Guayanilla (, ) is a

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

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 ...

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 ...

located on the southern coast of the island, bordering 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 ...

, south of

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; and ...

, east of

Yauco Yauco () is a Yauco barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the Yauco barrio-pueblo, downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco ...

; and west of Peñuelas and about west of

Ponce Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 * USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * British sla ...

. Guayanilla is spread over 16 barrios and Guayanilla Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part 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 ...

History

Guayanilla was founded by Puerto Rican

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants) Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...

s. The original name was Guadianilla in memory of a river and town of the same name in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. However, it was changed to ''Guayanilla'' to resemble a native word in the

Taíno The Taíno were a historic 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 late 15th century, they were the pri ...

language. The name Guayanilla is derived from a combination of

Guaynia Guaynia was the territory that stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico in the pre-Columbian era. The Taino ''cacique'' (tribal chief) Agüeybaná ruled the area around Guayanilla when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in ...

and

Santa Maria de Guadianilla Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. The first Europeans settled in this area in 1511. In 1756,

was founded as a

. Then Guayanilla was a borough of Yauco. Due to the very fertile lands and access to the local port where most of the local commerce occurred, Guayanilla became an important agricultural center where sugarcane was cultivated. Guayanilla grew quickly and was established as a separate municipality on February 27, 1833 by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Miguel de la Torre Miguel de la Torre y Pando, conde de Torrepando (13 December 1786, in Bernales – 1843, in Madrid) was a Spanish General, Governor and Captain General, who served in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia and Puerto Rico during the Spanish American war ...

. Puerto Rico was ceded by

in the aftermath 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 = (cl ...

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 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...

and became a territory of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. 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, ...

conducted a

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Guayanilla was 9,540. On September 20, 2017

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in recorded history to affec ...

struck Puerto Rico. In Guayanilla, the hurricane triggered numerous landslides and caused major destruction with an estimated 600 homes losing their roof and 300 homes completely destroyed. Roads, crops and structures were destroyed by the winds and flooding.

2019 - 2020 Earthquakes

On January 6, 2020 a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in Guayanilla and several structures and cars were destroyed. A family of eight escaped a home that was destroyed by the earthquake. On January 7, 2020 a 6.4 magnitude earthquake destroyed the Catholic church in Guayanilla Pueblo.

Geography

Guayanilla is located on the southern coast. The coastline forms the

Guayanilla Bay 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 ov ...

, one of the best natural harbors in Puerto Rico, to the south, also. The nearest city is

, which is to the east. The northern regions are bordered by mountains that reach at 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 ** ...

. In the central regions, the terrain descends where it does not exceed 1,410 feet (430 m). Finally in the coastal plain, the elevations do not exceed . The

Guayanilla Guayanilla (, ) is a Guayanilla barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located on the southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, Adjuntas, east of Yauco, ...

, and Macaná rivers all run through the municipality. 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 ...

briefly runs through the Boca borough, where its exit into the

and accompanying marshlands are located.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Guayanilla 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 athlet ...

. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as , near the center of the municipality. # Barrero #

Boca Boca or BOCA may refer to: Entertainment *''Boca'', a 1994 film starring Rae Dawn Chong * ''Boca'' (2010 film), a 2010 Brazilian film * "Boca" (''The Sopranos'' episode), a 1999 episode of the American television series ''The Sopranos'' *"Boca", a ...

Cedro Cedro refers to the following places: * Cedro, Ceará, municipality in the state of Ceará, Brazil * Cedro, Pernambuco, city in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil * Cedro, Cayey, Puerto Rico Cedro is a barrio in the municipality of Cayey, Puerto R ...

Consejo Consejo is a village in the north of Corozal District, Belize. Consejo is located on a point of land where the bays of Corozal and Chetumal meet. Consejo is about 8 miles (12.9 km) from the district capital of Corozal Town, and across the wate ...

Guayanilla barrio-pueblo Guayanilla barrio-pueblo is an urban Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio and the administrative center (Seat of government, seat) of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, Guayanilla, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,757. As was customar ...

# Indios #

Jagua Pasto Jagua Pasto is a rural barrio in the municipality of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 108. Features and demographics Jagua Pasto has of land area and no water area. In 2010, its population was 108 with a population density of ...

# Jaguas # Llano # Macaná #

Magas Magas (russian: Мага́с) is the capital town of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It was founded in 1995 and replaced Nazran as the capital of the republic in 2002. Due to this distinction, Magas is the smallest capital of a federal subj ...

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...

