Misplaced Pages

#617382

42-458: Añasco ( Spanish pronunciation: [aˈɲasko] , locally [aˈɲaʔko] ), named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located on the west coast of the island bordering the Mona Passage to the west, north of Mayagüez , and Las Marias ; south of Rincón , Aguada , and Moca and west of San Sebastián and Las Marias . It

84-552: A AA baseball team called the Fundadores de Añasco. It is also known for being the hometown of some amateur boxing prospects like Samuel Figueroa . In 2016 the municipal government reported a budget surplus of $ 1.3 million nonetheless the government also indicated that the municipal debt was $ 13 million. Sugar cane had been cultivated in Añasco as early as the 16th century . The earliest known sugar mill ("ingenios") operator around

126-684: A municipal legislature as the form of government. Each legislature must be unicameral , with the number of members related to adequate representation of the total population of the municipality. In contrast to other jurisdictions, both the mayors and the municipal legislators are elected on the same date and for the same term of four years in office. From a political and ekistic perspective, several differences and similarities exist between municipalities of differing population sizes. For instance, municipalities with 50,000 inhabitants or more are considered incorporated cities , while those with fewer than 50,000 are considered incorporated towns . Size affects

168-546: A "Christian Village" in western Borinquen , calling it San Germán. This was the second attempt of foundation given in 1511 at the mouth of the Guaorabo River (present day Rio Añasco ), near the area known today as Añasco, Puerto Rico. This first settlement was attacked in 1528, 1538, and again in 1554. A fort to protect this town began in 1540, but its construction was suspended in 1546 when the people decided to move inland being tired of attacks. Attacks by Carib Indians forced

210-589: A certain amount of social exclusion . 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 Añasco: Cerro Gordo, Corcovada, Hatillo, Miraflores, and Caguabo barrios, Comunidad La Playa, Parcelas Josefa (Comunidad Espino), Parcelas Marías, Piñales (La Choza) , and Zumbadora sector in Río Arriba barrio. Like most of

252-589: A passport book with a page for each municipality. The Voy Turisteando Añasco passport page lists Casco Urbano , Mirador de la Bahía , and restaurants on Puerto Rico Highway 115 as places of interest. Añasco celebrates its patron saint festival in January. The Fiestas Patronales de San Antonio Abad 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 Añasco include: Añasco has

294-532: A reference to the legend of Spanish conquistador Diego Salcedo , who according to the story was drowned by the indigenous Taíno in order to prove that the European colonizers were not immortal deities; and Pueblo del Hojaldre (" Puff Pastry Town") after the hojaldre , a type of puff pastry the municipality is famous for. Although the Bahía de Aguada (Aguada Bay) in the neighboring town of Aguada , commonly known as

336-582: A small barrio referred to as "el pueblo" , near the center of the municipality. Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions ) 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. Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing

378-498: A wide-extending township in New England—like Plymouth, Massachusetts, or Barnstable, on Cape Cod comprising a central town or city with perhaps several outlying districts or barrios, usually rural in character, and occasionally having sizeable concentrated populations in villages, the municipality bearing the name of the central urban portion and all under one local government. Having been a Spanish possession until 1898,

420-445: Is San Juan , with 342,259, while Culebra is the smallest, with around 1,792. Arecibo is the largest in terms of geography, with around 125 mi , and Cataño the smallest, with around 4.8 mi . All municipalities have a barrio called pueblo proper, officially called barrio-pueblo (literally "district-town"), which typically is the site of the historic Spanish colonial settlement, administrative center and urban core of

462-756: Is a well-known Añasco beach which remained closed for more than two years after Hurricane Maria destroyed it in September 2017. It was set to reopen in 2020 after many renovations which continued into February 2020. Some other beaches and places of interest in Añasco include: To stimulate local tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico , the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured

SECTION 10

#1733084570618

504-409: Is composed of barrios , except for Florida , which has only one barrio. The municipality of Ponce has the largest number of barrios, 31. Every municipality, except San Juan, also has an urban area made up of one or more barrios. When the urban area is made up of only one barrio, it is called " Barrio Pueblo ". Some urban areas are made up of multiple barrios: Ponce's urban area, for example,

546-407: Is made up of 12 barrios. All of San Juan's barrios are urban barrios, and the municipality of San Juan is composed of urban barrios only - thus, the entire municipality of San Juan consists of one large urban zone. For a list of municipal demonyms Puerto Rico is administratively divided into the following 78 municipalities (alphabetically ordered): The following is an alphabetical list of

588-532: Is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area . The name Añasco comes from Don Luis de Añasco, former owner of the land where the town and municipality were founded. This family name is of Spanish origin from the province of Extremadura . Some of the municipality's nicknames include: La ciudad donde los dioses mueren ("The city where gods die") and Los nativos ("the natives") are

