Guánica Light ( es, Faro de Guánica) was a historic lighthouse located in the municipality of
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Guánica (, ) is a town and municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco metropolitan statistical area.
The town of Guánica, also kn ...
in the
Guánica State Forest
The Guánica State Forest ( es, Bosque Estatal de Guánica), popularly known as the Guánica Dry Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque seco de Guánica'') is a subtropical dry forest located in southwest Puerto Rico. The area was designated as a forest reser ...
. It was first lit in 1893 and deactivated in 1950.
The light marked the entrance to
Guánica Bay and bridge the gap between
Los Morrillos Light
Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, also known as Los Morrillos Light, is a historic lighthouse located in Los Morrillos cape (officially Cabo Rojo, Spanish for "red cape") in the municipality of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
History
Located at the sout ...
and
Caja de Muertos Light
Caja de Muertos Light, (''Faro de la Isla de Caja de Muertos'') is an 1887 lighthouse in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that is unique amongst all other lighthouses in Puerto Rico for its unusual Cross of Lorraine, double-arm, T-type shape structure. The ...
.
On July 25, 1898, lighthouse keeper Robustiano Rivera spotted the convoy of the American forces that initiated the landing offensive of the
Puerto Rican Campaign during 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 ...
. He immediately gave the alert to the residents of Guánica and marched to
Yauco
Yauco () is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco is located south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande ...
where he broke the news of the invading forces to the city's mayor.
[
]
By 2009, the lighthouse was practically in ruins, though some parts of its unique architectural elements were still visible.
It was listed in the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
A
series of earthquakes that occurred in January 2020 in Puerto Rico further damaged the Guánica lighthouse.
See also
*
List of lighthouses in Puerto Rico
The lighthouses system of Puerto Rico consists of lighthouses that were built mostly during the last twenty years of the nineteenth century. These served as guides to important marine routes.
In 1869 the Spanish government approved the first pl ...
Notes
References
External links
*
Historic American Engineering Record in Puerto Rico
Lighthouses completed in 1893
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Octagonal buildings
1893 establishments in Puerto Rico
Unused buildings in Puerto Rico
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Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places