Coamo (, ) is a
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 ...
founded in 1579 in the south-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 ...
, located north of
Santa Isabel; south of
Orocovis and
Barranquitas
Barranquitas (, ) is a small mountain town and municipality located in the Cordillera Central region of Puerto Rico, south of Corozal and Naranjito; north of Coamo and Aibonito; west of Comerío and Cidra; and east of Orocovis. Barranquita ...
; east of
Villalba and
Juana Díaz
Juana is a Spanish female first name. It is the feminine form of Juan (English John), and thus corresponds to the English names Jane, Janet, Jean, Joan, and Joanna. Juanita is a common variant. The name Juana may refer to:
People
*Juana I (14 ...
; and west of
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 ' ...
and
Salinas. Coamo is spread over 10 barrios and
Coamo Pueblo – the downtown area and the administrative center of the city. It is both a principal city of the Coamo
Micropolitan Statistical Area and the
Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area.
Coamo is a small town nestled in a
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
about east of
Ponce (about 25 minutes by car). It was named San Blas Illescas de Coamo by its first settlers.
Saint Blaise
Blaise of Sebaste ( hy, Սուրբ Վլասի, ''Surb Vlasi''; el, Ἅγιος Βλάσιος, ''Agios Vlasios''; ) was a physician and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey) who is venerated as a Christian saint and m ...
(''San Blas'') was the Catholic saint who remains the town's patron. ''
Illescas Illescas may refer to:
Places
* Illescas, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
* Illescas Peninsula, Peru
* Cerro Illescas, Peru
* Illescas, Toledo, a municipality in the province of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
* Illescas, Florida, village in Uruguay
* Il ...
'' is the Spanish town where the town founders originated (nowadays in
Toledo province
Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila. Its capital is the city of Toledo.
...
, Castile-La Mancha, Spain).
There are several theories regarding the origin of the word "''Coamo''". Some think it comes from an indigenous word that means "valley" but it is also plausible that Coamo derives its name from ''Coamex'' (or ''Coamey''), who was a celebrated local ''cacique'' (or "chieftain" in the
Taino language). Archeological digs near the region have produced some of the best examples of the island's
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
cultural artifacts.
Coamo has a series of natural hot springs, ''
Los Baños de Coamo''. The
Battle of Coamo was a decisive battle of the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
(1898).
History
Founded on July 15, 1579,
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 ...
is the third-oldest settlement of the island's post-Columbian period (after
San Juan in the north and
San Germán in the west). By 1582, there were twenty families living in Coamo, in the same area where the Tainos had had their village of
Guayama
Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the c ...
. Coamo officially became a town in 1616, and was given the title of "Villa" by Spanish Royal Decree in 1778.
Coamo was the administrative center that encompassed most of the southern half of the island during the early colonial period. As the agricultural and sugar industries grew and became the mainstays of the colony's economy, the province would eventually subdivide into several distinct municipalities, and the administrative center of the region would later shift west to the coastal town of
Ponce.
Coamo is the home of a series of natural
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s, ''
Los Baños de Coamo'', which have attracted visitors since before the Spaniards landed.
These springs were once rumored to have been
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervá ...
's legendary
fountain of youth
The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring which allegedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in the writings of Herod ...
. In the early nineteenth century, a system of pools of varying depths, sizes and temperatures was constructed at the site of these springs to serve as a spa for the colonials. During the American invasion in the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
(1898), this site was the scene of one of the decisive battles of that conflict (the
Battle of Coamo). The American troops took possession of the island, and the spa was subsequently abandoned. Though the site lay in ruins for most of the twentieth century, it continued to be a landmark to the ''Coameños'', who would often go to bathe in its healing thermal waters. The pools remain, but the old buildings which once hosted the island's affluent and colonial soldiers are gone, except for the remains of one central wall structure. It has been preserved and incorporated into a fountain courtyard on the grounds of a popular tourist hotel and rest area and has replaced the ancient Spanish ruins.
Puerto Rico was ceded by
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
in the aftermath of the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
under the terms of the
Treaty of Paris of 1898
The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...
and became a territory of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. 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 Coamo was 15,144.
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 Coamo with the significant amount of rainfall.
As of October 9, no one in Coamo had electrical service, only 15% of Coamo had access to clean drinking water, and several people on dialysis had died. Around 2,000 homes were partially or completely destroyed. The iconic was a total loss.
Geography
Coamo is located in the South Central region of Puerto Rico.
Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Coamo 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.
#
Coamo Arriba
#
Coamo barrio-pueblo
Coamo barrio-pueblo is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Coamo, Puerto Rico, Coamo, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 6,685.
As was customary in Spain, in Puerto R ...
#
Cuyón
#
Hayales
Hayales is a barrio in the municipality of Coamo, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,221.
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 became an u ...
#
Los Llanos
#
Palmarejo
#
Pasto
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...
#
Pedro García
#
Pulguillas
#
San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso (), La Granja (), or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León autonomous region of central Spain.
It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mounta ...
#
Santa Catalina
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 Coamo: Zambrana neighborhood, Cuyón, Sector Varsovia in El Cerro, Río Jueyes, and Sector Sabana Hoyo.
Economy
Agriculture
Coamo is an agricultural center where
mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...
es,
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
,
guanabanas,
tamarindo
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agricultur ...
