Yauco () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

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 ...

in southern

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Although the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers 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 distric ...

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

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. Yauco is located south of

Maricao Maricao () is a town and the second-least populous municipality of Puerto Rico; it is located at the western edge of the Cordillera Central. It is a small town set around a small square in hilly terrain, north of San Germán, Sabana Grande and ...

Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were 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 amalgam of these. Lares ...

and

Adjuntas Adjuntas (, ) is a small mountainside town and municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwestern portion of the island on the Cordillera Central, north of Yauco, Guayanilla, and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; an ...

; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of

Guayanilla Guayanilla (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located on the southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, east of Yauco; and west of Peñuelas and about west of Ponce. Guayanilla is spread over 16 ...

. 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 The Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in southwestern Puerto Rico. A July 1, 2009 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 125,266, a 6.10% increase over the 20 ...

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 (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

, and

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

. Yauco became a center for

Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico resulted in the 19th century from widespread economic and political changes in Europe that made life difficult for the peasant and agricultural classes in Corsica and other territories. The Second Industrial R ...

in the 19th century due to its geographical similarity to their homeland.

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

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

coffee industry Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of th ...

. 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 The Yauco River ( es, Río Yauco) is a river that goes through Guayanilla and Yauco, municipalities in Puerto Rico. The Antonio Lucchetti Dam and Reservoir is on the Yauco River. Hurricane Maria Significant rainfall from Hurricane Maria on Se ...

, which itself comes from the

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in 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. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

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'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...

'' (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 Agüeybaná II (c. 14701511), born Güeybaná and also known as Agüeybaná El Bravo (English: ''Agüeybaná The Brave''), was one of the two principal and most powerful ''caciques'' of the Taíno people in " Borikén" when the Spaniards first arr ...

), 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 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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

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, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, Scots, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

immigrants arrived in Puerto Rico, attracted by the Spanish Crown's offer of free land. They settled mostly in the south-central region.

19th century Corsican immigration

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

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

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

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...

for centuries until 1768. Historical Corsican Plaque

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

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

and people who came over later from northern and

central Italy Central Italy ( it, Italia centrale or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region, and a European Parliament constituency. Regions Central It ...

(including

Tuscans it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

Ligurians The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named. Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian regio ...

, and

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

) along with, to a lesser extent,

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

and

Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

. It's been part of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

since 1768 but retains a distinct

Italian culture Italy is considered one of the birthplaces of Western civilization and a cultural superpower. Italian culture is the culture of the Italians, a Romance ethnic group, and is incredibly diverse spanning the entirety of the Italian peninsula ...

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

-speaking Republic. In 1768, Genoa officially ceded it to

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), 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 reache ...

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 political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

, 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 (); a ...

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 ''Intentona de Yauco'' (the "Attempted Coup of Yauco") of March 1897 was the second and final major revolt against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, staged by the island's pro-independence movement in the second half of the nineteenth ce ...

(the ''attempted Coup of Yauco''). The revolt, which occurred on March 26, 1897, was organized by

Antonio Mattei Lluberas Antonio Mattei Lluberas (September 7, 1857 – January 15, 1908), was a businessman and politician who in 1897 planned and led the second and last major uprising against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, known as the Intentona de Yauco. Early ...

, Mateo Mercado and Fidel Vélez. They were supported by leaders of

El Grito de Lares ''El Grito de Lares'' (''The Cry of Lares''), also referred to as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, the Lares rebellion, or the Lares revolution, was the first major revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico. The revolt was planned by Ra ...

, the first major independence attempt, who were in exile in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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 ( es, link=yes, Bandera de Puerto Rico) represents and symbolizes Puerto Rico and its people. The origins of the current flag of Puerto Rico, adopted by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 1952, can be traced to 1868, whe ...

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 Colonel Héctor Andrés Negroni (born January 30, 1938) is a United States Air Force officer, historian, senior aerospace defense executive, author, and the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He was commissioned ...

(Author); Publisher: Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario (1992); Language: Spanish; ;

Spanish–American War

In 1898, upon the outbreak of 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 ...

, 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, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

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 an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

, 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 typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

, 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 Civil War and later graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He returned to duty for the Spanish–America ...

. 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 a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

, on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Yauco, leaving entire communities cut-off. The

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. Nat ...

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 devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. Founded in 2010 by chef José Andrés, the organization prepared food in Haiti following its devastati ...

