Cidra () 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 ...

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 in the central region of the island, north of

Cayey Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Sal ...

; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito and Barranquitas; and west of

Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...

. Cidra is spread over 12 barrios and Cidra Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. Cidra is known as ''"El Pueblo de la Eterna Primavera"'' (" Town of the Eternal Spring") and ''"El Pueblo de la Paloma Sabanera"'' (" Town of the Plain Pigeon").

History

The region of what is now Cidra belonged to the

Taíno The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...

region of Cubuy, which covered a portion of the center of Puerto Rico. The region was led by cacique

Caguax Caguax was a Taíno cacique who lived on the island of Borikén (Taíno name for Puerto Rico) before and during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. His yucayeque or Taino village's name was Turabo, it included the lands in the Caguas Vall ...

. There are not many records that show that the region was populated after 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 ...

. However, it is believed that around 1795, a

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

named Frujols built a hermitage or shrine around which a small village settled. The settlement became a ward of

, until 1807 when the residents gave the power to Victoriano de Rivera to ask the Governor for permission to found an independent town. In 1809, a landowner known as Bibiana Vázquez donated the land needed for the foundation, and Governor Salvador Meléndez approved the petition. Victoriano de Rivera was appointed to lead the town, but he was quickly replaced by Wenceslao Vázquez due to illness. At the time of its foundation, Cidra had 26 houses and 11 huts. It is believed that its name is derived from the

citron The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed throu ...

fruit which was widely cultivated in the region. During the years following its foundation, a church and city hall were built. By 1822, there were already two public schools in town. Two years later, a road communicating the town with

was opened. In 1868, the population of Cidra was more than 5,000 residents, which included European immigrants and slaves. 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. In 1899, the United States conducted its first

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 Cidra was 7,552. In 1902, the

Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico The Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico ( es, Asamblea Legislativa de Puerto Rico) is the territorial legislature of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, responsible for the legislative branch of the government of Puerto Rico. The Assembly is a bic ...

approved a law for the consolidation of certain municipalities. As a result, Cidra was again incorporated to the town of

. However, in 1905 a new law revoked the previous one, turning Cidra into an independent municipality again.

Hurricane Maria

A category 5, and high-end category 4

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 ...

when it hit Puerto Rico, on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Cidra. A week before Hurricane Irma, another category 5 had passed over Puerto Rico causing some damage. With Hurricane María, some areas of Cidra experienced more than 25 landslides per kilometer. Citizens, with machetes in hand, worked to clear the roadways of debri after the hurricane hit, especially in Rabanal,

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

and

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...

, barrios of Cidra located at high altitudes. 1500 homes were left without a roof and many would never receive funds for repairs. One local (analog) radio antenna survived the catastrophe allowing for some communication within the town to take place. Before the hurricane there had been plans to eliminate the radio tower, but when 92.7% of Puerto Rico's towers were destroyed by the hurricane, plans to eliminate the analog radio tower were scrapped. Puerto Rico Highway 172, the main highway into Cidra from the San Juan area had to remain closed for repairs for five months. It was not until six months after the hurricane struck that power was restored to Cidra.

Geography

Cidra is located at the top of a hill in the eastern part of the Cordillera Central. It is bordered by the municipalities of Aguas Buenas,

, Aibonito, and Comerío. Cidra is a small municipality, covering only 36.1 square miles (94 km²).

Water features

Cidra's hydrographic system consists mainly of reservoir, located in the municipality. The reservoir, which was built in 1946, provides water to several areas in the island. There are also several rivers and creeks that cross the town like Arroyata, Bayamón, and

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

Fauna

The town is known for being the nesting place of the paloma sabanera (a subspecies of the plains pigeon). The bird, which is at risk of

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

, is currently found mostly in the municipality of Cidra and other nearby municipalities. In addition, there is various species of fish residing in the Lago de Cidra, as well as

iguanas ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his ...

which have been introduced into the surrounding the area and are now considered an invasive species.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Cidra 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. # Arenas # Bayamón # Beatriz #

# Certenejas #

Cidra barrio-pueblo Cidra barrio-pueblo is a barrio and the administrative center (seat) of Cidra, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,064. As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has a barrio called '' pueblo'' which co ...

