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

Playa Playa (plural playas) may refer to: Landforms * Endorheic basin, also known as a sink, alkali flat or sabkha, a desert basin with no outlet which periodically fills with water to form a temporary lake * Dry lake, often called a ''playa'' in the so ...

in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with family recreational and cultural facilities that opened on 23 June 1998. The highlight of the complex is the Paseo Tablado La Guancha, 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, 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 Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

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 and its iconic

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

* A multi-use building providing facilities for the

Ponce Municipal Police Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 *USS Ponce, USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * B ...

, 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 Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...

courts, gazebos, access ramps to the Caribbean Sea, and associated illumination. This project complemented the recently inaugurated tourist pier in the nearby

Port of Ponce The Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas es, Puerto de las Américas Rafael Cordero Santiago (PLA) is a megaport currently under construction in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The project aims to convert the current Port of Ponce into a value-add ...

, 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 Paseo Tablado La Guancha, 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 Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

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