag
Aguada flag

Aguada's flag was designed by Pedro Vélez Adróvar. It features three main colors: white, red, and yellow. White represents purity and the waters of Culebrinas River. Over the white field, a blue triangle with a blue dove is featured. The dove is the symbol of peace that unites the towns. Red symbolizes the martyrdom of Franciscan friars from Espinal. Over the red field, there's a cross which represents the birth of Christianity in Puerto Rico. The name of "Aguada" is also above the cross. The yellow field represents happiness and hospitality of the residents. Over the yellow field, there's a star which symbolizes the hope of the town for more development and progress.[49]

Coat of Arms
Aguada coat of arms

The coat of arms is divided into two main fields. The upper field features a cross, with the interlaced arms of Christ and Father Saint Francis. It is taken from the badge of the Order of Friars Minor. It represents the motto "Pax et Bonum", which means "peace and good will between man and the Redeemer". The sun below the cross symbolizes the light that brightens the world. The lower part of the shield consists of five ships that symbolize the second voyage of Christopher Columbus, who allegedly arrived at the western "Guaniquilla" coast on November 19, 1493 to gather water. Although the precise location is disputed, the Aguada wells is a plausible site for the actual event.

The mural crown in the upper part of the shield signifies the title of village, that was given to this town by King Charles III in 1778. The official colors of the shield are: red, which stands for the fraternal love in Aguada; gold, for the Spanish royalty in Puerto Rico; green, for the island's hope and fertility; black, for the wooden beam of the cross; blue, for the sky and the kingship of God; and white, for Christ's purity and the purity of the people of the town toward the cultural patrimony.[50][51]

Nicknames

Aguada has various nicknames, most of them pertaining to its origins. One is "La Villa del Sotomayor" ("Sotomayor Village"), which was the name originally given to it by Cristóbal de Sotomayor during its colonization in 1510. It is also called "Villa de San Francisco de Asís de la Aguada", which was the name given to the region when the Franciscan friars took control of it. Aguada is also called "La Ciudad del Descubrimiento" ("City of the Discovery") in reference to it being one of the possible places where Christopher Columbus entered the island. Other nicknames are "El Pueblo Playero" ("The Beach Town") for its many beaches, and "La Ciudad del Vaticano" ("The Vatican City") for being considered the "capital of Catholicism" in the island.[52][53]

Anthem

The anthem of Aguada was written by Rolando Acevedo Lorenzo.[54]

Notable "Aguadeños"

See also

References
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