Casillas de Camineros
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Casillas de Camineros[1] is the name in Spanish given to structures built every 6 kilometers during the latter part of the 19th century alongside the major roads built in Puerto Rico and provided as residences to the "camineros", specially-trained government workers charged with providing maintenance to the surface of approximately six kilometers of a major road.
These Casillas de Camineros were built along five major routes: (1) the Mayaguez-Añasco road, (2) the Mayaguez-San German road, (3) the Ponce-Adjuntas road, (4) the Ponce-San Juan road, and (5) the Bayamon-Toa Baja road.[2] Forty-seven casillas were built, all by the Spanish government in Puerto Rico.[3] The road with the largest number of casillas was the Ponce-San Juan road, then known as "Carretera Central"; it had 33 casillas. The casilla on Avenida Tito Castro in Ponce was designed by Manuel Maese and built by Eduardo Armstrong in 1886.[4]
Abandoned in the latter part of the 20th century, the structures have faced different fates. Many of them have deteriorated or been demolished. Others have been put to other uses.
References
- ^ Luis F. Pumarada O'Neill (31 July 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico". National Park Service. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ Las Casillas. José A. Mari Mut. edicionesdigitales.com 2009-2013. Accessed 1 April 2018.
- ^ Nuestras Casillas de Camineros. José A. Mari Mut. edicionesdigitales.com 2009-2013. Accessed 1 April 2018.
- ^ De San Juan a Ponce por la Carretera Central. Jose A. Mari Mut. Copyright 2011-2013. p. 121. Accessed 8 February 2018.