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Yabucoa, Puerto Rico

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Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
Country
Flag of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico
Flag
Nickname: 
"Ciudad del Azúcar"
Anthem: "Yabucoa es mi Pueblo"
Location of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico within Puerto Rico.
Location of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico within Puerto Rico.
CountryUnited States
TerritoryPuerto Rico
FoundedOctober 3, 1793
Government
 • MayorHon. Rafael "Raffy" Surillo (PPD)
 • Senatorial dist.7 - Humacao
 • Representative dist.34 Ramón Luis Cruz
Area
 • Total
83.26 sq mi (215.65 km2)
 • Land55.26 sq mi (143.11 km2)
 • Water28.01 sq mi (72.55 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
37,941
 • Density460/sq mi (180/km2)
DemonymYabucoeños
Racial groups
[1]
 • White68.5%
 • Black8.6%
 • American Indian/AN0.6%
 • Asian0.3%
 • Other
Two or more races		13.6%
8.2%
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
Zip code
00767

Yabucoa (Spanish pronunciation: [ʝaβuˈkoa]) is a municipality in Puerto Rico, located in the southeastern region, north of Maunabo; south of San Lorenzo, Las Piedras and Humacao; and east of Patillas. Yabucoa is spread over 9 wards and Yabucoa Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The region of what is now Yabucoa belonged to the Taíno region of Guayaney, which covered a portion of the southeast region of Puerto Rico.[2] The region was led by cacique Güaraca. After the Spanish colonization, the region of Yabucoa belonged to Humacao, and its territory was mostly used for cattle and farming. Yabucoa, as a town, was founded in October 3, 1793 when Don Manuel Colón de Bonilla and his wife, Catalina Morales Pacheco, donated the lands to the people.[3]

Geography

The Municipality of Yabucoa is located in the south-eastern coast of Puerto Rico. The valley of Yabucoa is surrounded by the hills of the San Lorenzo Batholith,on three sides and by the Caribbean Sea on the fourth. The hills surrounding the Yabucoa valley as well as the bedrock underlying the alluvium in the valley are composed of the San Lorenzo Batholith, a large, igneous intrusive body emplaced during the Late Cretaceous (Rogers, 1977; Rogers and others, 1979). The San Lorenzo Batholith is a composite body that is composed of gabbro (Kd), diorite, tonalite, granodiorite, and quartz monzonite. The Cuchillas de Panduras, a fork of the Cordillera Central runs through its south. Santa Elena is one of its most prominent peaks with an altitude of 570 meters. Santa Elena is located in Juan Martin ward. Pandura peak rises 516 meters above sea level. Pandura is located in the Calabazas ward. The altitude of the hills surrounding the valley of Yabucoa reaches a maximum of about 650 m at the head of the Río Guayanes basin. The land surface in the Yabucoa valley slopes gently from an altitude of about 30 m above mean sea level, at the western edge of the valley, to sea level where the valley meets the Caribbean Sea.

Cityscape

Barrios

Yabucoa is divided into ten barrios or wards.

  • Aguacate
  • Calabazas
  • Camino Nuevo
  • Guayabotas
  • Jácanas
  • Juan Martín
  • Limones
  • Playa Guayanés
  • Tejas
  • Yabucoa Pueblo

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

  • Guayanés Beach
  • Kyle Rembis beach
  • Hacienda Santa Lucía Ruins
  • La Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture)
  • Roig Refinery
  • La Lucia Beach
  • El Cocal Beach
  • Public skatepark
  • Dead Dog Beach
  • Petroleum Refinery[4]

Economy

Agriculture

Yabucoa is known for its agricultural prowess because of the surrounding fertile valley that produces most of the island's plantain and bananas. Yabucoeños are known as the "sugar people" because most of the valley was used for sugar cane growth and because one of the most visible landmarks, seen when entering the municipality, is the old Hacienda Roig sugar mill, one of the last mills that produced sugar in Puerto Rico (for recent photos (sept 11,2011).[5]

Culture

Festivals and events

  • Sugar Cane Festival - May
  • Beach Festival - May
  • Carmen Festival - July
  • Quebradillas Festival - September
  • Patron Celebrations - October
  • Festival del Campesino - October
  • Martorell Jíbaro Festival - December

Government

Main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Yabucoa is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Rafael Surillo, from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Surillo was elected at the 2012 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Jorge Suárez and José Luis Dalmau were elected as District Senators. A native of Yabucoa Ramón Luis Cruz-Burgos was elected to represent the city in those elections.[6]

Symbols

Flag

The design of the flag of Yabucoa is abstract, inspired by the colors of the municipal shield; green, white and violet.

Coat of arms

In the shield appear two angels the Santos Angeles Custodios, patron saints of Yabucoa. The color purple (violet) field of the shield represents the highest dignity of the angels. The walking sticks are attributes of the traveller, and refer to the holy office of the Angels as guides and companions in man's journey in his earthly life. The canes are adorned with guajana flowers, representing the wealth of the sugar cane. The green land where the angels stand symbolizes the fertile valley in which Yabucoa is located.

Transportation

One of the main roads to Yabucoa is the PR-3, which borders the east side of the island. Distance from the capital is approximately 1 hour.[7]

In 2008, a tunnel connecting the town of Yabucoa with the town of Maunabo was completed.[8][9] It is currently the longest on the island.

Notable natives and residents

  • Nydia Velasquez - United States congresswoman
  • Christian Pagán - Winner of Idol Puerto Rico
  • Jonathan Rivera - Game Producer at Visual Concepts[10]
  • Santiago Vidarte (1828-1848) - Poet
  • Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso (1899-1969) - Politician, lawyer, educator
  • Jose Facundo Cintrón - Advocated in 1872 and 1873 for the end of slavery.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Demographics/Ethnic U.S 2000 census
  2. ^ "Gobierno Tribal del Pueblo Jatibonicu Taíno de Puerto Rico". Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  3. ^ "Municipios: Yabucoa". Enciclopedia de Puerto Rico. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  4. ^ "Shell completes purchase of Sunoco Puerto Rico refinery". chem europe. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  5. ^ Remains of Central Roig Sugar Mill in Yabucoa)
  6. ^ Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General on CEEPUR
  7. ^ "Yabucoa... La Ciudad del Azúcar". Proyecto Salón Hogar. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  8. ^ Morales, Sandra (February 2, 2008). "Se acorta la distancia en el sureste". El Nuevo Día. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ Del Valle, Sara and David Toucet. "Un túnel, dos pueblos" (PDF). El Nuevo Día. Retrieved May 9, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1678278/
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