The Complejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha (English: ''La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex'') is a recreational complex in barrio Playa in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, with family recreational and cultural facilities that opened on 23 June 1998. The highlight of the complex is the

Paseo Tablado La Guancha Paseo Tablado La Guancha (English: ''La Guancha Boardwalk'') is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea. It was built under the mayoral administration of Rafael Cord ...

, which is flanked by a beach, an observation tower, an amphitheater, and 24 open-air kiosks. It was developed during the administration of Mayor

Rafael Cordero Santiago Rafael Cordero Santiago (24 October 1942 – 17 January 2004), better known as "Churumba", was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as "El León Mayor ...

. In October 2017, after

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affect ...

, it closed to the public to undergo repairs but, as of January 2020, when the area suffered severe damage due to the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes, no repairs had been made and, as of 17 June 2020, it remained closed. By late 2020 arrangements were made for the merchants that operated from waterfront kiosks to reopen their businesses out of provisional facilities at a temporary location away from the waterfront while reconstruction of the waterfront area takes place.

History

Originally La Guancha consisted of a road and sidewalk alongside a

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

built close to the easternmost shore of barrio Playa across from Ponce Yacht Club. The romantic area was frequented by families and sweethearts alike, especially on weekends, for relaxation and bonding. During the administration of Mayor

Cordero Cordero is Spanish and Italian last name origin. The name means "young lamb", per the Latin ''cordarius'' (a derivative of ''cordus'', meaning ‘young’, ‘new’). It may be an occupational name for a shepherd, or a nickname meaning "lamb" ...

, however, a number of facilities were added to the La Guancha area at a cost of over $18 million, developing it into a new recreational complex. The new facilities followed the design of engineer Axel Bonilla Cortes.

Facilities

Seven new facilities were added to the existing walkway area: * The Dr. Enrique "Coco" Vicens Recreational and Cultural Center (Spanish: Centro Recreativo y Cultural Enrique "Coco" Vicéns), which consists of an open-air amphitheater for concert-type facilities and seating some 30,000 spectators. Its stage is known as "Tarima Hector Lavoe". * A rides and amusement park area, intended for the celebration of Patron Saint's Day Festivals, fairs, and similar festivities * The Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park, with over 40 games for the youngsters, plus the (Julio and Geraldo) Chamorro-Franceschini Brothers Park, with facilities for the handicapped * Several parking areas with parking for some 900 vehicles, and distributed throughout the complex * A majestic fountain, as its main axis, displaying the city's

Coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

and its iconic lion * A multi-use building providing facilities for the Ponce Municipal Police, medical emergencies and ambulance, and other related agencies * A nourished beach area with over 10,000 cubic meters of new sand that replenished and built up the previous beach area, and including five beach volleyball courts,

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...

s, access ramps to the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, and associated illumination. This project complemented the recently inaugurated tourist pier in the nearby Port of Ponce, and which saw an investment of $4 million.

Funding

The Complex was developed by the Department of Community and Economic Development of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce at a cost of $18.6 million. The breakdown of the cost included $3.6 million in the acquisition of the

, 6.5 million in the purchase of over of land, $8.0 million in the construction of the project, $0.2 million for the bidding process, and $0.3 million for the upgrade of

PR-12 Puerto Rico Highway 12 (PR-12), also called Avenida Malecón, and Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros, is a 6.4-kilometer, limited-access highway entirely located within the city limits of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and connecting Puerto Rico Highway 1 ...

(Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros) as infrastructure leading to the new complex.

Effects of the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake

The complex sustained damage due to the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake.''Cierre indefinido en La Guancha en Ponce.''
Michelle Estrada Torres. Voces del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 8 January 2020. Accessed 11 January 2020.

Gallery

File:La Guancha air view.jpg, Aerial view of the Complex (right half) File:Hector Lavoe Plaza at La Guancha, in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03541).jpg, Hector Lavoe Rides and Amusement Plaza (Western End) File:Children looking at fish at La Guancha, Ponce, Puerto Rico.jpg, Children looking at fish at La Guancha File:Rides and Amusement Park Area at La Guancha, in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03540).jpg, Rides and Amusement Park Area (Eastern End) File:Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park sign at La Guancha, in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03548).jpg, Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park sign File:Children's Playground at La Guancha in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03531).jpg, Children's Playground at the Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park File:Children's Area, Complejo Recreativo La Guancha in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03530A).jpg, Sign marking the Children's Area File:Chamorro Franceschini Bros. Handicapped Childrens' Park at La Guancha in barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03532A).jpg, Chamorro-Franceschini Bros. Handicapped Children's Park File:Estacionamiento Publico en el Area Recreacional La Guancha, en el Barrio Playa, Ponce, PR (DSC04993).jpg, Public parking for over 900 cars at La Guancha File:Lion at the Entrance to La Guancha in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03537).jpg, Majestic Fountain and Lion at the Entrance to La Guancha File:Sign marking the multiple use building at La Guancha Recreational Complex (DSC03528A).jpg, Sign marking the Multiuse Building File:Administrative Multiuse Building at La Guancha, in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03543).jpg, Administrative Multiuse Building File:EMS Office at La Guancha, in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03547).jpg, EMS Office at the Multi Use Building File:Beach volleyball courts at La Guancha, in Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03546).jpg, Beach volleyball courts File:Ponce La Guancha Beach.jpg, Sand-nourished La Guancha Beach File:Ponce Muncipal Band gazebo at La Guancha in barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03536).jpg, Ponce Municipal Band Gazebo File:Walkway at La Guancha Recreational Complex at Barrio Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico (DSC03529).jpg, Walkway

References

External links

Complejo Recreativo La Guancha at Explore Puerto Rico

''La Historia Olvidada de La Guancha.''
Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. 27 May 2015. Accessed 26 November 2020. {{Beaches in Puerto Rico, state=collapsed Buildings and structures in Ponce, Puerto Rico Parks in Ponce, Puerto Rico Beaches of Puerto Rico 1998 in Puerto Rico 1998 establishments in Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico