Yauco () 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' ...

in southern

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 ...

. Although the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. Yauco is located south of Maricao,

Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ) were Tutelary deity#Ancient Rome, guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an ama ...

and

Adjuntas Adjuntas () is a small mountainside Adjuntas barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico located in the central midwestern portion of the island on the Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico, Cordillera Central, no ...

; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of Guayanilla. The municipality consists of 20 barrios and Yauco Pueblo (the downtown and administrative center of the municipality). It is both a principal town of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area. It was founded by Fernando Pacheco on February 29, 1756, and developed for commodity crops of

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 ...

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

, and

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

. Yauco became a center for Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico in the 19th century due to its geographical similarity to their homeland.

Corsicans The Corsicans ( Corsican, Italian: ''Corsi''; French: ''Corses'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group, native to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, a territorial collectivity of France. Origin and history The island was populated sinc ...

have contributed to many areas of life in Yauco, particularly to its

coffee industry Coffee is a beverage Coffee brew, brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a Stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is ...

. This has played a role in the town's nicknames of ''El Pueblo del Café'' (Town of Coffee), and residents of the municipality are often referred to as ''Los Corsos'' (The Corsicans).

Etymology and nicknames

Yauco was named after the Yauco River, which itself comes from the

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 ...

word ', meaning "

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

plantation" (also where the word ''yucca'' comes from). The city has numerous nicknames such as ''Pueblo del Café'' ("coffee town"), due to the high number of coffee plantations in the area, and ''Pueblo de los Corsos'' ("Town of

"), after the large number of Corsican immigrants who settled in the town and who were later influential to the area's coffee industry. It is also popularly known as ''La Capital Taína'' ("the

capital") after the native peoples of Puerto Rico who also lived in the area.

History

The Taino natives considered the area of Yauco the capital of ''Boriken'' and was governed by Agüeybana, the most powerful Taíno ''

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 ...

'' (chief) in the island. All the other caciques were subject to and had to obey Agüeybaná, although they governed their own tribes. Upon Agüeybaná's death in 1510, his nephew, Güeybaná (also known as Agüeybaná II), became the most powerful cacique in the island. Agüeybaná II doubted the "godly" status the Spaniards were rumored to have. He came up with a plan to test these doubts: he and Urayoán (cacique of Añasco) sent some of their tribe members to lure a Spaniard named Diego Salcedo into a river and drown him. They watched over Salcedo's body to ensure that he did not revive. Salcedo's death convinced Agüeybaná II and the rest of the Taíno that the Spaniards were not gods. They rebelled against the Spanish in 1511 but were defeated. In 1755, the Spanish settlers of the region built a small chapel and named it ''Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario'' (Our Lady of the Holy Rosary). The settlers sent Fernando Pacheco as their representative to the Spanish Government, to request the establishment of a municipality, since they had satisfied one of the requirements for the establishment of a municipality, namely, to establish a place of worship. On February 29, 1756, the King of Spain granted the settlers their request and the town of Yauco was founded. Fernando Pacheco was named First Lieutenant of War of the new town. From the mid-19th to the early 20th century, hundreds of Corsican,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, French, Portuguese, Irish, Scots, and German immigrants arrived in Puerto Rico, attracted by the Spanish Crown's offer of free land to Catholic white European settlers. They settled mostly in the south-central region.

19th century Corsican immigration

The island of Puerto Rico is somewhat similar in geography to the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

and appealed to many Corsican immigrants. Corsica was part of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

for centuries until 1768. Historical Corsican Plaque

Corsicans descend from a combination of ancient ''Corsi'' people from northeastern

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

and people who came over later from northern and

central Italy Central Italy ( or ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region with code ITI, and a European Parliament constituency. It has 11,704,312 inhabita ...

(including Tuscans,

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization ( ) was an ancient civilization created by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in List of ancient peoples of Italy, ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. Af ...

, Ligurians, and Romans) along with, to a lesser extent,

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

and

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

. Corsica has been part of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

since 1768 but retains a distinct

Italian culture The culture of Italy encompasses the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs of the Italian peninsula throughout history. Italy has been a pivotal center of civilisation, playing a crucial role in the development of Western culture. I ...

