Río Piedras () ( Spanish for ''stones river'') is a highly urbanized commercial and residential district in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, the capital

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' ...

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 ...

. Adjacent to the Hato Rey business center and concentrated in the barrios of

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

, Universidad, Hato Rey Sur, El Cinco, and Monacillo Urbano, it is about from the

Old San Juan Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...

historic quarter, Condado and Isla Verde resort areas, and SJU airport. It has been the home of the main campus of the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

since 1903, earning the popular name of ''Ciudad Universitaria'' (

college town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

). The largest health institution in the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

, the ''Centro Médico de Puerto Rico'' (Puerto Rico Medical Center), is also located within its limits. Named after the river that flows through it, the ''Río Piedras'' (''stones river''), the district was the downtown center of a former municipality with the same name that was merged into San Juan in 1951. ISS047-E-798 - View of Earth

Name

The district is named ''Río Piedras'' (''stones river'') after the Piedras River, which is within its territorial limits. ''Río Piedras'' was also the name of the former

(1823–1950) for which the district was the downtown and historic center before it was merged with the adjacent municipality of

in 1951.

History

The area where Río Piedras is located today was previously settled by 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 ...

, and archaeological sites have been uncovered nearby in Carolina. The town was founded as El Roble and officially recognized by Spanish Governor Juan de Rivera in 1714. It was settled on the intersection of the Piedras River and the Juan Méndez Creek (part of the Puerto Nuevo River basin). The town eventually adopted the name of that river, ''Río Piedras'', and was proclaimed a municipality in 1823, when the city hall and ''plaza'' (main town square) were built. During the nineteenth century, most of its territory was used for agricultural and livestock-raising purposes.

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 ...

, cotton and coffee were some of the goods produced during this era at the municipality. A road connecting Río Piedras to

was built during this time, along with the first church, ''Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar'', at the site of the modern town ''plaza''. The ''Camino Real'', precursor to the Carretera Central, connected Río Piedras with Caguas and to southern Puerto Rico, was also built before the end of the century. Its location along the ''Camino Real'' between the walled city of San Juan and the rest of the island turned Río Piedras into a commercial hub and junction between the Spanish colonial government and the rest of Puerto Rico. The

was founded in Río Piedras on May 12, 1903 with funds diverted from the former ''Escuela Normal Industrial'' (Normal Industrial School). The

University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (; UPR-RP, or informally La IUPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the largest campus in the University of Puer ...

today one of the largest universities in Puerto Rico. The university was a central part of the commercial and residential development of Río Piedras. The University Botanical Gardens are also located in Río Piedras.

Incorporation into San Juan

The municipality of Río Piedras became part of the capital city of San Juan on July 1, 1951, after the approval of ''Project 177'' by the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. Following the annexation of Río Piedras, the city of

, quadrupled its former size, becoming the largest city in Puerto Rico. With a population of 143,989 in 1950, Río Piedras was the most populous municipality in Puerto Rico before its consolidation with San Juan. The last mayor of the municipality of Río Piedras was Ángeles Méndez de López Corver. The former downtown area of the municipality is today part of the ''barrio'' (district) of

, more popularly known as ''Río Piedras Antiguo'' (Old Río Piedras) and ''Río Piedras Pueblo'' (downtown Río Piedras), and it still preserves its former city hall, town square or plaza, and its cathedral, ''Catedral de San Juan Bautista''.

Paseo de Diego

In July 1980, it was revealed by then Mayor Hernán Padilla, that Calle De Diego, one of the roads with the greatest commercial movement and traffic congestion in Río Piedras, would be converted into a Pedestrian Walkway in the following year. Padilla indicated that the construction of the Pedestrian Walkway, which would extend from the street Ferrocarril to Ponce de Leon Avenue, including a portion of Calle del Carmen, would cost around $1.5 million. On December 5, 1981, the first phase of Paseo De Diego, built by Redondo Construction at a cost of $1,100,000, would be delivered to the Mayor of San Juan before December 18, the date of its official inauguration, four months before the original expected completion time. This would be possible despite the fact that the project had been carried out with the public passing through and shops open. It would have two ornamental fountains, four clocks, attractive light fixtures, and 42 trees that would complement the appearance of Paseo De Diego, which had all the details of a mall, but outdoors. It would officially inaugurate on December 18, of that year.

