Tibes (''Barrio Tibes'') is one of the 31 barrios in the

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 ...

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 ...

. Together with

Magueyes Magueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Montes Llanos, Portugués, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. ...

, Portugués,

Montes Llanos Montes Llanos (also spelled Monte Llano), is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Maragüez, Machuelo Arriba, and Cerrillos, Montes Llanos is one of the municipality's seven ...

Maragüez Maragüez (''Barrio Maragüez'') is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Magueyes, Ponce, Puerto Rico, Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués (Ponce), Portugués, Montes Llanos, Machuelo Arriba, Sabanetas, Ponce, Pue ...

Machuelo Arriba Machuelo Arriba is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with the barrios of Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués, Montes Llanos, Maragüez, and Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba is one of the municipality's seven rural in ...

, Sabanetas, and Cerrillos, barrio Tibes is one of the municipality's eight rural interior barrios. Tibes attracted attention recently when, in 1975, what was to become the discovery of the oldest

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

came about as a result of rainstorms. The name of this barrio is of native Indian origin. It was organized in 1831.

Location

Tibes is a mountainous rural barrio located in the central section of the municipality, north of the city of Ponce. Tibes is located on the foothills of the Cordillera Central. The

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

, or origin of the name, is related to the hard, smooth stones plentiful in the rivers of this barrio and used by the indigenous peoples of the area as a weapon and the jíbaro countrymen for sharpening agricultural tools such as the

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...

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 ...

hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 causing catastrophic damages. Some residents of Tibes were cut off for 3 months, unable to find passage from their homes due to blocked roadways.

Boundaries

Tibes is bounded on the North by the hills just north of El Principe Road, on the South by Tibes Road, on the West by the hills west of

PR-10 Puerto Rico Highway 10 (PR-10) is a major highway in Puerto Rico. The primary state road connects the city of Ponce in the south coast to Arecibo in the north; it is also the shortest route between the two cities. Construction on the modern PR ...

, and on the East by Pastillo Road, the hills west of

Río Chiquito Chiquito River ( es, Río Chiquito) is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. This river feeds into Río Portugués in the sector called Parras, about north of the intersection of PR-504 and PR-505. It has its origin in the mou ...

. In terms of barrio-to-barrio boundaries, Tibes is bounded in the North by Barrio San Patricio, in the South by Portugués, in the West by Guaraguao and

, and in the East by Barrios Monte Llano and Portugués.General Purpose Population Data, Census 2000. Unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Área de Tecnología de Información Gubernamental, Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto. Gobierno de Puerto Rico.
Retrieved 27 February 2010.

Features and demographics

In 2000, Tibes had of land area and no water area. In 2000, the population of Tibes was 866 persons, and it had a density of 124 inhabitants per square mile. Tibes is the second ''least'' populated barrio in Ponce, after San Patricio. Major roads serving Barrio Tibes are

and

PR-503 Puerto Rico Highway 503 (PR-503), also called Carretera Tibes (Road to Tibes), is a tertiary state

. In 2010, Tibes had of land area and no water area. In 2010, the population of Tibes was 804 persons, and it had a density of 115 persons per square mile. The highest point in Barrio Tibes is ''Cerro del Diablo'' which stands at 2,234 feet. Another notable land feature is ''Cerro La Mesa'' which stands at 1,742 feet. Río Portugués is the main body of water running through this barrio.

Portugues Dam

The

Portugués Dam The Portugués Dam (Spanish: ''Represa Portugués'') is a roller-compacted concrete thick arch dam on the Portugués River, three miles (5 km) northwest of the city Ponce, in Barrio Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Construction on the dam began ...

is also located in Barrio Tibes.Website of the Municipality of Ponce. Descubrelo > Recursos Naturales.

References

External links