Ponce, Puerto Rico
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| Autonomous Municipality of Ponce Municipio Autónomo de Ponce |
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| Nickname(s): "La Perla del Sur" , "Ciudad Señorial" , "Ciudad de los Leones" | |||
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| Country | Puerto Rico | ||
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| Non-incorporated Territory of | United States | ||
| Founded | 1692 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Dr. María Meléndez Altieri (NPP) | ||
| - Senatorial dist. | 5 - Ponce | ||
| - Representative dist. | 24, 25 | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 193.6 sq mi (501.44 km2) | ||
| - Land | 114.7 sq mi (297.13 km2) | ||
| - Water | 78.9 sq mi (204.31 km2) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - City | 186,475 | ||
| - Density | 1,625.5/sq mi (627.6/km2) | ||
| - Metro | 442,244 | ||
| - Racial groups (2000 Census) [1] |
83.6% White 5.3% Black 0.3% American Indian/AN 0.1% Asian 0.1% Native Hawaiian/PI 5.4% Some other race 5.2% Two or more races |
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| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| Gentilic | Ponceños | ||
| Anthem – "Perla del Sur" | |||
| Website | http://www.ponceweb.org | ||
Ponce (IPA [ponse]), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Southern Coastal Plain region of the island, south of Adjuntas, Utuado and Jayuya; east of Peñuelas; and west of Juana Díaz. It has a total of 19 wards, including the historic Ponce Pueblo (the downtown area of the city). Ponce is both a principal city of the Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area.
Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico outside of the San Juan metropolitan area,[2] is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. It is located a few miles from the Caribbean coastline of the island. Ponce is often referred to as La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South) and La Ciudad Señorial de Puerto Rico (Majestic City of Puerto Rico).
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[edit] History
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[edit] Early settlers
The region of what is Ponce now belonged to the Guaynia region, which stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The region was led by cacique Agüeybana. He was one of the caciques that greeted Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León when he came to the island in 1508.
During the first years of the colonization, Spanish families started settling around the Jacaguas river, in the south of the island. For safety reasons, these families moved to the Portugués river, then called Barayama. In 1670, a small chapel was raised and dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the middle of the small settlement.
In 1692 Juan Ponce de León y Loayza (Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson) obtained a royal permit (cédula real) to formalize the founding of the hamlet. It was declared a villa in 1848, and obtained its city charter in 1877.
[edit] 19th Century wave of immigrants
As a result of the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815, a strong influx of immigrants from Europe came to the region of Ponce, strengthening its economy and assuring its progress. Immigrants came from regions like Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, especially Catalonian-Jews, and other regions of eastern Spain, as well as from the United Kingdom (one of Vanna White's ancestors was mayor of the city once), Greece, Germany and France. Also, wealthy Spaniards who fled from the independence revolts in Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela came to Ponce.
Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in coffee, corn and sugar cane harvesting, rum production, banking and finance, the importing of industrial machinery, iron foundries and other enterprises. At a given time during the late 19th century, Ponce had more inhabitants and its many financial institutions were better capitalized than those of Puerto Rico's capital city, San Juan. An exposition fair was held in the city in 1882, where several industrial and agricultural advancements were shown.
In 1883, Ponce was ravaged by an enormous fire. The fire threatened to destroy much of the south coast, but thanks to the firemen of Ponce (who operated from Ponce's Parque de Bombas fire station) Ponce and the south were saved. The Parque de Bombas fire station in the central plaza has since become a museum and tourist attraction. The station continued serving the Ponce community until 1990, when it was closed and the building's activities were entirely dedicated to a museum, which is still open to the general public.
[edit] Ponce in the 20th Century
After the U.S. Invasion of 1898 during the Spanish-American War, Americans centralized the administration of the island in the capital, San Juan, starting a period of socio-economic stagnation for Ponce. This was worsened by several factors:
- Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899 had left the region in misery.
- The opening of the Aguirre sugar mill in Salinas, and another one in Guánica, diminished the commercial and agricultural activity in Ponce.
- The decadence in coffee plantations.
- The loss of the markets of Spain and Cuba.
This prompted the residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back in the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the Ponce Cement, Vasallo Industries, and Serrallés Distillery.
On March 21, 1937, Ponce was the scene of a violent incident, remembered as the "Ponce Massacre", in which nineteen unarmed Nationalist demonstrators, peacefully celebrating the 64th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, were fatally shot by the Insular police under orders from the United States' CoIntelPro (Counter Intelligence Program) and the non-democratically elected military assigned Governor of the time, Major General Blanton C. Winship.