630-605: The Americas , in Haiti in Hispaniola . The town of Añasco was founded on October 18, 1733, and named after Don Luis de Añasco, a colonist from the Extremadura region of Spain who came to Puerto Rico with Juan Ponce de León . Añasco was founded by the initiative of rich landowner Don José de Santiago, who wanted to establish the villa in properties owned by Don Luis de Añasco. The property

672-589: The Ciudad del Descubrimiento (City of the Discovery) , has historically been recognized as the location where Christopher Columbus first landed in Puerto Rico during his second voyage on 19 November 1493, it is believed by most historians that Bahía de Añasco (Añasco Bay) in Añasco was the place of Columbus’ first landing and stay of two days in Puerto Rico before continuing to La Navidad , first European settlement in

714-754: The Southern Spanish dialect , and the Spanish colonial architecture . Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States . In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Añasco was 13,311. There are 18 beaches in Añasco. Tres Hermanos Beach

756-463: The Añasco area was Tomás de Castellón in 1523. Añasco has also been a place for fruits and coffee cultivation. All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor , elected every four years. The current mayor of Añasco is Kabir Solares García, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected at the 2020 general elections and is currently serving his first term after defeating

798-453: The Añasco's coat of arms, with the only exception the silver parts on the coat of arms are white on the flag. The green field of the shield contains a saber cross massed in black, outlined in silver, and has a gold scallop shell in each quadrant formed by a cross fleury . A gold mural crown of three towers crests the shield. Municipalities of Puerto Rico The municipalities of Puerto Rico ( Spanish : municipios de Puerto Rico ) are

840-602: The Christian teachings wielded by Catholic priests—they sat around for three days waiting for Salcedo to come back from the dead, but all they saw was Salcedo's body rotting due to the heat just as they would. At that moment the Tainos realized that these were no gods. It was with Salcedo's death that the Taínos were encouraged to declare war on the Spaniards in Puerto Rico. This led to

882-429: The Puerto Rico legislature, under pressure from the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico, passed a law consolidating the then-76 municipalities of Puerto Rico into 46. The law was repealed three years later. In October 2009, a Puerto Rican legislator proposed a bill that would reduce the current 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico down to 20. The bill called for a referendum to take place on June 13, 2010, which would let

SECTION 20

#1733084570618

924-533: The Taino rebellion of 1511. However, the Tainos were quickly defeated due to the Spaniards' better weaponry and war expertise. After the death of Agüeybaná II, the native warriors retracted and became disorganized. Agüeybaná II's followers opted for engaging the Spaniards via guerilla tactics. Such guerilla warfare lasted for the next eight years, until 1519. A second round of raids erupted in 1513 when Ponce de Leon departed

966-428: The autonomy exercised by the jurisdiction: cities provide and manage their own services, while towns typically depend on nearby cities for certain services. Demographically, municipalities in Puerto Rico are equivalent to counties in the United States, and Puerto Rican municipalities are registered as county subdivisions in the United States census . Statistically, the municipality with the largest number of inhabitants

1008-490: The east. The Mona Passage lies to the west of the town. The Añasco terrain is mostly plain but features a series of hills and mountains like Canta Gallo (1,194 feet, or 364 meters), Gordo and Pichón (both at 1,115 feet, or 340 meters). It is also crossed by several rivers like Icaco River, Caguabo River, La Balsa, and others. Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Añasco is subdivided into barrios . The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in

1050-472: The first settlers to the area came from the Canary Islands and the south of Spain . The 1918 San Fermín earthquake destroyed Añasco's parish church, the town hall and other buildings, almost eliminating most of the historic downtown structures. Hurricane María on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Añasco. In some areas of Añasco there were more than 25 landslides per square mile due to

1092-523: The form of counties but he resigned prior to anything coming of his proposal. Diego Salcedo (soldier) According to the story, Salcedo died in 1511, during a trip to Puerto Rico, when Taínos , under the command of Agüeybaná II (brother of the great Taino Cacique Agüeybaná ) and the Cacique of Añasco , Urayoán , drowned him in the Río Grande de Añasco . Historically, two versions about how Salcedo

1134-498: The incumbent mayor Jorge Estévez Martínez . The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV , which is represented by two Senators. In 2020, Ada García Montes and Migdalia González were elected as District Senators. There are 22 bridges in Añasco, and many sustained damages on September 20, 2017, when Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Department of Education operates several public schools in

1176-452: The island to explore Florida. The settlement of Caparra , the seat of the island government at that time, was sacked and burned by an alliance between Taínos and natives from the northeastern Antilles. By 1520 the Taíno presence on the island had almost disappeared. A government census in 1530 reports the existence of only 1,148 Taínos remaining in Puerto Rico. However, oppressive conditions for

1218-530: The municipalities and their population together with a breakdown of their racial composition. The municipalities elect a mayor and a municipal legislature in the general elections every four years. In 2012, 36 of the 78 municipalities (46%) were experiencing a budget deficit . In total, the combined debt carried by the municipalities stands at about US$ 590 million. Multiple times, politicians have discussed and proposed consolidating Puerto Rico's municipalities but so far no proposals has been adopted. In 1902

