Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Aguas Buenas, commonly known as "La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras" or "the city of clear (good) waters,(ˈaɣwaz ˈβwenas) is a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Cidra
Cidra, Puerto Rico
Cidra is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Cayey; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito and Barranquitas; and west of Caguas. Cidra is spread over 12 wards and Cidra Pueblo...
, south of Bayamón
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Bayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
, Guaynabo
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Guaynabo is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan...
and San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
; east of Comerio
Comerío, Puerto Rico
Comerío is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the center-eastern region of island, north of Aibonito; south of Naranjito and Bayamón; east of Barranquitas; and west of Cidra and Aguas Buenas. Comerío is spread over 7 wards and Comerío Pueblo...
; and north-west of Caguas
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
. Aguas Buenas is spread over 9 wards and Aguas Buenas pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Aguas Buenas was originally a sector of CaguasCaguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
known as Aguabuena. In 1798, a group of residents started establishing their houses near some of the rivers in the area and started calling the sector Aguas Claras.
The quantity of residents incremented with time and on July 25, 1832, they organized a meeting and commissioned Francisco de Salas Torres and Ramón Díaz to do the necessary arrangements for the region to be declared a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
. A resident, Julian López, offered part of his estate to be used for the construction of a town square, a church, the city hall, and the priest house.
The town was officially founded on May 25, 1838 and the name was changed to Aguas Buenas. Francisco de Salas Torres was declared the first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. Initially, the economy of the town relied on coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations and commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
. At the end of the 19th century, the town's population was close to 7,000.
In 1906, mayor Don José E. Morales bought nearly six acres of terrain from Don Guillermo Díaz Delgado. In these lands, the sectors of La Pajilla, El Pueblito and El Guanábano were established, expanding the town's area.
Geography
The terrain is moderately mountainous located in the CayeyCayey, Puerto Rico
Cayey is a mountain town in central Puerto Rico located on the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Salinas; and west of San Lorenzo Cayey is spread over 21 wards and Cayey Pueblo...
mountain range ("Sierra de Cayey"), part of the Cordillera Central in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The highest peaks are La Peña, Santa Bárbara, La Tisa, and La Marquesa.
Water features
Several rivers flow through Aguas Buenas. Some of them are the Bayamón RiverRío Bayamón
-History:Before this majestic river came to be what we all know and love today, it was but a mere puddle. As years went by, constant raining made it grow into a big lake. One day a meteor struck. The impact spread the water across the island and, after all that effort, it was reduced to a pond....
, and several small rivers that are part of the Río Grande de Loíza, like Bairoa
Río Bairoa
-See also:*List of rivers of Puerto Rico-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, Caguitas
Río Caguitas
-See also:*List of rivers of Puerto Rico-References:*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map – Caribbean Region *...
, and Cañas.
Cityscape
Aguas Buenas is divided into 10 barrios, including the downtown area:- Aguas Buenas Pueblo
- Bairoa
- Bayamóncito
- Cagüitas
- Jagüeyes
- Juan Asencio
- Mulas
- Mulitas
- Sonadora
- Sumidero
Tourism
Some of the places of the landmarks and places of interest in Aguas Buenas are its town square. The Aguas Buenas Caves are also an important landmark, as well as the Palito and La Tiza mountains.Festivals and events
Several festivals and annual events are held in Aguas Buenas. The SalsaSalsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, Bomba
Bomba
Bomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
& Plena
Plena
Plena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
Festival is held in the late summer, while the Fiestas Patronales
Fiesta patronal
The Fiestas patronales are yearly celebrations held in countries influenced by Spanish culture.A fiesta patronal is usually dedicated to a saint or virgin, who is the patron of whichever city holds the fiesta. Usually, town members adorn the town streets with colorful decorations and other things...
are held in September 8. There's also an Agricultural Fest held in May and the "Festival Folklórico de Campo y Pueblo" in January. The annual Carnival is also held in March.