Despite this tragedy, Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity in the Island, being the founding site of several major political parties. It has also been the birthplace of several important political figures of the island, including Luis A. Ferré and Rafael Hernández Colón, both former governors of Puerto Rico.
[edit] The Mameyes Landslide
In October 1985, Ponce suffered a great tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in an area known as Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and corpses. The United States and many other countries, including Mexico, France, and Venezuela, sent economic, human, and machinery relief.
[edit] Recent history
In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of Puerto Rico due to its economic progress and increasing population. Ponce's mayor for 15 years (since 1989), Rafael "Churumba" Cordero, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three successive brain strokes. He was succeeded by Francisco Zayas Seijo. In the general elections of 2008 María "Mayita" Meléndez was elected as the current mayor of the city of Ponce.
[edit] Symbols
[edit] Flag and coat of arms
The coat of arms of Ponce contains a red and black coloured shield. There is a five tower gold crown that indicates that Ponce is a city by royal decree. As an exterior frame to shield, there is a sugar cane plant on the right of the shield, and to the left a coffee tree branch.
The shield of Ponce is divided by a diagonal line that crosses straight from the superior end to the left inferior end. In this divided field is the color red (for the fire that almost destroyed the city), that covers the superior right portion and the color black (for the ashes after that fire). On that black and red background is a yellow lion with black mane, walking towards the left of the shield, facing right of the shield. The lion is on a bridge, meaning that you must cross a river to enter the city by any region. The shield is bordered by a coffee plant branch and a sugar cane plant, in which the early economy of the city was based.
[edit] Geography
Ponce is located in the southern coast of the island of Puerto Rico, approximately at 75 kilometers from San Juan. Due to its location on the coast, most of its terrain is plains. But on its northern region, there are hills and mountains, part of the Cordillera Central.
The city's land area is estimated at 114.7 square miles (297.13 km2). Ponce's total area is 193.6 square miles (501.44 km2). Rivers like Portugués flow through the city and into the Caribbean Sea.
[edit] Climate
Ponce has winter highs averaging 87°F (30.5°C) and summer highs, 93°F (34°C). It has a record high of 100°F (38°C), which occurred in August 2003, and a record low of 51 °F (10.5°C) in 2004[citation needed].
[edit] Cityscape
[edit] Architecture
During the 19th Century, the city was witness to a flourishing architectural development. Architects like Francisco Valls, Manuel Víctor Domenech, Eduardo Salich, Blas Saliva Boucher, Agustín Camilo González, Alfredo Wiechers, Francisco Porrata Doria and Francisco Gardón Vega used a mixture of creole and neoclassic styles to give the city a unique look. This can be seen in the various structures located in the center of the city like the La Perla Theater.
Many of the city's features (from house façades to street corners) are modeled on Barcelona's architecture, given the city's strong Catalonian heritage.
[edit] Barrios
The municipality of Ponce consists of several barrios (wards/districts)[3]:
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[edit] Culture
[edit] Tourism
Due to its historical importance throughout the years, Ponce features many points of interest for visiting tourists. Since the 1970s, and starting with the Ponce Holiday Inn, several hotels have been built to satisfy the tourism industry. Newer lodging additions include the Ponce Hilton Golf & Casino Resort, home to the new Costa Caribe Golf & Country Club, featuring a 27-hole PGA championship golf course.
Downtown Ponce in particular features several landmarks. Plaza Las Delicias, the town's main square, features a beautiful fountain (namely, the "Lions Fountain"), the Ponce Cathedral, and Parque de Bombas. This plaza is also a usual gathering place for "ponceños". Other buildings around Ponce's main plaza include the Casa Alcaldía (city hall), the oldest colonial building in the city, dating to the 1840s. Nearby sits Casa Armstrong-Poventud, an example of the neoclassical architectural heritage of the island.
Heading north from downtown lies the Serralles Castle and the Cruceta El Vigia, a 100-foot observation tower which overlooks the city. The hill on which the Cruceta is located was originally used by scouts to scan for incoming mercantile ships as well as invading ones.
In the outskirts, is the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center discovered in 1975 after hurricane rains uncovered pottery. The center is the site of the oldest cemetery uncovered up to date in the Antilles. With some 200 skeletons unearthed from the year 300 AD it is considered[who?] the largest and the most important archaeological finding in the West Indies.