# Honduras # Monte Llano # Rabanal # Rincón #

Río Abajo Río Abajo is a corregimiento within Panama City, in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 26,607 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 33,155; its population as of 2000 was 28,714. It is a West Indian neighborhoo ...

# Salto # Sud # Toíta

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 ...

) in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (which means ''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 Cidra: , and .

Places of interest

Although Cidra is not known as a tourist main stop, it has some attractions. The town center features historic places like the church and the Iberia Theater, both built during the first half of the 20th century. On the outskirts of the town, there is Lake Cidra and Perico's Waterfalls. Frog's Rock and Hamacas Bridge are also landmarks visited by tourists. The renovation of (children's park), which includes water features and a skatepark was completed in 2019.

Economy

The economy of Cidra has relied mostly on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, particularly

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 ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, and minor fruits. Cattle ranching is also a source of economy in the town. In recent years, pharmaceutical and clothing industries have become participants of the economy of Cidra.

Culture

Festivals and events

Cidra 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 July. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. A number of cultural events take place during the year, most prominently: *

Myrna Vázquez Myrna Vázquez (1935-1975) was a Puerto Rican screen, stage, radio, and television actress. She later became an influential community activist in Boston's South End. Early life and career She was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico, in 1935, one of se ...

Week - held in February * Paloma Sabanera Festival - held in early December

Religion

There are a number of churches and chapels from several denominations in Cidra. The main

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

parish, Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen, was established in 1813. The original structure was destroyed by earthquakes in the 1860s, but completely rebuilt by 1952. Cidra's patron saint is the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. Its festivities are held each July. Also in front of the town square is the First Baptist Church, which was established by missionary Edgar Humphrey in 1903. The original wood structure was destroyed in 1928 by San Felipe Hurricane, but rebuilt in concrete, wood, and zinc.

Sports

Cidra doesn't have a professional sports team, however, they have a successful amateur team, Bravos de Cidra, that participate in the Puerto Rican Amateur Baseball Federation. The Bravos team has won nine championships, and as of 2014, are en route to win their third consecutive one. The main baseball facility is the Jesús María Freire Stadium, where the Bravos play. Cidra is also the birthplace of several important figures in the Puerto Rican sports scene. Some of them are former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

players Luis Rivera and Luis López, as well as former coach of the

Puerto Rico men's national basketball team The Puerto Rico national basketball team ( es, Selección de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico) represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation ( es, link=no, Federación de ...

Flor Meléndez Flor Meléndez Montañez (born January 12, 1947) is a Puerto Rican retired basketball player and current coach. He is a former head coach of Puerto Rico’s men’s national basketball team, Argentina men's national basketball team, and Panama ...

. Boxer José Pedraza was also born in Cidra.

Famous Cidreños

Pura Belpré Pura Belpré (February 2, 1899 – July 1, 1982) was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. Life Belpré was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico. p.58. There is some dispute as to ...

Vicente Carattini Vicente Carattini (November 11, 1939 – November 7, 2005), was a singer and composer of Puerto Rican music, Puerto Rican Christmas-related songs. Early years Carattini (birth name:Ernesto Vicente Carattini) was born and raised in the town of Ci ...

- Singer and Composer of Puerto Rican Christmas related songs *

Isabel Freire de Matos Isabel Freire de MatosThis name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the woman's maiden family name '' "Freire"'' and the second, or matrimonial, family name is ''"de Matos"''. (February 2, 1915 – September 30, 2004) was a writer ...