. It was ruled by the Republic of Genoa from 1284 to 1755, when it became a self-proclaimed independent

-speaking Republic. In 1768, Genoa officially ceded its out of control colony to

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

of France as part of a pledge for debts, and in 1769 France forcibly annexed it. Hundreds of Corsicans and their families immigrated to Puerto Rico from as early as 1830, and their numbers peaked in the 1850s, after European unrest following the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

, and environmental problems of lengthy drought. The Corsicans tended to settle in the mountainous southwestern region of the island, and Yauco attracted the majority of them. As noted, the three main crops were coffee,

and tobacco. The new settlers first worked on the farms, and some saved money in order to own and operate their own grocery stores. They began to specialize in cultivation of coffee as a commodity crop. Yauco Coffee Plantation

Coffee was first cultivated in the Rancheras and Diego Hernández sectors; it was expanded to the Aguas Blancas, Frailes and Rubias sectors. The Mariani family adapted a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

in the 1860s to use in mechanical de-husking of coffee. This improved the appearance of Puerto Rico's coffee beans and helped it stand out in the international coffee market. By the 1860s the Corsican settlers were the leaders of the coffee industry in Puerto Rico, and seven out of ten coffee plantations were owned by Corsicans.

Intentona de Yauco

The pro-independence movement raised the second and last major revolt here against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, known as the Intentona de Yauco (the ''attempted Coup of Yauco''). The revolt, which occurred on March 26, 1897, was organized by Antonio Mattei Lluberas, Mateo Mercado and Fidel Vélez. They were supported by leaders of El Grito de Lares, the first major independence attempt, who were in exile in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

as members of the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee. During this uprising, Vélez raised for the first time what became the current

flag of Puerto Rico The flag of Puerto Rico (), officially the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (), represents Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, its people. It consists of five equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blue equilateral t ...

on local soil. Local Spanish authorities had heard rumors of the revolt and acted swiftly to suppress it."Historia militar de Puerto Rico"; by Héctor Andrés Negroni (Author); Publisher: Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario (1992); Language: Spanish; ;

Spanish–American War

In 1898, upon the outbreak 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 ...

, Guánica was a small

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

within the municipality of Yauco. It had 60 houses in all and was defended only by eleven members of the 4th Volante de Yauco, a Puerto Rican militia unit, under the command of Lieutenant Enrique Méndez López. When the convoy with General

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861–1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840–1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903 ...

, approached the barrio, Guánica lighthouse keeper Robustiano Rivera immediately alerted its residents. Nearly all the residents abandoned their homes and joined Rivera to go to Yauco, where he broke the news of the invading forces to the town's mayor. Only Agustín Barrenechea, Vicente Ferrer, Juan María Morciglio, Simón Mejil, Salvador Muñoz, Cornelio Serrano and Pascual Elena stayed to welcome the invaders. Yauco Battlefield 1898

The first skirmish between Spanish/Puerto Rican and American armed forces was fought in that barrio between the Puerto Rican militia and twenty-eight sailors and

Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

, under the command of Lieutenants H. P. Huse and Wood. They had come from the on rafts and landed on the beach, where Lt. Méndez López and his men opened fire on the Americans. During the small battle which followed, the Americans returned fire with a machine gun and the ''Gloucester'' began to bombard the Spanish position. Lt. Méndez López and three of his men were wounded, and the militia unit retreated to the town of Yauco. This was also the site of the first major land battle in Puerto Rico during the war between Spanish/Puerto Rican and American armed forces. On July 26, 1898, Spanish forces and Puerto Rican volunteers, led by Captain Salvador Meca and Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Puig, fought against American forces led by Brigadier General

George A. Garretson George Armstrong Garretson (January 30, 1844 – December 8, 1916) enlisted as private in the Union Army during the American Civil War, Civil War and later graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He returned to duty for t ...

. The Spanish forces engaged the 6th Massachusetts in a firefight at the Hacienda Desideria, owned by Antonio Mariani, in what became known as the Battle of Yauco of the Puerto Rico Campaign. The casualties of Puig's forces were two officers and three soldiers wounded and two soldiers dead. The Spanish forces were ordered to retreat.

Hurricane Maria

Significant rainfall from

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 ...

, on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Yauco, leaving entire communities cut-off. The Yauco River caused flooding that decimated entire neighborhoods.

Earthquakes in 2019 and 2020

Multiple residences and structures in Yauco were damaged in a series of earthquakes with increasing magnitude that started on December 28, 2019 and culminating with a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the island in the morning hours of January 7, 2020. More than thirty-two residences collapsed and hundreds were structurally unsound after the earthquake struck near Yauco. To aid residents who were left without power or homeless, the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

was mobilized. A center for emergency operations was set up in the municipality's auditorium parking area, with air-conditioned tarps and tents for evacuated hospital patients and with food being cooked by

World Central Kitchen World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that Food security, provides food relief. It was founded in 2010 by Spanish American chef and restaurateur José Andrés following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, earthq ...

