Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama (), is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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' ...

on the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

coast of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the center of the

Guayama metropolitan area The Guayama metropolitan area (Spanish: ''área metropolitana de Guayama''), is the smallest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in Puerto Rico, comprising the municipalities of Guayama, Patillas, and Arroyo between the coastal plain and the Sier ...

with a population of 68,442 in 2020.

Etymology and nicknames

The original name of the city is San Antonio de Padua de Guayama, named after the saint

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. ...

; as with other settlement names in Puerto Rico, the name was eventually shortened to ''Guayama''. ''Guayama'' comes from the name of a

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 ...

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), who was leader of the tribes in the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico. The

word ''Guayama'' (''wayama'') is said to mean "great place" or "big open space". Another legend tells that the name of the town comes from the name of a woman called Juana Guayama who is said to have been an early owner of the land around Guayama and granter of the land in modern-day

Machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

where the town was later founded. The first nickname of the city was ''Ciudad del Guamaní'' ("city of the

Guamaní Guamaní is a barrio in the municipality of Guayama, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,455. History Guamaní was in Spain's gazetteers until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms ...

iver Iver is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. In addition to the central nucleated village, clustered village, the parish includes the residential neighbourhoods of Iver Heath and Richings Park and the hamlets o ...

) after the river that crosses the municipality. The name of this river might be related to the name ''Guayama'', and it has been important to the city since its early founding. A more modern and more popular nickname for the city is ''Pueblo de los brujos'' ("town of witches" or "town of warlocks") or ''Pueblo brujo'' ("witch town"). This nickname traces its origins to a popular story that tells that residents of the city would bring a kind of leaf called ''hoja bruja'' ("witch leaf") to

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

games to "scare" the opposing team by pretending to cast spells on them. The town's baseball team then adopted the ''hoja bruja'' as their symbol. Another story tells that the nickname comes from a legendary baseball player from the city's local team, Moncho El Brujo, who according to legend owed his success as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

to witchcraft. Regardless of the origin of the nickname, residents of Guayama are often called ''brujos'' and their

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team now carries the name Brujos de Guayama ("Guayama Warlocks").

History

During the early years of the

Spanish colonization The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It a ...

, the region known today as Guayama was inhabited by

native people. The indigenous population in this area decreased due to slavery and migration to the Lesser Antilles. The following centuries, the region was under attack from the

Taíno rebellion The Taíno are the 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 Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republi ...

, Caribs and

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

. The town was founded on January 29, 1736, as San Antonio de Padua de Guayama by then Spanish Governor Matías de Abadía, although there is knowledge of it being populated by native people as early as 1567. It was Governor Don Tomás de Abadía who officially declared Guayama a "pueblo" (town) with the name of ''San Antonio de Padua de Guayama''. That same year the Catholic church in town,

San Antonio de Padua San Antonio de Padua, or plainly Padua, is a city in the Greater Buenos Aires, in Argentina. It is located in Merlo Partido. The city has an area of and a population of around 38,000. The name commemorates the village founded by Francisco de M ...

, was declared a Parish. In 1776, Guayama had 200 houses, the church and a central plaza and the total population was approximately 5,000 villagers. Construction on Guayama's Parroquial church of San Antonio de Padua began in 1827 and was completed 40 years later. In 1828 the construction of the King's House (Casa del Rey) was completed and the church was rebuilt as well. On April 11, 1832. the Guayama Pueblo was destroyed by fire that burned down 57 houses and 9 huts. The reconstruction of the pueblo followed the rules for all Latin American cities found in the “Compilation of Laws of the Indies,” published in 1680. Streets were laid out in a perfect grid, with straight streets oriented north and south, east and west. The central plaza and the blocks to its east and west are rectangular; almost all the other blocks are square. Guayama territorial order was altered at different times through the years. Some of the most populated neighborhoods were segregated to form new towns. Patillas was established in 1811 as an independent municipality. In 1831, the territory comprised the neighborhoods: Algarrobos, Ancones, Arroyo, Carreras, Guayama Pueblo,

, Jobos,

, and Yaurel. Later, Arroyo was divided into Arroyo Este and Arroyo Oeste and neighborhoods emerged: Pozo Hondo, Palmas de Aguamanil, Caimital, Pitajayas, Cuatro Calles, Sabana Eneas, Palmas, and Salinas. The latter had been segregated from

Coamo Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. The ...