Geography

Yauco is a mountainous municipality located in the Cordillera Central and bisected by the

Río Yauco The Yauco River ( es, Río Yauco) is a river that goes through Guayanilla and Yauco, municipalities in Puerto Rico. The Antonio Lucchetti Dam and Reservoir is on the Yauco River. Hurricane Maria Significant rainfall from Hurricane Maria on Sep ...

. Other rivers in the municipality are the

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 ...

, 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 Alto is a barrio in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,659. Geography Almácigo Alto is located northwest of Yauco Pueblo (downtown Yauco), and it is bounded by barrios Almácigo Bajo to the south, ...

Almácigo Bajo Almácigo Bajo is a barrio in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 5,443. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and becam ...

# Barina # Caimito # Collores # Diego Hernández # Duey # Frailes #

Jácana ''Pouteria multiflora'' is a plant in the family Sapotaceae of the order Ericales. Its English common name is bullytree. Its Spanish common names include jácana, ácana, acana, hacana, or jacana. It is native to North and South America.

Naranjo Naranjo 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. The city lies along the ...

Quebradas Quebradas is a barrio in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 883. A literally means "ravine". History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of ...

Ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk music ...

# Río Prieto # Rubias #

Sierra Alta Sierra Alta is a barrio in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,063. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became ...

Susúa Alta Susúa Alta is a barrio in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,719. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a ...

# Susúa Baja #

Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Yauco barrio-pueblo Yauco barrio-pueblo is a barrio and the administrative center (seat) of Yauco, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,091. As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has a barrio called ''pueblo'' which conta ...

Sectors

Barrios (which are like

minor civil divisions A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau for primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county or county-equivalent, typically a municipal government such as a city, town, or civil township. MCD ...

) and subbarrios, in turn, are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (''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. It is used across discipline ...

. 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 (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

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

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, 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 ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

"), next to ''Reparto La Esperanza'' it has a length of 0.21 kilometres. *

Filardi House The Filardi House ( es, Casa Filardi), also known as Casa Muñoz ( en, Muñoz House), is a historic house with ground-level commercial space in Yauco, Puerto Rico. It is notable for the extensive use of concrete sculptural ornamentation on its faca ...

, 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 ''Teatro Ideal'', also known as La Plaza Theater (Spanish: ''Teatro de La Plaza''), is a historic theater and performing arts venue located in the main town square (''plaza pública'') of Yauco Pueblo, the administrative and historic center of th ...

, a historic theater. * ''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. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

. *Atolladora Beach, shared with Guayanilla. *

Guilarte State Forest Guilarte State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Guilarte'') is one of the 20 forests that make up the public forests system in Puerto Rico. The forest is located in the eastern half of the Central Mountain Range or ''Cordillera Central''. The ...

, 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 Lake Luchetti (Spanish: ''Lago de Luchetti,'' sometimes known as ''Lago de Yauco,'' formerly ''Lago Vegas'') is a reservoir located in the municipality of Yauco, Puerto Rico, in the '' barrios'' of Naranjo and Vegas. The lake was formerly known a ...

, 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 (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

Beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

or Bug. To stimulate local tourism during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico The COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pand ...

, the

Puerto Rico Tourism Company The Puerto Rico Tourism Company ( es, Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico, 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. F ...

launched the ''Voy Turistiendo'' (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The Yauco passport 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 Diego Hernandez 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, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

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, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

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

, Native American, Corsican,

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

, Germanic European,

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

n and

European Jewish The history of the Jews in Europe spans a period of over two thousand years. Some Jews, a Judaean tribe from the Levant, Natural History 102:11 (November 1993): 12–19. migrated to Europe just before the rise of the Roman Empire. A notable e ...

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

In 2019, Angel Luis Torres is the mayor of Yauco. Abel Nazario Quiñones of the New Progressive Party had held the office of Mayor of Yauco since 2000. He succeeded Pedro Jaime Torres by winning the 2000 general election and retained his seat in both

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Nazario took a 50% pay cut which was reversed in 2005, yet his current annual wage of $36,000 is the lowest for any of the 78 Puerto Rican mayors, despite Yauco not being the least-populated municipality or the one with the lowest budget. Yauco belongs to the

Puerto Rico Senatorial district V Puerto Rico Senatorial District V, also known as the Senatorial District of Ponce, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by Marially González Huertas and Ramón Ruiz Nieves (both from the Popular ...

, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012,

Ramón Ruiz Ramón Ruiz Nieves is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Ruiz was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012. Ruiz was elected once again in the election in 2020 as District Senator. Ruiz was born in Arecibo. ...

and

Martín Vargas Morales Martín Vargas Morales (born December 12, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Vargas served as Mayor of Guánica for three consecutive terms (2000-2012). He was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2 ...

, from the Popular Democratic Party, 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, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

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

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 Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...

. 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 ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor variou ...

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. *

Abel Nazario Abel Nazario Quiñones (born 24 June 1970) is former senator at large of the 26th Senate of Puerto Rico and was mayor of Yauco, Puerto Rico. He was first elected in 2000 representing the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was reelected in 2004 , ...

politician and ex mayor *

Elmer Román Elmer L. Román is a former Puerto Rican government official who served as the 26th Secretary of State of Puerto Rico from December 2019 till August 2020, which included the role of Lieutenant Governor, after being designated by Governor Wanda V ...

(born 1972) - 26th Secretary of State of Puerto Rico and 2nd Secretary of Public Safety of Puerto Rico *

Johnny Albino Johnny Albino (December 9, 1919 – May 7, 2011) was a Puerto Rican bolero singer, born in Yauco, Puerto Rico but lived most of his life in Guayama, Puerto Rico. Biography Johnny Albino played and sang through his youth years. It was not un ...

(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 has ...

vocalist *

Benny Ayala Benigno Ayala Felix (born February 7, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball player who had a 10-season career from to . He played outfield, first base, and designated hitter. He played for the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals both of the N ...

(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 National ...

-winning left fielder for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Carmelo Filardi Carmelo Filardi (1900–1989) was a Puerto Rican artist of Italian ancestry, was a cartoonists who had his work published in Puerto Rico's newspaper starting in 1927. He was from Yauco, Puerto Rico and his parents were born in Italy. Filardi ...

- cartoonist who published El Mundo in 1927 * Harry Fraticelli (born 1944) - singer and musician *

Mihiel Gilormini Brigadier General Mihiel "Mike" Gilormini Pacheco (August 3, 1918 – January 29, 1988) was a United States Air Force officer who served in the Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was the recipient of t ...

(1918–1988) – airman of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Founded the

Puerto Rico Air National Guard The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) — es, Guardia Nacional Aérea de Puerto Rico— is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is, along with the Puerto Ri ...

* Francisco Lluch Mora (1924–2006) – poet and history professor *

(1857–1908) – leader of the

against Spanish rule *

(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 academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

* Mike Perez (born 1964) – 1990s

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher *

Francisco Rojas Tollinchi Francisco Rojas Tollinchi (May 30, 1911 – 1965), was a Puerto Rican poet, civic leader and journalist. Early years Rojas Tollinchi (birth name: Francisco Antonio Rojas Tollinchi) was one of five siblings born to Pedro Rojas Perez and Flor ...

(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 Brigadier General José Semidei Rodríguez (September 12, 1868 - February 19, 1958) was a Puerto Rican soldier and diplomat. He participated in Cuban independence movement that immediately preceded the Spanish–American War. Before becoming a b ...

(1868–1958) – soldier in the Cuban Liberation Army in the

Cuban War of Independence The Cuban War of Independence (), 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 Little War (1879–1880). The final three months ...

, later Cuban diplomat."Historia militar de Puerto Rico"; by

(Author); Page 476; Publisher: Sociedad Estatal Quinto Centenario (1992); Language: Spanish; ; *

Ray Suarez Rafael Suarez, Jr. (born March 5, 1957), known as Ray Suarez, is an American broadcast journalist and author. He is currently a visiting professor at NYU Shanghai and was previously the John J. McCloy Visiting Professor of American Studies at Am ...

–

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in the 31st ward of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

since 1991

Gallery

Street in Yauco barrio-pueblo.jpg, Street in downtown Yauco Antonio Mattei Lluberas.jpg,

, leader of the

José Semidei Rodríguez (1920).jpg, Brigadier General

, Cuban freedom fighter and diplomat Mihiel_Gilormini.jpg, Brig. Gen.

ColonelNegroni 1985.jpg, Colonel

, 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 1756 establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1750s in Puerto Rico