Geography

Yauco is a mountainous municipality located in the Cordillera Central and bisected by the Río Yauco. Other rivers in the municipality are the Río Chiquito, Duey Loco and Río Naranjo. Hills in the area include Mount Membrillo, the highest point in the municipality and 9th highest peak in the island at 3,579 feet (1,090 m) of elevation, the Rodadero Peak and the Curet Hill.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Yauco is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as . # Aguas Blancas # Algarrobo # Almácigo Alto # Almácigo Bajo # Barina # Caimito # Collores # Diego Hernández # Duey # Frailes # Jácana #

Naranjo Naranjo (Wak Kab'nal in Mayan) is a Pre-Columbian Maya city in the Petén Basin region of Guatemala. It was occupied from about 500 BC to 950 AD, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. ...

# Quebradas # Ranchera # Río Prieto # Rubias # Sierra Alta # Susúa Alta # Susúa Baja # Vegas # Yauco barrio-pueblo

Sectors

Barrios (which are like 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 Yauco: Diego Hernández, Frailes, Ranchera, Sector Primitivo Irizarry in Quebradas, El Pozo, Sector Cantera, Pueblo Norte (El Cerro), and Río Prieto.

Demographics

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

the population of Yauco in the year 2000 was 46,384 persons, decreasing to 42,043 persons in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, a net loss of 4,341 people or 9.36% of its population. The urban zone accounted for 17,186 of its inhabitants in the 2010 census. The 2020 census indicated the population was 34,172 a decline of 18.7% from the 2010 census.

Tourism

Following

, in order to lift up their spirits, Yauco's artists worked on "Yaucromatic", a project to paint colorful murals in in Yauco barrio-pueblo.

Landmarks and places of interest

There are 2 beaches in Yauco, including . Some of the places of interest in Yauco include: At Yauco Pueblo (the historic downtown): * Cesari House, historic house from 1893. * Chalet Amill, Beax Arts-style house from 1914. * Cuesta Los Judios (Spanish for "ascent of the

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

"), next to ''Reparto La Esperanza'' it has a length of 0.21 kilometres. * Filardi House, Beaux Arts-style house from 1916. * Franceschi Antongiorgi House, Beaux Arts-style house from 1907. * González Vivaldi House, Criollo-style house from 1880. * Logia Masónica Hijos de la Luz, the historic masonic lodge from 1894. * Negroni Mansion, also known as the Agostini House, a Classical Revival-style house designed by Miguel Briganti Pinti. * Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church and City Hall at ''Plaza Fernando Pacheco.'' * Nuestra Señora del Rosario Hermitage Ruins, just outside the city center, today a museum and ruins. * Santísimo Rosario School, a school located in a historic building. * Teatro Ideal, a historic theater which was inaugurated on April 24, 1920. * ''Yaucromatic'' painted houses and murals. Elsewhere in Yauco: *Apiturismo honey production farm dedicated to

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...

. *Atolladora Beach, shared with Guayanilla. * Guilarte State Forest, shared with Adjuntas, Guayanilla and Peñuelas. *Hacienda Mireia, also known as Hacienda La Juanita, a historic plantation, is a 50-acre coffee farm. * Lake Luchetti, a reservoir and wildlife refuge named after engineer Antonio S. Luchetti. *Mario "Ñato" Ramírez Torres Municipal Stadium *Mount Membrillo, the highest mountain in the municipality and 9th tallest in Puerto Rico. * Pico Rodadero, the second highest mountain in the municipality. *Raúl "Pipote" Oliveras Vera Coliseum * Susúa State Forest, shared with Sabana Grande. *Tozza Castle, replica of a small castle in Corsica, built by the Gilormini family. *Volkyland Museum, dedicated to the

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

Beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

or Bug. To stimulate local tourism, the

Puerto Rico Tourism Company The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. Ferré's administration (1969-1973) to coo ...

launched the ''Voy Turistiendo'' ("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Yauco page lists the murals at Yaucromatic, the view from the top of a mountain in Sierra Alta called , the , and (for

) a honey production farm in called Apiturismo, as places of interest.

Economy

Yauco's main crops are coffee, plantains, oranges and tobacco. Yauco coffees are a revived specialty origin that, at best, display the qualities that made Jamaica Blue Mountain famous: A deep, vibrant, yet restrained acidity and balanced, gently rich flavor. However, this potentially finest of Caribbean coffees is often marred by inconsistency. Coffee production and sales from Yauco reached faraway places such as Europe in the 19th century and many non-Yauco coffee producers even tried to link their products to the city. Cafe Yaucono is a well-known Puerto Rican coffee brand that is named after Yauco. Yauco also produces textiles and other light manufactured materials. Sartorius pharmaceuticals, located in Yauco, expanded their current operations there in mid 2019.

Culture

Festivals and events

Yauco 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 Yauco include: * Coffee Festival – February *

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Festival - December * – December

DNA Ancestry Tests

Recent genealogical DNA-based testing, which look at specific locations of a person's genome, in order to find or verify ancestral genealogical relationships or to estimate the ethnic mixture of an individual, have found significant Portuguese, Spanish, Native American, Corsican, Irish, Scottish, Germanic European,

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

n and European Jewish DNA presence in individuals who are descendants from inhabitants who were born within the geographical area of Yauco and other parts of southwestern Puerto Rico. These ethnicities have significantly influenced the local culture, to include food, art, some words used in the language, customs, beliefs, and music.

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Yauco is Ángel "Luigi" Torres Ortiz, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was first elected at the 2016 general elections. The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Marially González Huertas and Jamie Barlucea, from the Popular Democratic Party and New Progressive Party, respectively, were elected as District Senators.

Transportation

Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

PRI-2 goes through Yauco. The ''interstate'' highway is designated as such because it receives up to 90% of its funding from the US Interstate Highway System. In 2019, there were 40 bridges in Yauco. A bridge that goes over Yauco River suffered damages during 2017

. A bridge that carries PR-359 would have to be demolished due to damages caused by the 2019–2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The flag of Yauco consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, black the superior and gold the inferior one. The municipal coat of arms is in the center.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Yauco is quartered by a central cross representing

Christendom The terms Christendom or Christian world commonly refer to the global Christian community, Christian states, Christian-majority countries or countries in which Christianity is dominant or prevails.SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christen ...

. In a silver field a gold and black boiler, with seven necks and heads of black serpents in each handle, three to the right hand, confronted with four to the left-hand side. Bordered by a checkered band in gold and black. The second and third quarters, in a field of gold, two coffee plant flowers of five leaves of silver and four red. The coffee plant flower and the coffee grains represent their cultivation in the Yauco municipality. The border of the Arms represents the beads of the rosary. The four-tower crown represents its town status.

Notable people

The following is a list of people born in Yauco. * Elmer Román (born 1972) - 26th Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and 2nd Secretary of Public Safety of Puerto Rico * Johnny Albino (1919–2011) –

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

vocalist * Benny Ayala (born 1951) –

1983 World Series The 1983 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1983 season. The 80th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League champion Baltimore Orioles and the Nationa ...

-winning left fielder for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

* Carmelo Filardi - cartoonist who published El Mundo in 1927 * Harry Fraticelli (born 1944) - singer and musician * Mihiel Gilormini (1918–1988) – airman of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Founded the

Puerto Rico Air National Guard The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) —— is the aerial militia of the Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an Territories of the United States#Unincorporated organized territories, unincorporated territory of the United States of ...

* Francisco Lluch Mora (1924–2006) – poet and history professor * Antonio Mattei Lluberas (1857–1908) – leader of the Intentona de Yauco against Spanish rule * Héctor Andrés Negroni (born 1938) – first Puerto Rican graduate of the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

* Mike Perez (born 1964) – 1990s

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher * Francisco Rojas Tollinchi (1911–1965) – poet and journalist."JUSTIPRECIACIÓN DE LA OBRADE FRANCISCO ROJAS TOLLINCHI"; by Ada Hilda Martínez de Alicea; Dept. Estudios Hispánicos Pontificia Universidad Católica de PR. * José Semidei Rodríguez (1868–1958) – soldier in the Cuban Liberation Army in the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), also known in Cuba as the Necessary War (), fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, the other two being the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Litt ...

, later Cuban diplomat."Historia militar de Puerto Rico"; by Héctor Andrés Negroni (Author); Page 476; Publisher: Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario (1992); Language: Spanish; ; * Ray Suarez –

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

in the 31st ward of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

since 1991

Gallery

Street in Yauco barrio-pueblo.jpg, Street in downtown Yauco Antonio Mattei Lluberas.jpg, Antonio Mattei Lluberas, leader of the Intentona de Yauco José Semidei Rodríguez (1920).jpg, Brigadier General José Semidei Rodríguez, Cuban freedom fighter and diplomat Mihiel_Gilormini.jpg, Brig. Gen. Mihiel Gilormini ColonelNegroni 1985.jpg, Colonel Héctor Andrés Negroni, U.S. Air Force Central plaza in Yauco, Puerto Rico.jpg, Central plaza in Yauco Gaby's restaurant in Yauco, Puerto Rico.jpg, Gaby's restaurant in Yauco Catholic church in Yauco, Puerto Rico.jpg, Catholic church in Yauco Tree in Yauco barrio-pueblo, Puerto Rico.jpg, Central plaza in Yauco Houses on a hillside, view from Yauco barrio-pueblo.jpg, Houses on a hillside, view from Yauco barrio-pueblo

References

External links

Yauco and its barrios, United States Census Bureau

Yauco Municipality on Facebook
{{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico Yauco metropolitan area Populated coastal places in Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1756 1750s establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1756 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1750s in Puerto Rico