Also in the city outskirts is Hacienda Buena Vista, an estate built in 1833 originally to growing fruits. It was converted into a coffee plantation and corn mill in 1845. It remained in operation until 1937, but was restored by the government's Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico. All the machinery works (the metal parts) are original, operated by water channeled from the 360 m Vives waterfall; there is a hydraulic turbine which makes the corn mill work.
La Guancha Boardwalk is located in the town's sea shore. It has kiosks which sell food and alcoholic beverages. There's also a Marina for boat owners and an open-space stage for activities. From the observation tower on the boardwalk, Cardona Island Light can be seen. A 45-minute boat ride is also available to Caja de Muertos (Coffin Island), a small beach island that features Caja de Muertos Light built in 1887.
The city is also building an aquarium, that willk double as the "Oceanographic Studies Center of the Caribbean. [4] It is due for completion in early 2010.
[edit] Music
The artistic development also flourished during this period. The surging of popular rhythms like Bomba and Plena took place in the south region of the island, mainly in Ponce. Barrio San Antón is known as one of the birthplaces of the rhythm. On July, Ponce celebrates an annual festival of Bomba and Plena which includes various musicians and parades.
Ponce has also been the birthplace of several well-known singers and musicians. From opera singers like Antonio Paoli, who was renowned all around the world during the early 1900s, to contemporary singers like Ednita Nazario (pop) and Tempo (reggaeton). Also, countless Salsa singers like Héctor Lavoe, Cheo Feliciano, and Ismael Quintana also come from the city.
Ponce is the birthplace of one of the oldest carnivals celebrated in the Western Hemisphere called the Carnaval de Ponce. The carnival, celebrated in February, dates back to 1858 and probably earlier. It features various parades with masked characters representative of good and evil.
[edit] Arts
Ponce has been the birthplace of artists like Miguel Pou, Horacio Castaing, and countless others in the fields of painting, sculpture, and others.
Ponce is home to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, founded in 1964 by then Governor and fellow "ponceño" Luis A. Ferré. The museum was operated by Ferré until his death at the age of 99. Designed by Edward Durrell Stone (Museum of Modern Art, NY), it is the only museum of international stature on the island, housing the most extensive art collection in the Caribbean. Its best-known painting is Flaming June, by Frederic Leighton.
[edit] Sports
Most of Ponce's professional teams are called the Ponce Lions (or Lionesses) regardless of the sport.
The Ponce Lions basketball team is one of the leading teams of the island winning a total of twelve championships during their tenure. The team's venue is the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium.
The teams of baseball and volleyball (male and female) have also been fairly successful. The baseball team venue is the Francisco Montaner Stadium. The stadium is located next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium.
In 2007 Ponce was host to Club Atletico River Plate Puerto Rico futbol team, which currently plays in the Puerto Rico Soccer League. They play at Francisco Montaner Stadium and are expected to play in the United Soccer Leagues, Division 1, in 2008, becoming the second professional soccer team in Puerto Rico after the Puerto Rico Islanders.
Ponce was the site of the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1993.
[edit] Economy
Ponce is home to the Serralles rum distillery (home of the Don Q and Captain Morgan, and Parrot Bay rums).
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | ||
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| Year | Pop. | %± |
| 1899 | 55,477 | — |
| 1910 | 63,444 | 14.4% |
| 1920 | 71,426 | 12.6% |
| 1930 | 87,604 | 22.7% |
| 1940 | 105,116 | 20.0% |
| 1950 | 126,810 | 20.6% |
| 1960 | 145,586 | 14.8% |
| 1970 | 158,891 | 9.1% |
| 1980 | 189,046 | 19.0% |
| 1990 | 187,749 | −0.7% |
| 2000 | 186,475 | −0.7% |
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Demographic distribution
Racial distribution
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Ponce has consistently ranked as one of the most populous cities in Puerto Rico. In fact, in1899 it was the largest city in the Island, including San Juan. Ponce's current population, according to the 2000 census, stands at 186,475, with a population density of 116.0 persons per square mile (278.4/km²), ranking third in terms of population among Puerto Rican municipalities (after San Juan and Bayamón).
Statistics taken from the 2000 census show that 83.6% of Ponceños have Spanish or White origin, and 5.3% are black, with peoples of Amerindian, Asian, Mixed and other origins making up the rest. At 83.6% vs. 76.2% for the Island as a whole, Ponce has the highest Spanish / white population concentration of any municipality in Puerto Rico.
