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 ...
's fourth highest peak at . It is located on the northern edge
Barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish word that means " quarter" or " neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), social, a ...
Anón in Ponce, close to the border with the municipality Jayuya, and is part of the
Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands.
Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges:
* Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America
** ...
(Central Mountain Range). It is known as ''El Cerro de los Mártires'' ("Mountain of the Martyrs") and characterized as the most infamous peak in Puerto Rico, due to the 1978
Cerro Maravilla murders
The Cerro Maravilla murders, also known as the Cerro Maravilla massacre, occurred on July 25, 1978, at Cerro Maravilla, a mountain in Ponce, Puerto Rico,
which took place here.''Cerro Maravillas.'' Stephen Keeling. ''The Rough Guide to Puerto Rico.'' Page 337. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
Location and access
The peak is located at the end of the 0.5 km-long
Puerto Rico Highway 577
Puerto Rico Highway 577 (PR-577) is a short tertiaryPuerto Rico Highway 143, traveling either westbound or eastbound. PR-143 is a secondary two-way, two-lane mountainous road that is relatively well traveled. The peak's coordinates are: .
The height of the mountain makes for some interesting sights. For example, on clear days both the northern and southern coasts of the island can be appreciated simultaneously. In the winter season, the air is crisp and the temperature at night will usually fluctuate between the 40s and 60s degrees Fahrenheit. The chirping of the familiar " coquis" is prominent after nightfall.
activists
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...
were slain on 25 July 1978 in a police
ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...
(see
Cerro Maravilla murders
The Cerro Maravilla murders, also known as the Cerro Maravilla massacre, occurred on July 25, 1978, at Cerro Maravilla, a mountain in Ponce, Puerto Rico,
.) This controversy has since turned the mountain into a meeting point for supporters of the independence of the Puerto Rican Commonwealth to gather annually to remember the murdered activists and condemn the current colonial status.
Climate
Cerro Maravilla has a
subtropical highland climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(Cfb) under the Köppen climate classification. The surrounding area over 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) is one of the few places in the island to have a true temperate climate. Although the temperature remains mild year round, night temperatures in winter may reach the mid 40s at times.