Vega Baja () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located on the coast of north central

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. It is north of

Morovis Morovis (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Orocovis, south of Manatí, Vega Baja and Vega Alta; east of Ciales, and west of Corozal. Morovis is spread over 13 barrios and M ...

, east of Manatí, and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 14 barrios. The population of the municipality was 54,414 at the 2020 census. It is part of the San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan statistical area.

History

The name Vega Baja in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

means 'lower valley' ( Vega Alta meaning 'upper valley'). Historians believe that the name Vega Baja comes from ''La Vega''. Vega is a surname of one of the families involved in the foundation of Vega Baja. It is also believed that the name comes from the region of Spain ''La Vega Baja del Segura''. Additionally, in

Caribbean Spanish * Caribbean Spanish (, ) is the general name of the Spanish dialects spoken in the Caribbean region. The Spanish language was introduced to the Caribbean in 1492 with the voyages of Christopher Columbus. It resembles the Spanish spoken in the Ca ...

, a ''vega'' is also a

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 ...

plantation. Although is generally believed that Vega Baja was founded in 1776, after the division of Vega Alta from La Vega (modern day Vega Alta) historians have verified that it was many years later when it was officially recognized by the

government. The foundation day is October 7, and it is also the day of commemorating the

Virgin of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary (), also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October in the General ...

. Vega Baja was originally known as ''Vega-baxa del Naranjal de Nuestra Señora del Rosario'' (Vega Baja of the Orange Grove of Our Lady of the Rosary). Cibuco is one of the rivers that goes through Vega Baja, and is a variation of the name ''Sebuco'', who was a chief or

Cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

Taíno The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...

of the region. These small tribes of Taínos were known to settle in the vicinity of the rivers. Although the Cibuco River is prone to

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s due to heavy seasonal rains, the benefits provided to the land by the river are numerous. Taino rock carvings have been found on some of the exposed reefs in the vicinity of the Cibuco River. Among these carvings is one depicting a face and others shaped as fish. They are an indication that these reefs were frequented for

spear fishing Spearfishing is fishing using handheld elongated, sharp-pointed tools such as a spear, gig, or harpoon, to impale the fish in the body. It was one of the earliest fishing techniques used by mankind, and has been deployed in artisanal fishi ...

and perhaps other day-to-day activities. Other places like Carmelita, Maisabel, Cueva Maldita and Paso del Indio are known as archaeological sites where the aborigines established their communities.

Drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

has been an issue in Vega Baja for many years and in early 1990, $43 million dollars in cash was found buried in plastic barrels, thought to have been deposited by drug smugglers for later retrieval. The sudden wealth of a few Vega Baja residents attracted attention and prompted an investigation by FBI and local police. By May 1990, the FBI had traced $11 million and seized and confiscated property and goods purchased with the money thought to belong to

drug lord A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin, or lord of drugs is a type of crime boss in charge of a drug trafficking network, organization, or enterprise. Crime barons may be difficult to bring to justice: usually, they do not possess illegal goods. Ra ...

Ramon Torres Gonzalez. On September 20, 2017

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...

struck the island of Puerto Rico. With an area of about Vega Baja is a municipality on the north coast with some barrios on the coast and others in more mountainous areas. With an estimated population of 53,674 (2016, Census estimates) when

struck, 48.5% were below poverty and 21.8% were people over the age of 60. The hurricane triggered numerous landslides in the municipality. Rivers were breached causing flooding of low-lying areas, and infrastructure including homes were destroyed. A tributary of the Cibuco River rose immediately putting 100 people's lives at risk. Many of those residents took refuge on roofs or sought out small boats to navigate the flooded waters and to help remove people who were trapped on roofs or inside residences. Then municipal staff picked people up in buses and took them to the shelter at the Lino Padrón school, where the electric generator nor school

cistern A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...

worked. Telecommunications systems were destroyed causing state and municipal rescue officers to have to rely on radio communication signals, which were limited to a radius of a few miles. Radio signals did not reach Vega Baja and news, such as the fact that a curfew had been declared, only spread by word of mouth. The mayor, who lost his home, said the storm surge and hurricane winds destroyed most of the structures in Cerro Gordo, a coastal sector. The urban, downtown areas were impassable due to the large number of downed trees and power lines. The Cibuco River roe above PR-2 highway, preventing the passage to the adjoining town/ municipality of Vega Alta and heading west, a stretch could be covered with extreme difficulty, until it was also blocked with the rising of the

Río Grande de Manatí The Manatí River (Spanish: Río Grande de Manatí) is a river in Puerto Rico, which flows through several northern municipalities of the island. The river is named after the municipality of Manatí where the river mouth is located. Description ...