[edit] Government
Since its foundation in 1692, the city of Ponce has been led by a mayor or cabildo. Its first mayor was Don Pedro Sánchez de Mathos. The current mayor is Dr. María Meléndez Altieri of the New Progressive Party, becoming the first woman to be elected for the office in the city's history.
Perhaps its best known mayor of recent years has been Rafael "Churumba" Cordero, who held office since 1989 until his sudden death on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three successive brain strokes. After vice-mayor Delis Castillo finished his term, Francisco Zayas Seijo was elected mayor in 2005.
The city also has a municipal legislature that handles local legislative matters. It is composed of 16 civilians elected in every general election, along with the mayor, state representatives and senators. The delegations are, until the 2012 general election, distributed as follows: 13 legislators of the New Progressive Party, 2 legislators of the Popular Democratic Party, and 1 legislator who represents the "Movimiento Autónomo Ponceño".
Ponce was the first municipality of Puerto Rico to obtain its autonomy in the mid-90s under a law enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
[edit] Education
Ponce is home to several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by the State Department of Education.
There are also several colleges and universities located in the city. Some of them are:
- Caribbean University
- Interamerican University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
- Ponce School of Medicine
- Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
- University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
It also has several other technical institutions like the Instituto de Banca y Comercio, Ponce Paramedical College and others.
[edit] Transportation
Due to its commercial and industrial significance, Ponce has consistently been a hub of transportation to the rest of the island. In 1907, a train line that ran from Ponce to San Juan was completed and used mostly for transporting sugar cane. The train was operated by American Railroad Corporation. Railroads, however, fell out of use once the island changed its economic focus from agriculture to manufacturing. Abandoned railroads can still be found at various places in the outskirts of the city. Around 1930, Ponce already boasted its own port facilities for large cargo ships. The port is still one of the busiest ports of the island for commerce. It is currently known as the Port of the Americas and is under expansion to convert it into a major international shipping hub.
International flights were once flown to Ponce's Mercedita Airport, coded PSE, by Eastern Air Lines and American Airlines, while intra-island operations were conducted by Prinair. Air service to Mercedita has increased rapidly during the past two years. Cape Air dba Continental Connection offers daily intra-island service to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Recently, both Spirit Airlines and Jet Blue have started new jet service from Ponce to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. JetBlue also flies nonstop from the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City and the Orlando International Airport (MCO). Continental Airlines also offers daily nonstop service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
Puerto Rico Highway 52 (Interstate PR-1 ) provides access to Ponce from San Juan, Caguas and other municipalities in the center and south of the island. There is a toll in Ponce near the terminus. PR-2 grants access to southwestern and western municipalities as a full-access freeway. PR-10 is a rural main highway which provides access to the north of the island (Arecibo) but it is still under construction.
Ponce counts with a public transportation system consisting of public cars and vans. Most of them depart from a terminal hub located in downtown Ponce. Taxis are also available around the town. There's also a trolley system reminiscent to the one from the 19th Century that travels through the downtown streets, mostly used by tourists. There's also a small train that can drive tourists from downtown to La Guancha Boardwalk.
[edit] Notable Ponceños[6]
- Denise Quiñones, Miss Universe contest winner
- Ednita Nazario, Latin Grammy nominated singer and songwriter
- Federico Degetau, first Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States House of Representatives
- Isolina Ferré, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Juan Morel Campos, musician, composer, and inductee into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame
- Juan Serrallés, founder of Destilerias Serralles, producers of Don Q, a world-renowned brand of rum
- Luis A. Ferre, philantropist, industrialist, politician, and founder of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
- Orlando Cepeda, inductee into the American National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
- Pedro Albizu Campos, leader and 35-year president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
- Rafael Hernandez Colon, politician, Governor of Puerto Rico
- Ruth Fernández, first Puerto Rican woman singer at the celebrated Metropolitan Opera House in New York City
[edit] References
- ^ Demographics/Ethnic U.S 2000 census
- ^ "Puerto Rico - Ponce, Puerto Rico". http://www.puertorico.com/destinations/ponce/. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/ponce.pdf
- ^ Aquarium and Oceanographic Studies Center of the CaribbeanRetrieved July 17, 2009.
- ^ Ethnicity 2000 census
- ^ Puerto Rico Encyclopedia. Fundacion Puertorriquena de la Humanidades Retrieved July 9, 2009.
[edit] External links
- Information about Ponce's touristic places
- Ponce and its barrios, United States Census Bureau
- Ponce Official Site
- Washburn School Ponce
- Historic Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
Coordinates: 18°00′N 66°37′W / 18°N 66.617°W