. In 1855, Arroyo was separated to become an independent municipality, taking the neighborhoods: Ancones, Arroyo, Yaurel, Pitajaya, and Cuatro Calles. By 1878, Guayama was a department head including: Comerío (then Sabana del Palmar), Cidra,

Cayey Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north east of Salinas and north of Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east o ...

, Salinas, Arroyo,

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Villa San Lorenzo, town and municipality in Salta P ...

(then called Hato Grande),

Aguas Buenas Aguas Buenas (, ), popularly known as "''La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras''" or "''The City of Clear Waters''", is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Cidra, south of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San J ...

Caguas Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Central Mountain Range, it is bordered by San Juan and Trujillo Alto to ...

, Gurabo, and Juncos. The development continued with the construction of the town cemetery in 1844, the slaughterhouse and meat market in 1851, and a wooden theater of two levels in 1878. By then Guayama had fourteen sugar plantations operating with steam engines and three with ox mills. Also practiced in this municipality was the exploitation of lead mines by the company "La Estrella", owned by Miguel Planellas, as well as the mineral galena, by the company "La Rosita", owned by Antonio Aponte. In 1881, Guayama is declared a Villa (First Order Municipality). During 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 ...

, American forces under 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 ...

landed at Guánica near Ponce on July 25, 1898. The landing surprised the United States War Department no less than the Spanish, as Miles had been instructed to land near

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 War Department learned of the landing through an Associated Press release.) However, en route to Puerto Rico Miles concluded that a San Juan landing was vulnerable to attack by small boats, and so changed plans. Ponce, said at the time to be the largest city in Puerto Rico, was connected with San Juan by a military road, well defended by the Spanish at Coamo and Aibonito. In order to flank this position, American Major General John R. Brooke landed at Arroyo, just east of Guayama, intending to move on

, which is northwest of Guayama, along the road from Ponce to San Juan. General Brooke occupied Guayama August 5, 1898, after slight opposition, in the Battle of Guayama. On August 9, the Battle of Guamaní took place north of Guayama. A more significant battle, the Battle of Aibonito Pass, was halted on the morning of August 13 upon notification of the armistice between the United States and Spain. Puerto Rico was ceded by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the aftermath of the

under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

conducted a

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Guayama was 12,749. After the Spanish–American War, Guayama continued to develop. The Bernardini Theater built by engineer Manuel Texidor y Alcalá del Olmo opened in 1913. The venue, property of attorney Thomas Bernardini, was the scene for artists of international fame. By that time, Guayama was considered one of the most important cities on the island's social scene. Front view of the Guayama Convention Center

Front view of the Guayama Convention Center

In the early twentieth century, there were selected societies such as the 'Coliseo Derkes' and 'Grupo Primavera', which endowed performing arts as well as scientific events. By the mid-twentieth century, Guayama achieved great industrial development, especially with the establishment of Univis Optical Corp., Angela Manufacturing Company and a petrochemical complex of the

Phillips Petroleum Company Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in th ...

. In 1968, the company started production of paraffin, benzene, synthetic fibers, nylon, plastic anhydrous, a of gasoline a day, and many other products. During that same decade agriculture began to decline as a result of

land loss Land loss is the term typically used to refer to the conversion of coastal land to open water by natural processes and human activities. The term ''land loss'' includes coastal erosion. It is a much broader term than coastal erosion because land l ...

, industrialization and the construction of multiple housing developments. The

urban growth Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

affected the

sugar cane industry Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of 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 that are rich in sucr ...

. However, in 1974, 155,595 tons of sugar cane was harvested in the Municipality producing 12,655 tons of refined sugar. In November 2002, AES Puerto Rico opened its

coal power plant A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide there are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations, on average capable of generating a gigawatt each. They generate ...

in Guayama. The company transmits and distributes electricity through a 25-year contract with the

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA; Spanish: ''AEE'') is an electric power company owned by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico responsible for electricity generation, power distribution, and power transmission on the island. PREPA was ...

. The 2012 National

Puerto Rican Day Parade The Puerto Rican Day Parade (also known as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade) takes place annually in the United States along Fifth Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The parade is held on the second Sunday in June, in honor o ...

was dedicated to the Municipality of Guayama and its people. On September 20, 2017

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 ...

struck Puerto Rico. In Guayama, the hurricane triggered numerous landslides and caused major destruction with an estimated 2000 homes losing their roof. The river caused major flooding and people were left with no power. After Hurricane Maria, the people of Guayama resorted to collecting spring water for their drinking water.

Geography

Guayama is located at . The Municipality of Guayama is located on the Southern Coastal Valley region, bordering 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 ...

, south of

; east of Salinas; and west of Patillas and Arroyo. Guayama's municipal territory reaches the central mountain range to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The mountain systems

Sierra de Jájome Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" or "mountain chain" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieve ...

(2,395 feet or 730 meters) and

Sierra de Cayey The Sierra de Cayey ( English: "Cayey Mountains") is one of three subranges of the Cordillera Central mountain range in the main island of Puerto Rico. It is demarcated from the eponymous main subrange of ''Cordillera Central'' by the San Crist� ...

cover some of the municipality area. The highest points are the Cerro de la Tabla (2,834 feet or 863 meters) and Cerro Tumbado (2,450 feet or 746 meters), which are part of the

mountain system. Other elevations are the mountains Garau, Charcas and Peña Hendida. Parts of the Guavate- Carite Forest and the

Aguirre State Forest The Aguirre State Forest (in ) is a nature reserve on the south coast of Puerto Rico and one of the commonwealth's 20 state forests. It mainly consists of mangrove coasts, keys and floodplain forests, and it borders the Jobos Bay National Estuar ...

are in Guayama. The Guavate-Carite Forest, a nature reserve is inhabited by 50 species of birds, making this spot a recognized area for birding and has a reserve with a

dwarf forest file:Hamiguitan bonsai tree.JPG, A "natural bonsai" in the Mount Hamiguitan List of national parks of the Philippines, National Park in the Philippines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site file:Mount Kemiri (8187817161).jpg, An elfin forest in Sumatra ...

that was produced by the region's high humidity and moist soil. The Aguirre Forest includes:

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

tidal flats Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

, bird

rookeries A rookery is a colony of breeding rooks, and more broadly a colony of several types of breeding animals, generally gregarious birds. Coming from the nesting habits of rooks, the term is used for corvids and the breeding grounds of colony-for ...

, research lakes & large

manatee Manatees (, family (biology), family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivory, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing t ...

population. The Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve was established in 1987. The reserve is located between the coasts of Salinas and Guayama, approximately of mangrove forest and freshwater wetlands. The two main components: Mar Negro

forest, which consists of a mangrove forest and a complex system of lagoons and channels interspersed with salt and mud flats; and Cayos Caribe Islets, which are surrounded by

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...

s and seagrass beds, with small beach deposits and upland areas.

Features

* Islands include Cayo Caribes, Isla Morrillito and Mata Redonda. * Carite Dam * Gorges; Barros, Branderí, Cimarrona, Corazón, Culebra, Palmas Bajas, and Salada. * Lakes: Melania Lake,

Carite Lake Lago Carite is a lake located in the municipality of Guayama on the island of Puerto Rico. The lake was created in 1913 Río Chiquito Chiquito River () 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 mountains west of Mon ...