On November 5, 1983, located on the Paseo de Diego, a 90,000 square foot shopping center Plaza de Diego Mall, would inaugurate with three levels. The first two levels would count with 13 stores, and the third would count with 13 food establishments. It would be developed by Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc., and designed by Huyke, Colón y Asociados. Plaza de Diego Mall Exterior

Symbols

Flag

The flag of Río Piedras consists of a yellow cloth with a wavy blue stripe. The stripe has small white stones crossing it, and symbolizes the

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

that gave its name to the former town. The yellow background represents the sun, progress, and the future.

Geography and climate

The region is mostly flat due to its location in the Northern Coastal Plains of the island. The highest regions are located at the south, mainly in the Caimito and Cupey barrios. The ''Río Piedras'' (or Piedras River) which gives name to the area crosses the region.

Cityscape

Barrios

By 1948, Río Piedras had the following 12 urban barrios: * Buen Consejo * Capetillo * El Cinco * Gobernador Piñero * Hato Rey Central * Hato Rey Norte * Hato Rey Sur * Oriente * Río Piedras Antiguo * Sabana Llana Norte * Sabana Llana Sur * Universidad Buen Consejo, Capetillo, and Río Piedras Antiguo made up the original urban area of the municipality of Río Piedras. The rural zone, 42% of Río Piedras in 1948, were the following six barrios: * Caimito * Cupey * Monacillo * Quebrada Arenas * Sabana Llana Rural * Tortugo

Demographics

Tourism

Tourism spots in Río Piedras include: * The Río Piedras campus of the

(and its theater, bell tower and museums) * , which is a cultural center * Heladería Georgetti, an iconic ice-cream shop * El Churro Bar, popular Mexican taqueria and bar * Plaza del Mercado de Río Piedras, the historic marketplace building in downtown Río Piedras * El Boricua, a popular gathering place for locals and tourists alike

Government

Río Piedras first mayor was Juan de la Cruz in 1814. The last mayor of the municipality of Río Piedras was Ángeles Méndez de López Corver. The Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates the Hogar Intermedio para Mujeres in

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Flo ...

, which opened in 1996.

Education

Río Piedras is perhaps more known for being the site of the main campus of the

. Located in downtown Río Piedras, the university has more than 20,000 students enrolled and a faculty of more than 1,000. Other universities located in what was known as Río Piedras are the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus. Río Piedras also has several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by the

Puerto Rico Department of Education The Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDOE; ) is one of five jurisdiction-wide public education systems in the United States, with Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa being the others. The PRDOE is the state education ...

Transportation

Río Piedras is served by the Tren Urbano metro system with stations at the

and

in downtown Río Piedras. Even though these two stations are considered the current stations at Río Piedras, most of the stops of the train in the municipality of San Juan are located in areas that were part of the municipality of Río Piedras prior to 1951.

Culture

At the heart of Río Piedras lies the Avenida José de Diego, a one-kilometer pedestrianized street with stores and shops. The Río Piedras Plaza del Mercado (the old

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

) is the largest of its kind on the island and features a series of shops that offer goods and services, and it is also popular with students of the university. Ponce de León Avenue is popular with bookstores and small theaters and with students, faculty, and intellectuals in the community.

Notable people

* Luis Torres Díaz lived in the city. * La India *

Tito Nieves Humberto "Tito" Nieves (born June 4, 1958; also known as "El Luciano Pavarotti, Pavarotti de la Salsa") is a Puerto Rican musician who became one of the leading Salsa music, salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s. Early life Humberto "Ti ...

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix ( ; ; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. Widely described as one of the most preeminent actors of his generation and known for Joaquin Phoenix filmography, his roles as dark, unconventional and eccentric charact ...

* Frank H. Wadsworth * Chayanne * Ramón Rodríguez (actor)https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ramon_rodriguez_3 *

Myke Towers Michael Anthony Torres Monge (born January 15, 1994), known professionally as Myke Towers, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. He was recognized as New Artist of the Year by the ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards in 2021 and has been nominated ...

Gallery

File:Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (02).jpg, ''Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar'' in Río Piedras Pueblo. File:Santa Rita, Rio Piedras.jpg, Santa Rita File:Ponce de León avenue opposite Plaza de la Convalecencia, Río Piedras.jpg, Historic buildings and TU Río Piedras station entrance in Plaza La Convalecencia across Ponce de León Ave. File:Casa Georgetti, Río Piedras (02).jpg, Historic Casa Georgetti in

. File:Antigua Casa Alcaldía de Río Piedras.jpg, Former city hall building. File:Calle Ferrocarrill 1018-Río Piedras Antiguo.jpg, Abandoned Creole-style house on Ferrocarril Street.

References

External links

Río Piedras, Puerto Rico – AreciboWeb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Districts of San Juan, Puerto Rico 1714 establishments in the Spanish Empire