1260-482: The municipalities are considered county equivalents . The municipalities are grouped into eight electoral districts , but these do not possess administrative functions. In 1991, the Autonomous Municipalities Act was passed, which slightly modified the rights and responsibilities of Puerto Rican municipalities with the aim of decentralizing control and improving government services. Every municipality

1302-472: The municipality, including two bilingual schools, Antonio Gonzalez Suarez Regional Bilingual Elementary School and Sergio Ramirez de Arellano-Hostos Regional Bilingual Secondary School , the first public bilingual schools on the island. There are also private bilingual schools in the municipality, such as Colegio de la Salle and MAS Integrated School . The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms. The flag colors, design and symbolism are taken from

Añasco, Puerto Rico - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-660: The municipality. However, municipalities with large populations may have an urban core that consist of several barrios. In Recent Civic Architecture in Porto Rico by Adrian C. Finlayson, architect for the Insular Department of the Interior Architecture, writing for the publication Architectural Record in 1920, the Puerto Rican municipality is accurately described as: Not merely a city, but something similar to

1386-539: The people decide on the matter. However, the bill never made into law. With the Puerto Rican government-debt crisis that emerged in the first half of 2010s, a new plan to consolidate municipalities was again circulated in the legislature in 2017 as a way to alleviate the government debt crisis. In March 2019, then Governor Ricardo Rosselló created an initiative that would preserve the existing municipalities but create regional consolidation by sharing service overhead in

1428-511: The people of Puerto Rico , the Añasco population originated with the Taino Indians and then by immigrants from Spain that settled the central highland, most prominently the Andalusian and Canarian Spanish migration who formed the bulk of the jibaro or white peasant stock of the island. The Andalusian and Canarian Spaniards also influenced much of the Puerto Rican culture which explains

1470-607: The population to move south inland to the present site of the present town of San Germán. The Añasco River is also claimed to be the site of the popular legend of the drowning of the Spaniard Diego Salcedo in 1511 at the hands of the Taínos , proving the Spanish soldiers were not gods and igniting a revolt. It is believed that the revolt was led by the cacique " Cacique Chayoán" (Uruyoán) and suppressed by Spanish soldiers. Many of

1512-568: The second-level administrative divisions in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico . There are 78 such administrative divisions covering all 78 incorporated towns and cities . Each municipality is led by a mayor and divided into barrios , third-level administrative divisions, though the latter are not vested with any political authority. Every municipality is governed as stated by the Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991 , which establishes that every municipality must have an elected strong mayor with

1554-486: The significant amount of rainfall. Barrio Playa was particularly affected with about 96% of the homes under water. Bridges in and around Añasco sustained extensive damage as a result of Hurricane María. Añasco is located in the Coastal Plains of the west, bordered by the Río Grande de Añasco . It is bordered in the north by Rincón , Aguada , and Moca ; Mayagüez to the south; and San Sebastián and Las Marías to

1596-400: The surviving Taíno continued. Many of those who stayed on the island soon died either due to cruel treatment or the smallpox epidemic, which attacked the island in 1519. A local legend tells of a ghostly Taino woman, supposedly Salcedo's lover, that still haunts the site of his drowning at Añasco. This belief is exemplified by a verse in the town's anthem: History tells that here Salcedo

1638-474: The system of local government in Puerto Rico bears more resemblance to that of the Hispanophone nations of the Americas than to local government in the United States . Thus, there are no literal first-order administrative divisions akin to counties , as defined by the U.S. Federal Government . Instead, Puerto Rico has 78 municipalities as the secondary unit of administration. For U.S. Census purposes,

1680-401: Was dead. A third, and most accepted version of Salcedo's death says that the Tainos, fearing that the Spaniards might be gods, refrained from harming them. After suffering under the Spaniards for so long, the Tainos, by order of Agüeybaná, ambushed Salcedo as he was drinking water at the edge of a river. Fearing that Salcedo might resurrect after three days—based on their understanding of

1722-431: Was located on the margins of the río Guaorabo , as the Taínos called it. Añasco town was preceded by the first settlement in the western part of Puerto Rico, San Germán . In November 1511, Juan Ponce de León handed over governorship to Juan Cerón , a lieutenant of the viceroy Diego Colon (son of Cristobal Colon or Cristopher Columbus ). Cerón ordered Miguel de Toro, a lieutenant of Juan Ponce de León, to create

Añasco, Puerto Rico - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-460: Was lured to his death have collided. Many books assert that the soldier had been told he'd be taken to a lake filled with Taíno women that he could have sex with, and, once there, he found not women, but men who then proceeded to drown him. The other version has Salcedo being offered a ride across a river by Taínos who carried him on their arms, and then drowned him and kept him for days, afraid he'd still be alive and waiting until they were certain he

#617382