Guayanilla, Puerto Rico

Guayanilla (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaʝaˈniʎa], locally [waʝaˈniʎa]) 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 Peñuelas 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.

Guayanilla
Municipio Autónomo de Guayanilla
Town and Municipality
Guayanilla Bay
Guayanilla Bay
Flag of Guayanilla
Flag
Coat of arms of Guayanilla
Coat of arms
Nicknames: 
"Tierra de Agüeybaná", "Los Corre en Yegua", "Capital Taina"
Anthem: "Guayanillenses, cantemos unidos"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Guayanilla Municipality
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Guayanilla Municipality
Coordinates: 18°01′09″N 66°47′31″W
Commonwealth Puerto Rico
FoundedFebruary 27, 1833
Barrios
17 barrios
Government
 • MayorRaúl Rivera Rodríguez (PNP)
 • Senatorial dist.5 - Ponce
 • Representative dist.Precinct 58
Area
 • Total42.4 sq mi (109.9 km2)
Elevation
161 ft (49 m)
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total17,784
 • Rank63rd in Puerto Rico
 • Density420/sq mi (160/km2)
DemonymGuayanillenses
Time zoneUTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code
00656
Area code787/939
Major routes
GNIS feature ID1610861[2]

History
"Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. One of the houses in the company village for sugar cane workers" (1941 photograph by Jack Delano)

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 Taíno 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.[3]

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.[4][5][6]

2019 - 2020 Earthquakes
This Guayanilla landmark called Ventana was destroyed by the earthquakes.

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.[7][8]

On January 7, 2020 a 6.4 magnitude earthquake destroyed the Catholic church in Guayanilla Pueblo.[9]

Geography

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 Macaná 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.[10]

Barrios
Subdivisions of Guayanilla

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.[11][12]

  1. Barrero
  2. Boca
  3. Cedro
  4. Consejo
  5. Guayanilla barrio-pueblo
  6. Indios
  7. Jagua Pasto
  8. Jaguas
  9. Llano
  10. Macaná
  11. Magas
  12. Pasto
  13. Playa
  14. Quebrada Honda
  15. Quebradas
  16. Rufina
  17. Sierra Baja

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)[13] and subbarrios,[14] in turn, are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.[15][16][17]

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

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.[18]

Tourism
Castillo de niños
Eatery with piragua (shave ice) flavors menu in Guayanilla

There are 17 beaches in Guayanilla.[19]

  • 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 Niño (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

Industry

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
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19009,540—
191010,3548.5%
192012,08316.7%
193013,1218.6%
194015,57718.7%
195017,40211.7%
196017,3960.0%
197018,1444.3%
198021,05016.0%
199021,5812.5%
200023,0726.9%
201021,581−6.5%
202017,784−17.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]
1899 (shown as 1900)[21] 1910-1930[22]
1930-1950[23] 1960-2000[24] 2010[25] 2020[26]

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

Festivals and events

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.[10]

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
See also: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Guayanilla is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Nelson Torres Yordán, 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, Ramón Ruiz and Martín Vargas Morales, from the Popular Democratic Party, were elected as district senators.[27]

Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[28]

Flag

This municipality has a flag.[29]

Coat of arms

This municipality has a coat of arms.[29]

Education

The following schools are located in Guayanilla and students from both schools have participated in the Rose Parade in California on several occasions:[30][31]

  • Escuela Arístides Cales Quirós
  • Asunción Rodríguez de Sala

Transportation

There are 35 bridges in Guayanilla.[32]

Nazario Collection

The Nazario Collection, a set of inscribed stones discovered by Catholic priest and amateur archeologist José M. Nazario (and which popular culture links to Taíno chief Agüeybaná 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.

  • The Punta Ventana window feature collapsed during the 2019 earthquakes.
    The Punta Ventana window feature collapsed during the 2019 earthquakes.
  • The Caribbean Sea from Guayanilla
    The Caribbean Sea from Guayanilla
  • View of mountains in the countryside of Guayanilla
    View of mountains in the countryside of Guayanilla
  • Guayanilla City Hall
    Guayanilla City Hall
  • Guayanilla school band performing at a parade in California, US in 2012
    Guayanilla school band performing at a parade in California, US in 2012
  • Photo by NOAA, Exploring Puerto Rico's Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs (Guayanilla)
    Photo by NOAA, Exploring Puerto Rico's Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs (Guayanilla)

See also

References
  1. Bureau, US Census. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  2. "Guayanilla – Populated Place". Geographic Names Information System. USGS. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  3. 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.
  4. "María, un nombre que no vamos a olvidar. Guayanilla, abatida por la crecida del río" [Maria, a name we will never forget. The river swoops down on Guayanilla]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). June 13, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  5. "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.
  6. "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.
  7. "Colapsan cinco residencias en la barriada Esperanza en Guánica por el temblor [Five residences in the Esperanza neighborhood of Guánica 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.
  8. "Terremoto Día 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.
  9. "Colapsa la Parroquia Inmaculada Concepción de Guayanilla tras el temblor". El Nuevo Dia. January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  10. "Guayanilla Municipality". enciclopediapr.org. Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  11. 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.
  12. "Map of Guayanilla at the Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  13. "US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition". factfinder.com. US Census. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  14. "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.
  15. "Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconómico y la Autogestión (Proposed 2016 Budget)". Puerto Rico Budgets (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  16. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (first ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
  17. "Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  18. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza:Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (Primera edición ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
  19. "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.
  20. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  21. "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.
  22. "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.
  23. "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.
  24. "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.
  25. 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.
  26. Bureau, US Census. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  27. Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General Archived 2013-01-15 at the Wayback Machine on CEEPUR
  28. "Ley Núm. 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.
  29. "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.
  30. Torres, Michelle Estrada (January 2, 2019). "Banda Escolar de Guayanilla cumplió sueño de desfilar en Pasadena". Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  31. "Banda Escolar de Guayanilla honra a Keylla Hernández". El Vocero de Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  32. "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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