. The mayor stated, “We don't know what happened on the mountain. We have not been able to get there yet,” and “The destruction is so great. I don't know how to explain seeing the despair of a mother or an elderly person right now. It is not easy what we are living.”

Geography

Vega Baja is located on the northern coast. The municipality is located along the

Northern Karst The Northern Karst Belt (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Cinturón del Carso Norteño'') is a limestone karst landscape located in the northwestern region of Puerto Rico. A karst is a topographical zone formed by the dissolution of soluble porous roc ...

region of Puerto Rico, and the

is located on the Northern Plains.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Vega Baja is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio called (barrio-pueblo on the US Census). Note: While the US Census and the PR GIS data, indicate there are 14 barrios in Vega Baja, the Vega Baja government page seems to exclude Vega Baja barrio-pueblo in its list of barrios. # Algarrobo #

Almirante Norte Almirante Norte is a barrio in the municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,397. History Almirante Norte was in Spain's gazetteers until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War und ...

Almirante Sur Almirante Sur is a barrio in the municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,115. History Almirante Sur was in Spain's gazetteers until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under t ...

# Cabo Caribe #

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to northern Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall ...

# Cibuco # Puerto Nuevo # Pugnado Adentro # Pugnado Afuera # Quebrada Arenas #

Río Abajo Río Abajo is a Corregimientos of Panama, 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 ...

# Río Arriba #

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

# Yeguada

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called (''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. In the EU context, the Euro ...

. 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 Vega Baja: Alto de Cuba, Callejón Pérez and Sector El Hoyo in Barrio Algarrobo, Guarico Viejo, and La Trocha-Río Abajo.

Demographics

Puerto Rico was ceded by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

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, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

and became a territory of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Vega Baja was 10,305.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

There are 14 beaches in Vega Baja. Some main attractions of Vega Baja include: * Casa Alcaldía (the historic city hall) * Casa Alonso Museum *

Casa Portela Museum The Casa Portela Museum (Spanish: ''Museo Casa Portela'') is a historic house and local history museum located in Vega Baja Pueblo, the administrative and historic center of the municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The museum consists of a his ...

* Cibuco Swamp * El Trece Recreational Area * Vega Baja House of Culture and Tourism * ''Man of the Sugar Cane'' Monument * ''Melao Melao'' Artisan Center * Migrants Square * Museo del Salon de la Fama del Deporte Vega Baja ''Melao Melao'' * Puerto Nuevo Beach and its recreational area * José Francisco Náter Square (main town square or plaza) * Teatro América * Teatro Fénix *

Tortuguero Lagoon Laguna Tortuguero Natural Reserve is a natural reservoir located between the municipalities of Vega Baja and Manatí in Puerto Rico. The lagoon is one of only two natural reservoirs in the island of Puerto Rico (the other being Joyuda Lagoon), ...

**Tortuguero Recreational Area * Trinitarias Park

Economy

The abundant fertility of its soil has meant Vega Baja has much agricultural and farming land. In addition, Vega Baja has one of the most visited beaches of the northern coastline, Puerto Nuevo Beach (officially Mar Bella Beach). This beach attracts thousands of beachgoers annually, making it a center for local tourism, especially during the hot summer months. It boasts a natural rock formation of enormous proportions both in height and length colloquially named ''La Peña''. This rock feature shelters the beach portion from the open seas just behind it. During rough marine conditions, the rock feature protects beachgoers, while the spectacle of waves crashing from behind and cascading down its face can be appreciated in the relative safety of the beach.

Agriculture

* Pineapple, cattle feed (hay). In decades past, the land portion situated between the neighborhood of Monte Carlo and the neighborhood of Los Naranjos, was the site for the cultivation of sugar cane. * Dairy farming

Industry

* Clothing, leather articles; electrical and electronic equipment, machinery * Medical, and pharmaceutical.

Culture

Festivals and events

Vega Baja celebrates its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

festival in October. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events celebrated in Vega Baja include: *

Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...