Economy
After its foundation, the economy of Aguas Buenas relied mostly on coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations. Currently, Aguas Buenas is home to an important egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
producer of the island called Del Campo. The company has over 180,000 laying hens
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
putting out a daily production of 144,000 eggs. There are also several industries of ladies apparel and construction located in the town.
Government
The town's current mayor is Luis Arroyo Chiqués. The city hallCity hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
is located in front of the town square.
Flag
The flag of Aguas Buenas features a blue triangle with the base at the hoist. The triangle has a solitary white star, like the national banner. A second triangle appears interposed with the first one, in yellow, with its point reaching the other end of the flag. The main field of the flag, under both triangles, is color green.Coat of Arms
The coat of arms features a four-paneled shield. The upper left panel shows the Virgin of MonserrateVirgin of Montserrat
The Virgin of Montserrat is a statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ venerated at the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery in the Montserrat mountain in Catalonia....
, while the upper right panel features a Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
, a symbol of the original inhabitants of this region. At the bottom right panel, lies a cornucopia
Cornucopia
The cornucopia or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, nuts, other edibles, or wealth in some form...
containing the native fruit of Aguas Buenas. This panel represents how the agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
was the primary source of income for the town. In the lower left panel, there are four maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
and a güicharo, typical instruments of the "jibaros" of Aguas Buenas and Puerto Rico. The crown, as with other municipalities of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, consists of three towers.
Transportation
To reach the town of Aguas Buenas, visitors must take the Puerto Rico Highway 52 to the city of CaguasCaguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
. From there, road #156 leads directly to the town square. Other roads lead to nearby towns like Comerío
Comerío, Puerto Rico
Comerío is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the center-eastern region of island, north of Aibonito; south of Naranjito and Bayamón; east of Barranquitas; and west of Cidra and Aguas Buenas. Comerío is spread over 7 wards and Comerío Pueblo...
.
Education
There are around 14 public schools in Aguas Buenas. As with all other municipalities, education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of EducationPuerto Rico Department of Education
The Puerto Rico Department of Education is the department of Puerto Rico's government which manages state-operated schools in the United States commonwealth. The department is the equivalent of a state department of education and only one of two composed of a single school district...
. These are divided as follows:
Elementary Schools
- Dr. Gustavo Muñoz Díaz
- Ezequiel Ramos La Santa
- Jagüeyes Abajo
- José R. González
- Luis Santaella
- Luis T. Baliñas
- Mulitas Alvelo
- Ramón Luis Rivera/Juan Asencio
- Santa Clara
Junior High Schools
- Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
- Luis Muñoz Marín
- Su Bayamoncito
- Su Sumidero
High Schools
- Josefa Pastrana
Anthem
By Ramón CintrónAguas claras
Alma limpia del Coquí,
Orgullosos hijos tuyos,
Por haber nacido aquí.
Indio noble que en cueva
nuestro pueblo verde vió.
La Cruz de España en tus venas,
rítmico grito africano
nuestra estirpe delineó.
Tus femeninas montañas,
plenas de café en flor,
cristalinas aguas bañan,
como concierto de amor.
Cabeza de cordillera,
rostro de nuestro país,
el cuatro, triple le cantan,
tierra fértil de abundancia,
de frutos puros de aquí.
Gente clara, gente buena
son tu corazón le aman,
viva Aguas Buenas
¡Aguas Buenas para mí!
Notable "Aguasbonenses"
- Gustavo Muñoz Díaz - Dramatist
- Jacobo Córdova Chirino (1901-1955) - Journalist & Humorist
- José Arsenio Torres - Professor
- Luis Rechani Agrait (1902-1997) - Dramatist
- Pio Rechani - Journalist
- Rafael Nicolau - Journalist
- Josefa Pastrana Lopez (1899-1958) - Professor
Santo Fora lider revolucionario en contra del costo en el alcohol. Residente de Las parcelas Bayamoncito.