- was a writer, educator, journalist, and activist for Puerto Rican independence * Antonio Torres Pérez (Pancholo) - Actor and Comedian *Ruth Evelyn Cruz - Writer and Poet * Felito Félix - Singer * Carmen Navarro Barros - Public Librarian, they called "La bibliotecaria del pueblo". She wrote several information about the story of Cidra. * Carmen Vazquez Rivera - Head Nurse and decorated veteran of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

who was among the Puerto Rican women that served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and later the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Demographics

The population of Cidra increased steadily during the 20th Century. Since 1899, the population has risen more than 200%. According to the 2010 census, the municipality had 43,480 inhabitants. The 2020 census shows a decline in population to 39,970. According to the 2010 Census, 77% of the population identifies themselves as

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, and 8.3% as

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

. Also, 48.9% of the population identified themselves as males, and 51.1% as females. Finally, 25% of the population is under 18 years old. The next biggest percentage of population (20.7%) is between 35 and 49 years old.

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. In the November 2019 elections, Angel David Concepción González succeeded over the incumbent, Javier Carrasquillo, of the New Progressive Party (PNP) as mayor. He succeeded Angel L. Malavé Zayas in 2012, after Malavé was accused of

lewd conduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, s ...

in 2011. Malavé had served as mayor since being elected at the 1988 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.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms. The coat of arms, flag and seal of Cidra were designed by J.J. Santa Pinter and approved on September 25, 1975 by Cidra.

Flag and coat of arms

The flag of Cidra features one brown vertical stripe on the left side, with a width of about one-third the length of the flag. It also features two equal-sized horizontal stripes to the right side of the brown one. The above stripe is green, while the lower one is yellow, or golden. The golden color symbolizes the richness of the fruits and its hydrography, as well as the spiritual wealth of the region. The green symbolizes the green landscape that can be seen in Cidra throughout the year, which is also the reason why the town is called the "Town of the Eternal Spring". The brown symbolizes the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, patron saint of the town, and also the Paloma sabanera that is widely seen in the area. Some versions of the flag also feature the coat of arms on the left hand side, over the intersection of the three stripes. The coat of arms was approved in the 1970s by the Municipal Assembly. It features a red band crossing the shield diagonally, from left to right. Over the red band lies a golden

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

, which is believed to be one of the reasons for the town's name, and a

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...

of fruits, which alludes to Cidra's role as one of the major producers of fruits of the island. The upper field is either white or silver, and features two symbols: a black scapular representing the Virgin, and a black bishop hat referencing San Juan Nepomuceno, bishop and martyr. The lower field is mostly blue and features a brown pigeon flying over a mountain range, representing the location of the town in the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not very convenient. The tallest peak of th ...

, and a set of silver water waves. The whole seal is capped by a three-tower crown, which is usually seen in municipal seals in the island.

Nicknames

Cidra is known mostly by two names. It is known as the ''"Town of the Eternal Spring"'' for its cool temperatures. It is also known as the ''"Town of the Plain Pigeon"'' because of the abundance of that bird in the town.

Education

There are around 15 public schools in Cidra. As with all other municipalities, education is handled 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 ...

Elementary school

*Ceiba ''Nueva'' - Ceiba *Luis Muñoz Rivera - Cidra *Escuela Regino Vega Martínez - (Anterior: Escuela Nueva Santa Clara, Escuela Nueva de Arenas) *Violeta Reyes (PreK-8) - Río Abajo

Junior high school

* Jesús T. Piñero (7-8) - Cidra

Mixed (elementary/junior high)

* Clemencia Meléndez Santos - Rabanal * Certenejas (I & II) - Certenejas * Juan D. Stubbe - Bayamón

High school

*Ana J. Candelas - Sud *Luis Muñoz Iglesias - Cidra *Vocacional Ruth Evelyn Cruz - Sud

Transportation

The main road to Cidra is Road 172, which branches out from the

Puerto Rico Highway 52 Puerto Rico Highway 52 (PR-52), a major toll road in Puerto Rico, is also known as ''Autopista Luis A. Ferré''. It was formerly called ''Expreso Las Américas''. It runs from PR-1 in southwest Río Piedras and heads south until it intersects wit ...

. Its distance from the capital is approximately 40 minutes. Other roads that lead to the town are #787 and #173. There are 19 bridges in Cidra.

References

External links

Puerto Rico Government Directory - Cidra
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1809 San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan area