Aibonito, Puerto Rico
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| Aibonito, Puerto Rico | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town and Municipality — | |||
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| Nickname(s): La Ciudad de las Flores", "La Ciudad Fría", "El Jardín de Puerto Rico", "La Nevera De Puerto Rico | |||
| Anthem: "Aibonito" | |||
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| Coordinates: 18°08′24″N 66°15′58″W / 18.14°N 66.26611°WCoordinates: 18°08′24″N 66°15′58″W / 18.14°N 66.26611°W | |||
| Country |  United States |
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| Territory |  Puerto Rico |
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| Founded | March 13, 1824 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Hon. William Alicea Perez (PNP) | ||
| • Senatorial dist. | 6 - Guayama | ||
| • Representative dist. | 27 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 81.6 km2 (31.5 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 81.6 km2 (31.5 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 0.01 km2 (0.0 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 731 m (2,401 ft) | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| Zip code | 00705, 00786 | ||
Aibonito (Spanish pronunciation: [aiβoˈnito]) is a small mountain town in Puerto Rico located in the Mountain range of Cayey, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerio; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 wards and Aibonito Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Aibonito is located on a relative high elevation (its main plaza is the highest in the island at 2,401 ft [731 m] above sea level), which makes its climate cooler than most of Puerto Rico's towns.
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[edit] History
Before the Spanish colonization of the Americas, it is believed that there were Taíno settlements in the region that belonged to Cacique Orocobix domain.
After the Spanish arrived, it is believed that a ranch was established in the region by Pedro Zorascoechea in 1630, which prompted the surging of a hamlet. However, it wasn't until 1822 when Don Manuel Veléz presented himself before the government, representing the inhabitants of the area, to ask for Aibonito to be officially declared a town. This was authorized on March 13, 1824 by Governor Don Miguel de la Torre. The first Catholic church in Aibonito was built in 1825. The building was replaced by the current church, which was started in 1887 and completed in 1897. After the town was officially constituted, wards started developing in the area.
On the Spanish American War of 1898, around 800 Spanish and Puertorrican soldiers were able to defeat the invading American troops due to their strategic placement in the Asomante mountain. This scrimmage came to an end when the Spanish government surrendered on August 12, 1898. It is interesting to note that the Spanish and Puertorrican forces at Asomante never surrendered and would have held their position indefinitely if not for the buckling of the Spanish government in Madrid.
[edit] Name
There are several stories regarding the name of the town. Some people say that it is derived from the Taíno word "Jatibonicu", which was the name of a Cacique (leader) of the area. This name was also used to refer to a river in the area and was also the name used by the tribe of Orocobix, Taíno chief of the area. Finally, there's a legend that tells of a Spanish soldier called Diego Alvarez who on May 17, 1615 reached one of the highest peaks in the area and upon watching the view, exclaimed "Ay, que bonito!" ("Oh, how pretty!") which eventually was turned into the name of the region.
[edit] Geography
Aibonito is located in the Cayey mountain range ("Sierra de Cayey"), part of the Cordillera Central in Puerto Rico. Aibonito is the town with the highest elevation in Puerto Rico, located at 2,401 feet above sea level. Some of its mountains are La Sierra (2,394 ft), Asomante (2,042 ft) and Buena Vista (2,042 ft).
[edit] Water features
Some of the rivers that flow through Aibonito are the Río de Aibonito, Río Cuyón, Río de la Plata and Río Usabón.
[edit] Climate
Aibonito holds the record for the lowest temperature in Puerto Rico. That is 40 °F (4 °C) on March 9th, 1911.[1] The highest temperature record is 98 °F (37 °C) recorded on September 29th, 1920.[1] Aibonito is among Puerto Rico's coolest towns.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 32 (90) |
31 (88) |
33 (92) |
33 (92) |
32 (89) |
31 (88) |
35 (95) |
34 (94) |
33 (92) |
33 (92) |
32 (90) |
33 (92) |
35 (95) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 23.5 (74.3) |
23.8 (74.9) |
24.7 (76.4) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.3 (79.4) |
26.9 (80.5) |
27.1 (80.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.7 (80.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
23.8 (74.9) |
25.68 (78.23) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.9) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.2 (73.7) |
23.3 (74.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.8 (73.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
21.82 (71.28) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 16.4 (61.5) |
16.2 (61.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
17.2 (63.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
19.1 (66.4) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.4 (67.0) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.0 (66.2) |
18.2 (64.7) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.97 (64.35) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6 (43) |
9 (49) |
11 (51) |
12 (53) |
11 (52) |
13 (55) |
11 (52) |
11 (52) |
12 (54) |
13 (56) |
6 (43) |
9 (49) |
6 (43) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 77.5 (3.05) |
68.1 (2.68) |
60.7 (2.39) |
109.7 (4.32) |
113.3 (4.46) |
81.8 (3.22) |
87.9 (3.46) |
127.8 (5.03) |
196.6 (7.74) |
180.8 (7.12) |
149.1 (5.87) |
106.7 (4.20) |
1,359.4 (53.52) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.10) | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 99 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 1.00) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Source: Southeast Regional Climate Center [2] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Cityscape
Aibonito is divided into 9 barrios:
- Aibonito Pueblo—including Bda. San Luis
- Asomante
- Algarrobo
- Caonillas
- Cuyón
- Llanos
- Pasto
- Plata
- Robles[3]
[edit] Tourism
[edit] Landmarks and places of interest
- Cañón de San Cristóbal - Between Barranquitas and Aibonito
- Casa Manresa - Aibonito
- La Piedra de Degetau - Aibonito
- La Trinchera de Asomante - Aibonito
[edit] Culture
[edit] Sports
Aibonito had a BSN basketball franchise called the Polluelos de Aibonito. In 1986 they beat the defending champions, Atleticos de San German, in seven games to win their only championship. In 1987, the Polluelos reached the finals once again, but that time, they lost in seven games to the Titanes de Morovis. Recently, the Polluelos have not been able to see action on the BSN's tournaments because of economic and team ownership problems.
[edit] Festivals
Aibonito is known for its annual Flower Festival, held in July. During this event, many visitors from other towns and countries come to Aibonito to see a huge display of various flowers and others. Aibonito also celebrates a Festival de la Montaña in November. Finally, the town's Fiestas Patronales are held in July.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Agriculture
Aibonito has several plantations of tobacco and coffee. They are also known for their flower plantations. Also, a popular chicken producer in the island, To-Ricos, operates from Aibonito.
[edit] Business
Baxter International has one of its factories located in Aibonito. They produce medical tools for the hospitals and other medical uses.
[edit] Industrial
Other industries located in Aibonito are clothing, furniture and tapestry factories, as well as pottery and ceramics.
[edit] Demographics
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[edit] Government
On November 4, 2008, William Alicea Perez (of the New Progressive Party), won the elections, beating former mayor Hon. Jose Alberto Diaz (PPD) by 3,658 votes.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2008, Carlos Torres Torres and Antonio Soto Díaz were elected as District Senators.[4] In 2011, Soto resigned, leaving Torres as the sole Senator of the District.[5]
[edit] Symbols
[edit] Flag
The flag of Aibonito features four equal horizontal bands of blue, white, red, and yellow; a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears the town's coat of arms.
[edit] Coat of arms
The coat of arms features a four-paneled shield. The upper left corner features the Asomante mountain with a sword in front, representing the last battles of the Spanish-American War that took place there. The upper right corner features a white band on a blue field, symbolizing the fog that covers the region in winter. To each side of the band, a purple color flower and a golden lily. The lower left corner features the gold tower of Casa Manresa, to symbolize the spiritual value of the institution. In the lower right corner a divided green mountain which represents the Cañon San Cristóbal with a seashell above it that symbolizes Apostle James.
[edit] Notable people
- Rubén Berrios Martínez, politician[6]
- Rafael Pont Flores, journalist[6]
- Juan Martínez Capó, writer
- Manuel Álvarez Nazario, writer
- Dennis Rivera, former president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East[7]
- Obie Bermúdez, artist
[edit] References
- ^ a b National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [1]
- ^ "AIBONITO, PUERTO RICO". The University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill campus). http://www.sercc.com/cgi-bin/sercc/cliMAIN.pl?pr0158. |accessdate= 26 October 2011 }}
- ^ http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/aibonito.pdf
- ^ Elecciones Generales 2008: Escrutinio General on CEEPUR
- ^ El Chuchín renuncia a su escaño en el Senado on El Nuevo Día (September 14, 2011)
- ^ a b "Aibonito". http://www.topuertorico.org/city/aibonito.shtml. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ Greenhouse, Steven. The New York Times. http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/r/dennis_rivera/index.html?inline=nyt-per.