, Río Guamaní,

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

and Río Seco.

Climate

The annual precipitation is approximately and the average temperature is .

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Guayama is subdivided into

barrios Barrios is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Agustín Barrios (1885–1944), Paraguayan guitarist and composer *Ángel Barrios (1882–1964), Spanish guitarist and composer *Arturo Barrios (born 1962), Mexican athlete *B ...

. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as . # Algarrobo #

Caimital Caimital is a barrio in the municipality of Guayama, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,124. History Caimital was in Spain's gazetteers until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of ...

# Carite #

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

Guayama barrio-pueblo Guayama barrio-pueblo is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Guayama, Puerto Rico, Guayama, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 16,891. As was customary in Spain, in ...

# Jobos #

# Palmas #

Pozo Hondo Pozo Hondo is a municipality and village in Santiago del Estero Province in Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South Ame ...

Population, per 2010 census: Algarrobo 6,959; Caimital 4,124; Carite 1,210; Carmen 619; Guamaní 1,455 ; Guayama Pueblo 16,891; Jobos 8,286; Machete 3,846; Palmas 709; Pozo Hondo 1,263; Total 45,362.

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 Guayama: Borinquén, Comunidad Mosquito, Comunidad Puerto de Jobos, Loma del Viento, and Pueblito Del Carmen.

Tourism

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 Guayama page lists , , and , as places of interest.

Landmarks and places of interest

In 2015, Guayama launched its "grastromic route", with certified restaurants to meet the needs of tourists and locals alike. According to a news article by Primera Hora, Guayama has 19 beaches including . Other places of interest in Guayama include: * San Antonio de Padua Church * Guayama Town Plaza (Plaza pública Cristóbal Colón) * Molino y Hacienda Azucarera Vives *

Casa Cautiño Casa Cautiño is a house museum in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The museum collection, administered by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, include works of art, wood carvings, sculptures and furniture built by Puerto Rican cabinetmakers for the C ...

Museum * Centro de Bellas Artes * Teatro Calimano * First Methodist Church (Built in 1902) * Guayama Convention Center * Céntrico Mall * El Legado Golf Resort * Mariposario Las Limas Natural Reserve * Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve * Guavate- Carite Forest *

Carite Lake Lago Carite is a lake located in the municipality of Guayama on the island of Puerto Rico. The lake was created in 1913 Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

, Baxter,

Eli Lilly Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was a Union Army officer, pharmacist, chemist, and businessman who founded Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and recruited a company of men to ...

, and Tapi. A coal power plant operated by AES.

Health facilities

The San Lucas Episcopal Hospital, located on Pedro Albizu Campos Avenue and operated by the

Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico The Episcopal Church Diocese of Puerto Rico () is a diocese of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church in Puerto Rico. Under Spanish rule, Puerto Rico was part of a Roman Catholic-affiliated monarchical Spanish government for ove ...

and the Santa Rosa Hospital are the main medical facilities in Guayama. The

Veterans Health Administration The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a Nationali ...

operates a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (COBC) in the Municipality.

Culture

Guayama is the birthplace of numerous artists and musicians who have significantly influenced Puerto Rican culture. During the 20th century, the literary culture of the city was influenced by performers including Afro-Antillano genre poet

Luis Palés Matos Luis Palés Matos (March 20, 1898 – February 23, 1959) was a Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano. He is also credited with writing the screenplay for the "Romance Tropical", the first Puerto ...

and his father Vicente Palés Anés. Music composer Catalino "Tite" Curet Alonso who became a composer of over 2,000 salsa songs is also from Guayama, even though he was raised in the Santurce section of San Juan. Other performers born in Guayama include actresses Gilda Galán and Karla Monroig. The

Museum is administered by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and include works of art, wood carvings, sculptures and furniture built by Puerto Rican cabinetmakers for the Cautiño family. The museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Festivals and events

