Monción is one of the 3 municipalities of the province in Santiago Rodriguez, Dominican Republic. Previously it was called Guaraguanó, a name 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 ...

, but in 1898, the President of the Republic at that time,

Ulises Heureaux Ulises Hilarión Heureaux Leibert (; October 21, 1845 – July 26, 1899) nicknamed Lilís, was Presidents of the Dominican Republic, president of the Dominican Republic from September 1, 1882 to September 1, 1884, from January 6, 1887 to Februar ...

, assigned the name of Monción, in honor of the hero of the

Dominican Restoration War The Dominican Restoration War or the Dominican War of Restoration (), called War of Santo Domingo in Spain (''Guerra de Santo Domingo''),Losada, J. C. (2012). ''Batallas decisivas de la historia de España.'' Ed. Aguilar, pgs. 371-386. was a G ...

, General Benito Monción. In 1907, Monción became the official municipality of the

Monte Cristi Province Monte Cristi () is a Provinces of the Dominican Republic, province in the northwest of the Dominican Republic. The capital city is San Fernando de Monte Cristi (usually simply Monte Cristi). The spelling Montecristi is also seen. The Montecristi p ...

. Then in 1948, when the Province of Santiago Rodríguez was created, it became its municipality. It is located specifically in the southwest part of the province. Its main economic source is the production of

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 ...

, being this municipality, the largest producer of this product in the country, for this reason it is known as the capital of Cassava.

Limits

South:

Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic The Cordillera Central is the highest mountain range in the Dominican Republic and in all of the Caribbean, running through the center of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles. It is connected to the Massif du Nord mountain range in be ...

North:

Mao, Dominican Republic The Dominican city of Santa Cruz de Mao, or simply Mao, is the head municipality of the Valverde province, in the northwest of the country. It is the largest city of the Dominican northwest and the centre of the region. Its name, a Taíno word, ...

East:

San José de las Matas San José de las Matas, also known as Sajoma, is an important Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality (''municipio'') of the Santiago Province (Dominican Republic), Santiago province in the Dominican Republic. The mayor of Sajoma is ...

West: Sabaneta, Dominican Republic

Climate

Monción has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: Aw) with a dry season on winter and a pronounced wet season on summer.

Municipal districts

* Gurabo * Cepillo * Gurabito * Cañada Grande * Meseta * Barrio Nuevo * Mata del Dajao * Jicomé * Cacique * Los Pinos * Mamoncito * Veladero * Bulla * Clavijo * Durán * El Rodeo * Loma del Tanque

Geography

Relief

The municipality of Monción is located at the foot of the Cordillera Central (Hispaniola), surrounded by mountainous areas and beautiful natural landscapes that embellish the environment. To the south of the municipality is the

José Armando Bermúdez National Park José Armando Bermúdez National Park is a Dominican Republic National Park spanning the northern slopes and central portions of the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic, Central Mountain Range. Together with the National Park José del Carme ...

, the most important forest reserve in the region. To the east is the Piky Lora National Park.

Hidrology

The main river that crosses Monción is the Rio Mao, which flows into the Monción Dam in the southern part of the municipality.

Monción Dam

It was inaugurated on September 22, 2001 by President Hipólito Mejía. It is the highest dam in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. In 2003, won the El Puente Alcántara International Prize. The purposes of this are the production of electrical energy, consumption of drinking water, tourism and services for agricultural production in the region.

Demography

For the year 2010, the population was 11,753 inhabitants.

Economy

The main source of economic is the production and export of

. It has more than 50 factories for this product, which makes it the main economic activity. Also the manufacture of

Cabinetmaking A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a Bathroom cabinet, medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically mad ...

products and international remittances, due to the large number of moncioneros residing in 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 this municipality is the main office of the Cooperativa Mamoncito, one of the main savings and credit cooperatives in the country, founded on April 2, 1978 and which has more than 8 offices nationwide.

Art and culture

Festivities

Since 1912, the patronal feasts in honor of San Antonio de Padua in June. In 1913, the Dominican musician Ñico Lora composed the merengue San Antonio, in honor of

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua, Order of Friars Minor, OFM, (; ; ) or Anthony of Lisbon (; ; ; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor. ...

and the moncionero people. Since then, it has been declared as the anthem of this municipality. The festivities begin with the celebration of Holy Mass in the church and then live music where the main orchestras of the country and also local musicians and talents participate. June 13 is for municipal rejoicing and a large part of the population gathers in the central park to celebrate this important day in the municipality. Festivities Since 1912, the patron saint festivities in honor of San Antonio de Padua have been held in June. In 1913, the Dominican musician Ñico Lora composed the merengue San Antonio, in honor of San Antonio de Padua and the moncionero people. Since then, it has been declared as the anthem of this municipality. The festivities begin with the celebration of Holy Mass in the Parish and then live music where the main orchestras of the country and also local musicians and talents participate. On June 12 there is a parade from the community of Cepillo to the municipal park. June 13 is for municipal rejoicing and a large part of the population gathers in the central park to celebrate this important day in the municipality.

Carnival

For the beginning of March, the moncionero carnival celebration takes place for three days.

Field day

In September, the field day is held at the ''Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Mercedes'', owned by the Catholic Church, where hundreds of people gather for the celebration of Mercedes Day.

Tourism

The main tourist attraction is the Monción Dam, in the southern part of the Municipality.

Education

Schools

* ''Juan Pablo Duarte High School'' * ''La Trinitaria School'' * ''Professor Juan Bosch School'' * ''Anastacio Valle School'' * ''San Antonio Labor School'' * ''Juan Francisco Lora Music School'' * ''Cañada Grande School'' * ''Yisel Arias Secondary School'' * ''La Meseta School'' * ''English by immersion''

Health centers

* Monción Municipal Hospital * Dr. Morel Clinic * Dental health

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moncion Populated places in Santiago Rodríguez Province Municipalities of the Dominican Republic