Barranquitas (, ) is a small mountain
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
located in the
Cordillera Central region of
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, south of
Corozal and
Naranjito; north of
Coamo
Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...
and
Aibonito
Aibonito () is a small mountain town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 ' ...
; west of
Comerío and
Cidra; and east of
Orocovis. Barranquitas is spread over 6 barrios and
Barranquitas Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the
San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Barranquitas is about one hour by winding roads from
San Juan, the capital. It is nestled amid hills and mountains, and nearby, between Barranquitas and Aibonito, is the San Cristóbal Canyon; one of the deepest canyons in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
. For years, the overlook was used as a municipal garbage; in the last decade, the refuse was removed and the site restored.
History
![Comerio to Barranquitas Road, Puerto Rico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Comerio_to_Barranquitas_Road%2C_Puerto_Rico.jpg)
Barranquitas's local Taino Indian Cacique (Chief) was called
Orocobix
Orocobix was the principal regional Taíno Cacique (chief) of the central mountain region of Puerto Rico called Jatibonicu in the 16th century. The Jatibonicu territorial region covered the present day municipalities of Aibonito, Orocovis, Barra ...
and his yucayeque or tribe was known as the
Jatibonicu Taino.
The town was founded in 1803 by Antonio Aponte Ramos.
Early in the 20th century, Barranquitas residents, known as ''Barranquiteños'', had a short but legendary territory war with residents of the city of
Comerío.
In 1899, the
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...
conducted a
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Barranquitas was 8,103.
Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...
on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Barranquitas with its significant amount of rainfall and its nearly category 5 winds.
Many residents did not receive help for weeks after the hurricane made landfall as entry into the municipality was hampered by downed trees and telephone poles, landslides, and highways that had split in two.
In Barranquitas, up to 1000 homes, and its highways were destroyed by landslides. Forty days after the hurricane, none of Barranquitas' 29,000 residents had their electrical power restored. Barranquitas' agriculture industry was decimated with one farmer saying he'd lost his five thousand plantain trees,
apio, and other minor crops.
Scenes around Barranquitas after Hurricane María:
171017-F-KA253-0301 (37132185243).jpg, Returning home with water and food provided by FEMA on Oct. 17, 2017
171018-F-KA253-0181 (37544279220).jpg, Returning home with water
A local citizen of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, receives food and water delivered to her house on Oct. 17, 2017, after Hurricane Maria affected Puerto Rico 171017-F-KA253-0343 (37132184623).jpg, Elderly were especially vulnerable after Hurricane Maria left the island with no power
171017-F-KA253-0150 (37132186713).jpg, A resident on a horse after the hurricane
171017-F-KA253-0159 (37132186533).jpg, US Army transport vehicle carrying food and water provided by FEMA on Oct. 17, 2017
171018-F-KA253-0302 (23949684498).jpg, Volunteer distributing water after Hurricane Maria on Oct. 18, 2017
Geography
Barranquitas is a landlocked municipality in the middle of the
Cordillera Central of Puerto Rico, the main mountain range that crosses the island from west to east. It is bordered by the municipalities of
Corozal,
Naranjito,
Coamo
Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...
,
Aibonito
Aibonito () is a small mountain town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 ' ...
,
Orocovis, and
Comerío. Barranquitas has a surface area of 34 square miles (88.4 km
2).
The terrain is mostly mountainous. Some of the peaks found in the municipality are La Torrecilla and Farallón. Barranquitas is also the site of the
San Cristóbal Canyon and
Las Bocas Canyon Las Bocas Canyon (Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish: ''Cañón Las Bocas'') is a steep gorge formed by the Frío River (Puerto Rico), Frío River (''Río Frío'') and numerous other creeks, primarily the Hondo River (Comerío, Puerto Rico), Hondo River ...
.
Water features
Rivers of Barranquitas include the
Río de Barranquitas,
Río Grande de Manatí
The Manatí River (Spanish: Río Grande de Manatí) is a river in Puerto Rico, which flows through several northern municipalities of the island. The river is named after the municipality of Manatí where the river mouth is located.
Description
...
, Piñonas,
Río Hondo, and
Río Usabón.
There are 14 bridges in Barranquitas.
Barrios
![Barranquitas, Puerto Rico locator map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Barranquitas%2C_Puerto_Rico_locator_map.png)
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Barranquitas is subdivided into
barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as , near the center of the municipality.
#
Barrancas
#
Barranquitas barrio-pueblo
Barranquitas barrio-pueblo is a barrio and the administrative center ( seat) of Barranquitas, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 2,695.
As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has a barrio called ''pue ...
#
Cañabón
#
Helechal
#
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
#
Palo Hincado
Palo Hincado is a barrio in the municipality of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,587.
History
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 ...
#
Quebrada Grande
#
Quebradillas
Sectors
Barrios (which are like
minor civil divisions
A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau for primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county or county-equivalent, typically a municipal government such as a city, town, or civil township. MCD ...
)
and subbarrios,
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.
Special Communities
(Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of
social exclusion
Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. It is used across discipline ...
. 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 Barranquitas: El Amparo neighborhood, Cañabón barrio, La Vega neighborhood, Calle Abajo (Calle Melitón Pérez), La Loma, La Torre, Los Pinos, Quebrada Grande barrio, and Tres Caminos.
Energy consortium
An Energy Consortium was signed in late February of 2019, by
Villalba,
Orocovis,
Morovis
Morovis (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Orocovis, south of Manatí, Vega Baja and Vega Alta; east of Ciales, and west of Corozal. Morovis is spread over 13 barrios and Mor ...