,
quenepas,
avocado
The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for i ...
s,
oranges
An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...
and
plantains
Plantain may refer to:
Plants and fruits
* Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking
** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa''
* ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...
are grown, and where
poultry
Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...
and
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
are raised.
Industry
Coamo is a trading center for machinery, aircraft radio components, and clothing.
Tourism
Landmarks and places of interest
There are eight places in Coamo listed on the US
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
:
*Casa Blanca de Coamo
*
Ermita Nuestra Señora de la Valvanera
*
Iglesia San Blas de Illescas
The Iglesia San Blas de Illescas ( en, Church of Saint Blaise of Illescas) is a Catholic parish church located on the center plaza of Coamo, Puerto Rico. Construction on the church began in 1661; it has since been judged "one of the most importa ...
, construction on the church began in 1661 and it is one of the oldest parishes in Puerto Rico
*
Puente de las Calabazas
*
General Méndez Vigo Bridge
The General Méndez Vigo Bridge is a brick barrel vault bridge that brings what is now Puerto Rico Highway 14 across the Río Las Minas near Coamo, Puerto Rico. Also known as Bridge #173 and as Puente Rio las Minas, it was built in the year 186 ...
*Puente Padre Iñigo
*
Picó Pomar Residence
The Picó Pomar Residence, also known as Coamo Historic Museum, is a Spanish Colonial Neoclassical architecture building built in 1840, and is located on the main plaza of Coamo, Puerto Rico. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Histor ...
, now a museum
*
Carretera Central, a highway that runs through several municipalities including Coamo
Some of the landmarks of Coamo are:
*
Los Baños de Coamo (Coamo Thermal Baths) – near the border with
Santa Isabel
* Puente de Las Flores
Culture
Festivals and events
Coamo 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 February. 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 Coamo include:
*
San Blas Half Marathon – February
* Crafts festival in honor of the municipal flag – June
* Coamo Anniversary – July
* Concert and lighting of the
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
Coamo is famous for being the host of the
San Blas Half-Marathon, a yearly world-class professional marathon that attracts the best competitive runners in the world. It was inaugurated in 1963 by
Delta Phi Delta fraternity in honor to the founder of the town. World-class international and local runners compete in a half-marathon. It is Puerto Rico's biggest race, and the crowds are always large.
The
Maratonistas de Coamo (from the
BSN) is the only professional team which the town hosts. The team has played in Coamo with mixed success since joining the league in 1985.
Demographics
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 Coamo is
Juan Carlos García Padilla
Juan Carlos "Tato" García Padilla (born March 10, 1967) is a Puerto Rican politician and current mayor of Coamo. He is affiliated to the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).
Early life
Juan Carlos García Padilla was born on March 10, 1967, in Coa ...
, of the
Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected at the
2000 general elections.
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. In 2012,
Miguel Pereira Castillo
Miguel A. Pereira Castillo (born September 26, 1947) is a Puerto Rican politician, attorney, and public servant. Throughout his career, he has served in various government positions like Director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, Superintenden ...
and
Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as district senators.
Transportation
There are 31 bridges in Coamo.
Education
Coamo's first school was built in 1901.
Symbols
The has an official flag and coat of arms.
Flag
The flag of Coamo derives its colors from the coat of arms. Its colors are red, yellow, and black.
Coat of arms
The top left and the lower right have a red background with a gold Episcopal hat each. These parts of the coat of arms represent the old seat of ''San Blas de Illescas''. The
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
and the
bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions,
includin ...
represent the cattle wealth of the population. The gold color that serves as background in contrast with the black color, recalls the yellowish reddish tone of the fields of Coamo during the
drought
A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
s. The heavy border of the coat of arms contains the following figures: two flames; three bell towers with gold bells outlined in red; two red crosses with arms ending in three petals; and a circle with a surface divided by horizontal blue and silver-plated stripes.
Notable people
Some of its notable people include:
*
Lely Burgos, Olympic athlete,
*
Bobby Capó
Félix Manuel "Bobby" Rodríguez Capó (January 1, 1922 – December 18, 1989) was a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. He usually combined ballads with classical music and was deeply involved in Puerto Rican folk elements and even Andalusi ...
, singer, composer
*
Margarita Nolasco
Margarita Nolasco Santiago is a Puerto Rican politician, senator, and former Mayor of Coamo. She has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2004.
Early years and studies
Margarita Nolasco obtained her bachelor's degree from the Pontif ...
, senator and Vice-President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
*
Antonio García Padilla, former President of the University of Puerto Rico
*
Jose Garriga Pico, former senator
*
Willie Rosario, musician, composer and bandleader of salsa music
*
Alejandro García Padilla
Alejandro Javier García Padilla (; born August 3, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2017.
Prior to this position, García Padilla held various roles in the political la ...
, Governor of Puerto Rico
*
Victor Caratini
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* Victor (1951 film), ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* Victor (1993 film), ...
, Catcher for the Chicago Cubs
Gallery
Bathhouse at Coamo.jpg, The Bathhouses at Coamo in 1899
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 ...
*
Did you know-Puerto Rico?
References
Sources
* ''Historia de Coamo'', "La Villa Añeja", Ramon Rivera Bermúdez, 1980.
External links
Coamo and its barrios, United States Census BureauHistoric Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary*
Welcome to Puerto Rico! CoamoCoamo Municipality on Facebook
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Puerto Rico
Populated places established in 1579
1579 establishments in the Spanish Empire