# Playa # Quebrada Honda # Quebradas #

Rufina Rufina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence. Rufina borders the following municipalities: Dicomano, Londa, Montemignaio, Pelago, Pontassieve, Pratovecc ...

Sierra Baja Sierra Baja is a rural barrio in the municipality of Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 602. Features and demographics Sierra Baja has of land area and no water area. In 2010, its population was 602 with a population density of ...

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 Guayanilla: Magas Abajo, Villa del Carmen in Playa barrio, Piedras Blancas, Playita, and San Pedro.

Tourism

Eatery with flavors menu in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico

There are 17 beaches in Guayanilla. *Places to visit: Mario Mercado Castle, Chorro de Oro Waterfall,

El Convento Cave EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

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''. Th ...

, Emajagua Beach, La Ventana Beach, Tamarindo Beach, Central Rufina Ruins. El Castillo del Niño (The Child's Castle) amusement park. *Festivals: Town

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival ...

(April), Student Festival (May), Beach Festival (May), Cross Festivities (May), Fishing Festival (June), Seafood Festival (June),

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount C ...

Festival (July), Ladies' Marathon (November),

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth wh ...

Festivities (December).

Economy

Industry

The main industries in Guayanilla are the manufacturing of

petrochemicals Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

and the production of electricity by thermoelectrical plants. Guayanilla produces over half of Puerto Rico's electricity. The breakdown of occupations are as follows: *22.2% : Educational, medical, and social services *14.5% : Public administration *14.5% : Construction *11.3% : Manufacturing *9.6% : Retail trade *6.4% : Transportation and warehousing, and utilities *5.3% : Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services *4.5% : Other services *3.6% : Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services *2.9% : Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining *2.3% : Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing *1.8% : Wholesale trade *1.2% : Information

Demographics

According to the

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

in 2000, 99.2%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

of any race. 65.5%

white White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 11.1% black, 19.3% mixed, 5.1% other. There were 7,209 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% were non-families. 15.2% live alone, and 7.1% live alone and were over 65 years of age. The average household size was 3.19, and the average family size was 3.55. The age distribution of the population was 30.0% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% over 65. The median age was 31 years. The median income for a household was $11,361, and the median income for a family was $13,187. The per capita income for the city was $5,954. 57.0% of the population and 54.9% of the families were below the poverty line.

Culture

Festivals and events

Guayanilla celebrates its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

festival in December. 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 Guayanilla include: *Youth Festival – May *Beach Festival – May *Cross Festival – May *Shore Fishing Festival and Triathlon – June *Virgen del Carmen Festival – June *Seafood Festival – June *Farazo Festival – July *Town Carnival – July *International Women's Marathon – November

Government

Like all municipalities in

, Guayanilla is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Nelson Torres Yordán, from the

Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico The Popular Democratic Party ( es, Partido Popular Democrático, PPD) is a political party in Puerto Rico that advocates to continue as a Commonwealth of the United States with self-governance. The party was founded in 1938 by dissidents from the ...

(PPD). The city 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.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

This municipality has a flag.

Coat of arms

This municipality has a coat of arms.

Education

The following schools are located in Guayanilla and students from both schools have participated in the

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

on several occasions: * Escuela Arístides Cales Quirós * Asunción Rodríguez de Sala

Transportation

There are 35 bridges in Guayanilla.

Nazario Collection

The

Nazario Collection The Nazario Collection ( es, Colección Nazario), also known as Agüeybaná's Library ( es, Biblioteca de Agüeybaná, links=no), Father Nazario's Rocks ( es, Piedras del Padre Nazario, links=no), and the Phoenician Rocks ( es, Piedras Fenicias, ...

, a set of inscribed stones discovered by

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

priest and amateur archeologist José M. Nazario (and which popular culture links to

chief

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 ...

), has become a cultural symbol for the municipality. The statuettes serve as the center piece of Guayanilla's Father Nazario Museum of Lithic Epigraphy.

Gallery

Punta Ventana Beach in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico.jpg, The Punta Ventana window feature collapsed during the 2019 earthquakes. Guayanilla Sea.jpg, The Caribbean Sea from Guayanilla Countryside in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico.jpg, View of mountains in the countryside of Guayanilla Guayanilla City Hall.JPG, Guayanilla City Hall BEG Puerto Rico (6682485015).jpg, Guayanilla school band performing at a parade in California, US in 2012 Phormosoma placenta.jpg, Photo by NOAA, Exploring Puerto Rico's Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs (Guayanilla)

References

External links

Guayanilla Municipality on Facebook

Puerto Rico Government Guayanilla
{{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated coastal places in Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1833 Yauco metropolitan area 1833 establishments in the Spanish Empire