,
Ciales
Ciales (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, located on the Central Mountain Range, northwest of Orocovis; south of Florida and Manatí; east of Utuado and Jayuya; and west of Morovis. Ciales is spread over eight barrios and Ciales P ...
and Barranquitas municipalities. The consortium is the first of its kind on the commonwealth and intends to have these municipalities work together, to safeguard their communities, in the event of a catastrophe, by creating resilient, and efficient energy networks with backups.
Tourism
Landmarks
Barranquitas is the burial place of two prominent
Puerto Rican politicians;
Luis Muñoz Rivera
Luis Muñoz Rivera (July 17, 1859 – November 15, 1916) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico in union with Spain.
In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part ...
(who was born in the town) and his son, Governor
Luis Muñoz Marín
José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth."
In 1948 he ...
(who was born in
San Juan). This has made Barranquitas a popular tourist attraction among Puerto Ricans. The birthplace of Muñoz Rivera has been converted into a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
. The
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
of the Muñoz Rivera family is a place of interest. Among those buried there are Muñoz Rivera and his son and daughter-in-law, Luis Muñoz Marín, and his second wife Inés Mendoza de Muñoz.
Other known places of interest in Barranquitas are the
San Cristóbal Canyon,
Las Bocas Canyon Las Bocas Canyon (Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish: ''Cañón Las Bocas'') is a steep gorge formed by the Frío River (Puerto Rico), Frío River (''Río Frío'') and numerous other creeks, primarily the Hondo River (Comerío, Puerto Rico), Hondo River ...
, and the ruins of Hacienda Margarita.
El Cortijo Castle is an old, historical structure, which is currently a museum. Camp Morton () is a popular spot for activities and retreats.
To stimulate local tourism during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico
The COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pand ...
, the
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company ( es, Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. F ...
launched the ''Voy Turistiendo'' (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The Barranquitas passport page lists , , , and the , as places of interest.
Culture
Festivals and events
![Mural art in Barranquitas barrio-pueblo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Mural_art_in_Barranquitas_barrio-pueblo.jpg)
Barranquitas celebrates its
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
festival in June. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.
Other festivals and events celebrated in Barranquitas include:
* Apio Festival or – April/May
* National Crafts Fair of Barranquitas – July and has been celebrated for over 50 years
* Viva Mi Calle Festival – November
* Lighting of
Christmas Tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
– December
Sports
Barranquitas doesn't have professional sports teams, but there are some amateur sports teams based in the city. The most popular amateur sport is baseball. The team of Barranquitas is known as the "Proceres" (is an adjective for an important person in history) due to the fact that the town has been the birthplace for many historical figures. The other popular sport is volleyball.
Economy
Agriculture
![Tobacco growing in vicinity of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico (1941)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Tobacco_growing_in_vicinity_of_Barranquitas%2C_Puerto_Rico_%281941%29.jpg)
Some of the crops grown in Barranquitas include plantain,
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
,
ají dulce
''Ají dulce'', ''ají cachucha, quechucha'', ''ajicito'', or ''ají gustoso'' is any of a variety of sweet perennial peppers found in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is most widely known in Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and ...
,
yam, and other fruits and vegetables. The main crop in Barranquitas is the
apio. The apio is a root vegetable (from the legume ''Apios tuberosa'' / ''Apios Americana''), and it is eaten like potatoes (not to be confused with celeriac).
Industry
Footwear and clothing is manufactured in Barranquitas.
Demographics
Many of the
Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants.
Overview
The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...
born in the town are known to have light-colored eyes and have strong
European features. Some also have an apparent
mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
look to them. The reason for this phenomenon is due to the migration of many
Taino Indians during the
Spanish colonization
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
. Tainos often fled to the mountainous region to escape slavery. Many poor Spanish and other European immigrants moved to this region as well and settled as coffee growers. Eventually, the Taino and European immigrants intermarried and created what is called the "
mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
".
Government
All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
, elected every four years. The current mayor of Barranquitas is
Elliot Colon Blanco, of the
New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected at the 2018 primaries and the re-elected on General Elections of 2020.
The city belongs to the
Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI
Puerto Rico Senatorial District VI, also known as the Senatorial District of Guayama, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez (from the Popular Democ ...
, which is represented by two senators.
Symbols
The has an official flag and coat of arms.
Flag
The flag of the municipality consists of three horizontal stripes; white on the upper edge representing the silver enamel of the town's shield, green in the center representing the vegetation and yellow on the lower edge representing the gold enamel of the ravines of the
San Cristóbal Canyon.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Barranquitas has silver, a canyon, two ravines, gold slopes, a tree, gold leaves, a bell and a crown. The ravines are reminders of the San Cristóbal Canyon, located in the territorial boundary of Barranquitas and
Aibonito
Aibonito () is a small mountain town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range, north of Salinas; south of Barranquitas and Comerío; east of Coamo; and west of Cidra, and Cayey. Aibonito is spread over 8 ' ...
, a neighboring municipality. The
yagrumo trees are characteristic of the high mountainous areas of Puerto Rico and symbolize the elevation of Barranquitas.
Education
The
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has c ...
has a campus in Barranquitas.
All public schools in Puerto Rico are administered by the
Puerto Rico Department of Education
The Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDOE; ) is one of the statewide public education system in the United States, with (Hawaii being the other). The PRDOE is the state education agency in charge of managing public schools in Puerto Rico as ...
. The schools located in Barranquitas are the following:
Many of the schools in Barranquitas educate children on agriculture and cultivating crops.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
History of Puerto Rico
The history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the Ortoiroid people between 430 BC and AD 1000. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1493, the dominant indigenous culture was that of the Taínos. The Taín ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Puerto Rico Government Directory
{{Authority control
Barranquitas, Puerto Rico
Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Energy in Puerto Rico