Guayama 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 June. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. named after a famous Puerto Rican horse is held each March in Guayama. , the most influential sire in the modern Puerto Rican

Paso Fino The Paso Fino is a naturally gaited light horse breed dating back to horses imported to the Caribbean from Spain. ''Pasos'' are prized for their smooth, natural, four-beat, lateral ambling gait; they are used in many disciplines, but are especi ...

breed, was born in Guayama. Other festivals and events celebrated in Guayama include: * Witches Carnival – March * Guayama Carnival – April * Sweet Dreams Fair – March *

Jíbaro Jivaro or Jibaro, also spelled Hivaro or Hibaro, may refer to: * Jíbaro (Puerto Rico), mountain-dwelling peasants in Puerto Rico * Jíbaro music, a Puerto Rican musical genre * Jivaroan peoples, indigenous peoples in northern Peru and eastern ...

Festival – October * Puerto Rican Week – December

Sports

Guayama had one of the Professional Baseball League founding teams, which won the Championship the first years of the league, 1938–39 and 1939–40. Guayama has a baseball team (Brujos de Guayama) in the

Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico ' ("Double-A Baseball"), governed by the ' (Puerto Rico Amateur Baseball Federation), is a Puerto Rican amateur spring and summer baseball league, founded in 1940 and based in San Juan. The season normally starts in mid to late February and end ...

that won the national championship in 1987. Guayama also used to have a basketball team in the Puerto Rico's BSN (Brujos de Guayama) that went to the League finals twice back in 1991 and 1994 but lost both times to eventual champions Atleticos de San German, it was announced that the team will return for the league's 2012 season. The Guayama Convention Center hosted some of the roller skating events for the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

that took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico from July 18, 2010, to August 1, 2010. El Legado Golf Resort, a 285 acres, 18 hole golf course founded in 2002 by Puerto Rican golf player Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez. The Guayama Football Club, founded in 1949, plays in the

Liga Puerto Rico The Liga Puerto Rico (LPR) is an amateur football competition organized by the Puerto Rican Football Federation. It is the top division football league on the island. The champion qualifies to participate in the Caribbean Club Shield each season ...

Demographics

As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the center of the

, which was home to 68,442 in 2020. In terms of race and ethnicity, the 2010 U.S. Census stated the following concerning Guayameses: *White: 72.8% (33,025) *Black: 22.9% (10,367) *American Indian/Indigenous: 1.7% (769) *Asian: 0.2% (108) *Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.1% (51) *Some Other Race: 8.3.% (3,746)

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Guayama is O'brain Vázquez Molina, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was first elected at a special election held on May 7, 2022, and then re-elected at the 2024 general elections. The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024,

Rafael Santos Ortiz Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California Fiction * ''Rafael'' (TV series), a Mexican telenovela * ''Rafaël'' (film), a 2018 Dutch film People * Rafael (footballer, born 1978) ( ...

and

Wilmer Reyes Berríos Wilmer or Wilmers may refer to: Places *Wilmer, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community * Wilmer, Louisiana, United States, an unincorporated hamlet *Wilmer, Texas, United States, a city * Wilmer, British Columbia, Canada, a settleme ...

were elected as District Senators.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The flag of Guayama is made up of three stripes of different colors: black, yellow, and red from top to bottom. The black stands for the enslaved Africans brought to Puerto Rico, many to Guayama. The yellow represents sugar cane industry in Puerto Rico and the significance of Guayama's sugar plantations. The red symbolizes the blood shed by

Indians in their fight against the Spanish/European colonizers. To the left of the top stripe we can see the Old Mill, which today is known as the Molino de Vives.

Coat of arms

The shield is divided in four parts and in two of them part of a chessboard appears. The chessboard pattern represents the center of the city, which resembles a chessboard. It has two old mill towers. The laurel trees constitute a representation of the beautiful Recreation Plaza very well known for its trimmed trees. The three silver flowers symbolize San Antonio de Padua, patron of Guayama. The crown represents Cacique Guayama, name of the town. The big crown has four towers.

Education

The education system in Guayama has three public high schools, which are Francisco Garcia Boyrie, Adela Brenes Texidor and Dr. Rafael Lopez Landrón, and one vocational high school, Dra. Maria Socorro Lacot. Guayama also has a campus of the Puerto Rico Institute of Technology and the

Inter American University of Puerto Rico The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has ...

, Guayama campus (''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Guayama'' in Spanish
Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico – Recinto de Guayama
. It also has several private schools such as Academia San Antonio, Guamaní Private School, Saint Patrick's Bilingual School, Colegio Catòlico San Antonio, Fountain Christian Bilingual School, Escuela Superior and Academia Adventista Tres Angeles and more than 12 other public schools in the elementary and intermediate education levels.

Transportation

Guayama is served by multiple state highways, principally Puerto Rico Highway 54,

Puerto Rico Highway 53 Puerto Rico Highway 53 (PR-53) or unsigned Interstate PR3 is a main tollway that is parallel to Puerto Rico Highway 3, which goes from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Fajardo to Salinas, Puerto Rico, Salinas. Some segments are still in planning, but when ...

, PR-3, PR-15, PR-179, PR-744, PR-748, and PR-7710. PR-54 serves as a ''by-pass'' route to PR-3 which crosses the ''pueblo''. PR-54 also serves as the main route towards PR-53, connecting Guayama to the neighboring town of Salinas and PR-52, providing expressway access towards Ponce, San Juan, and Caguas. Just north of the Guayama ''barrio-pueblo'' is PR-748, which, along with the ''Conector Dulce Sueño'' forms a ring around Guayama’s urban area. PR-748 intercepts Olimpo and Caimital, eventually intersecting with the rural PR-15, connecting Guayama with Cayey. PR-179 is born out of PR-15, serving as the main route through barrios Guamaní and Carite until its intersection with PR-184 in Cayey. Just south of Guayama’s main urban area, PR-3 continues on its way to Salinas. It crosses through Jobos, right in front of its parish and continues to Salinas. PR-7710 serves as the only route to the coastal sector of Pozuelo, offering some of the best beaches Guayama has to offer. The Municipality is only away from Ponce and from San Juan via expressways PR-53 and PR-52. The nearest international airport is the

Mercedita Airport Mercedita International Airport (AIM) () is an international airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The airport covers 270 '' cuerdas'' (approx. 262.2 acres) of land ...

in Ponce. At one time during 1937, Guayama received domestic, commercial airline flights from San Juan on Puerto Rico's national airline,

Puertorriqueña de Aviación Puertorriqueña de Aviación, previously known as Aerovías Nacionales de Puerto Rico (alternatively known as ANPRI) was an airline company that operated during the 1930s. It was the first documented attempt by Puerto Rican people, Puerto Ricans t ...

. There are 28 bridges in Guayama.

Notable ''Guayameses''

* Jose C. Aponte Garcia - Puerto Rico Prosecuting Attorney during the Administrations of Luis Munoz Marin, Roberto Sanchez Vilella; Secretary of Justice during Roberto Sanchez Vilella's Administration *

Modesto Cartagena Sergeant First Class Modesto Cartagena de Jesús (July 21, 1921 – March 2, 2010) was a member of the United States Army who served in the 65th Infantry Regiment, a military regiment consisting of Puerto Rican enlisted soldiers and officers fr ...

- Purple Heart recipient * Catalino (Tite) Curet Alonso - composer of over 2,000 salsa songs. *

Diosa Costello Juana de Dios Castrello, better known as Diosa Costello (April 23, 1913 – June 20, 2013), was a Puerto Rican entertainer, performer, producer and club owner,Luis Palés Matos Luis Palés Matos (March 20, 1898 – February 23, 1959) was a Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano. He is also credited with writing the screenplay for the "Romance Tropical", the first Puerto ...

- Puerto Rican poet who is credited with creating the poetry genre known as Afro-Antillano. *

Gilda Galán Gilda Galán (January 16, 1917 – June 21, 2009) was a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, writer, composer, scriptwriter and poet. The veteran actress, whose career spanned decades, enjoyed one of the longest careers in the history of the Puerto ...

- Puerto Rican actress, dramaticist, comedian, writer, composer, scriptwriter and poet. *

Rafael Pérez Perry Rafael Pérez Perry (October 24, 1911 – May 10, 1978) was a businessman and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's radio and television broadcasting industry. He owned one of the most successful radio stations on the island (WKBM AM) and in 1954 founded P ...

- Businessman and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's radio and television broadcasting industry. In 1954 founded Puerto Rico's television Channel 11 (nowadays

Univision Puerto Rico WLII-DT (channel 11), branded on-air as , is a television station licensed to Caguas, Puerto Rico, serving the Territories of the United States#Permanently inhabited territories, U.S. territory as an affiliate of Univision and UniMás. Owned b ...

). *

Miguel Poventud Miguel Poventud a.k.a. "El Niño Prodigio de Guayama" and "Miguelito" (August 4, 1942 – March 3, 1983), was a Puerto Rican musician, singer, actor and composer of Boleros. Among the singers who have interpreted his musical compositions are ...

- Puerto Rican musician, singer, actor and composer of Boleros. * Pedro Garcia - Major League Baseball player for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

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, and the

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Karla Monroig Karla Monroig (; born March 5, 1979, in Guayama, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, model and television host. Early years Karla Monroig was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, located on the southern coastal valley region of the island of Puert ...

- Telenovela actress, model and television host. *

Roger Moret Rogelio "Roger" Moret Torres (September 16, 1949December 7, 2020) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher from 1970 to 1976 and in 1978 for the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and the T ...

- Former

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 *

Juan Laporte Juan Laporte, also known as Juan La Porte (born November 24, 1959) is a former boxer who was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico. In 1982, La Porte won the vacant WBC featherweight title, forcing undefeated Colombian Mario "Martillo" Miranda to quit ...

-Former WBC featherweight boxing champion (1982–1984) * Jaime Fuster Berlingeri- Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and former Resident Commissioner to the U.S. Congress. *

Marcos Crespo Marcos A. Crespo (born July 29, 1980) is a former Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 85th Assembly District, which includes the Soundview, Clason Point, Longwood, and Hunts Point sections of the South Bronx. B ...

- Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 85th Assembly District. *

Carmelo Delgado Delgado Carmelo Delgado Delgado (April 20, 1913 – April 29, 1937) was a leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Delgado joined the Abraham Lincoln International Brigade and fought against the Spanish Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. ...

- Leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Is thought to be the first U.S. citizen to die in Spain's civil war. *Dr.

Victor Manuel Blanco The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

PhD - Scientist and astronomer who in 1959 discovered "Blanco 1," a galactic cluster. * Eddie Rosario - Major League Baseball player for the

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and was the

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MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

. * Leopoldo Santiago Lavandero (1912-2003) - playwright, theater producer and teacher. * Plan B - reggaetón duo with multiple songs on the

Billboard Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, r ...

charts. *

Ricky Sánchez Ricardo "Ricky" Sánchez Rosa (born July 6, 1987) is a Puerto Rican professional basketball player who most recently played for Grises de Humacao of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers out of IMG ...

- Former basketball player, drafted by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Gallery

Guayama Convention Center.jpg, The Guayama Convention Center Plaza Guayama Mall Entrada.jpg, Plaza Guayama Mall Plaza Colón de Guayama.JPG, The central plaza and church of San Antonio de Padua in Guayama

References

External links

Official page of the Municipality of Guayama
(In Spanish)
Official Tourism Page of Guayama
(In Spanish)
Historic Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, a National Park Service Discover
{{Authority control * Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated coastal places in Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1736 Guayama metropolitan area