Festival – January * Triathlon – March * Annual Tournament of Champions – June * San Juan Night – June * Virgen del Carmen Festival – July * Beach Festival at Mar Bella - July * Socio-Cultural Fair – May * Melao Melao Festival – October * Christmas Festival – December

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Vega Baja is

Marcos Cruz Molina Marcos Cruz is a Puerto Rican politician and the current mayor of Vega Baja. Cruz is affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and has served as mayor since 2013. Marcos Cruz earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the Universit ...

, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was first elected at the 2012 general elections. The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district III, which is represented by two senators. In 2024,

Brenda Pérez Soto Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language. Origin The overall accepted origin for the female name Brenda is the Old Nordic male name ''Brandr'' meaning both ''torch'' and ''sword'': evidently the male name Brandr took root in areas ...

and Gabriel González were elected as District Senators.

Transportation

There are 23 bridges in Vega Baja.

Notable people

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...

– Platinum rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and professional wrestler. *

Chicky Starr José Anibal Laureano Colón (born June 24, 1958) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and manager. He is better known by his ring name, Chicky Starr. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Council (WWC) and International Wrest ...

– Professional wrestler and manager in the

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC; Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha") is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica, and Goril ...

(WWC) and the International Wrestling Association (IWA) * Ivan Rodriguez – a.k.a. “Pudge” was widely considered the best catcher of his generation, MLB AL MVP, perennial all star and gold glover. Hall of Fame baseball player who played mostly for the Texas Rangers * Juan Gonzalez – Two time AL MVP, 3 time Allstar, Multiple time AL HR leader, Home run derby winner, MLB RBI leader and in 1998 he was owner of the second most RBIs by all star break ever (101). He played mostly for the Texas Rangers. *

Damian Priest Luis Martínez (born September 26, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Damian Priest and is a former one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is also know ...

- born as Luis Martínez, one time one-time World Heavyweight Champion of the

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

Vega Baja's flag consists of a yellow cloth crossed by a green band. The band relates to the fertile valley and the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

Coat of arms

The Vega Baja coat of arms has a v-shaped green band with overlapping roses in silver and three oranges trees, with gold fruit. At the top part is a five-tower crown, silver, black and green. The main colors of the shield; green and gold are used traditionally in civic, scholastic and sports activities. The crown five tower indicates that the town holds the rank of "Villa" by royal decree.

Anthem

Th
anthem
of Vega Baja is "''A Vega Baja''" with lyrics as written in 1974 by Adrián Santos Tirado and music by Roberto Sierra.

Education

The following schools are in Vega Baja: * Agapito Rosario Rosario Grades: K - 5 * Angel Sandin Martinez Grades: 6 - 8 * Centro De Adiestramiento * Juan Quirindongo Morell (Superior) Grades: 9 - 12 * Lino Padro Rivera Grades: 9 - 12 * Manuel Martinez Davila Grades: K - 8 * Nueva Brigida Alvarez Rodriguez Grades: K - 12 * Rafael Hernandez Grades: K - 5 * San Vicente Grades: K - 5 * Su Almirante Norte Grades: Pre-K - 8

Higher education

* Caribbean University-Vega Baja Private Not-for-profit 4-year or above

Private School

* Mech-Tech College

Gallery

File:Transplanted and thriving elkhorn coral near Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.jpg,

Elkhorn coral Elkhorn coral (''Acropora palmata'') is an important reef-building coral in the Caribbean. The species has a complex structure with many branches which resemble that of elk antlers; hence, the common name. The branching structure creates habit ...

near the coast of Vega Baja. File:Pugnado Adentro, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico - panoramio (3).jpg, View of Vega Baja in Pugnado Adentro. File:Lagoon port.jpg, Laguna Tortuguero File:Puerto Nuevo, Vega Baja 00693, Puerto Rico - panoramio (7).jpg, Limestone rock in Mar Bella Beach (Puerto Nuevo Beach). File:Vega Baja license plate, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.jpg, Vega Baja license plate in

Altamonte Springs, Florida Altamonte Springs is a suburban city in Central Florida in Seminole County, Florida, Seminole County, Florida, United States, which had a population of 46,231 at the 2020 United States census. The city is in the northern suburbs of the Greater O ...

References

External links

Enciclopedia Vegabajena

Official Municipal Government Website

Archivo del Diario Vegabajeño de Puerto Rico Segunda Etapa de Diciembre 2012 a Octubre 2016

(sin título)

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Vega Baja Municipio, Puerto Rico

Vega Baja Municipality on Facebook
{{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico