Añasco, Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Añasco named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, 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 on the west coast of the island bordering the Mona Passage to the west, north of Mayagüez
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
, and Las Marias
Las Marías, Puerto Rico
Las Marías is a municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Maricao; southeast of Añasco; south of San Sebastián; east of Mayagüez; and west of Lares...
; south of Rincón
Rincón, Puerto Rico
Rincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
, Aguada
Aguada, Puerto Rico
Aguada is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located in the western coastal valley region bordering the Atlantic Ocean, west of Rincón, Aguadilla and Moca; and north of Anasco. It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Moca
Moca, Puerto Rico
Moca is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of Añasco; southeast of Aguadilla; east of Aguada; and west of Isabela and San Sebastián. Moca is spread over 12 wards and Moca Pueblo...
and west of San Sebastián
San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
San Sebastián is a municipality of Puerto Rico located northwest of the island south of Isabela and Quebradillas; north of Las Marías; east of Moca and Añasco; and west of Lares. San Sebastián is spread over twenty-four wards and San Sebastián Pueblo...
and Las Marias. It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The town was founded on October 18, 1733 and named after Don Luis de Añasco, a colonist from the ExtremaduraExtremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
region of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
who came to Puerto Rico with Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
. 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 was located on the margins of the río "Guaorabo
Rio Grande de Añasco
The Rio Grande de Añasco is a river in western Puerto Rico. Its source is in the Cordillera Central mountain range west of Adjuntas, and it flows about 40 miles westwards to its mouth on the Mona Passage north of Mayagüez.-References:*Añasco River. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America...
", as the Taínos called it.
Anasco town was proceeded by the first settlement of San German.In Novermber 1511, Juan Ponce de Leon handed over governorship to Juan Ceron, a lieutenant of the viceroy Diego Colon (son of Cristobal Colon or Cristopher Columbus).Ceron ordered Miguel de Toro, a lieutenant of Juan Ponce de Leon, to create a "Christian Village" in western Borinquen, calling it San German. This was the second attempt of foundation given in 1511 at the mouth of the Guaorabo River (present day Rio Anasco), near the area known today as Anasco, Puerto Rico. This first settlement was attacked in 1528, 1538, and again in 1554. A fort to protect this town began in 1540, but it's construction was suspended in 1546 when the people decided to move inland being tired of attacks. Attacks by Carib indians forced the population to move south inland to the present site of the present town of San German.
In the 18th century, Añasco was the fourth most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, after San Germán
San Germán, Puerto Rico
San Germán is a municipality located in the southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao; north of Lajas; east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo; and west of Sabana Grande. San Germán is spread over 18 wards and San Germán Pueblo...
, 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...
, and others. The Añasco River is also claimed to be the site of the popular legend of the drowning of the Spaniard Diego Salcedo
Diego Salcedo
Diego Salcedo may refer to:* Diego Salcedo * 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
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
Chayoán and suppressed by Spanish soldiers.
Many of the first settlers to the area came from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and the south of Spain.
Geography
Añasco is located in the Coastal Plains of the west, bordered by the Río Grande de AñascoRio Grande de Añasco
The Rio Grande de Añasco is a river in western Puerto Rico. Its source is in the Cordillera Central mountain range west of Adjuntas, and it flows about 40 miles westwards to its mouth on the Mona Passage north of Mayagüez.-References:*Añasco River. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America...
. It is bordered in the north by Rincón
Rincón, Puerto Rico
Rincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
, Aguada
Aguada, Puerto Rico
Aguada is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located in the western coastal valley region bordering the Atlantic Ocean, west of Rincón, Aguadilla and Moca; and north of Anasco. It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Moca
Moca, Puerto Rico
Moca is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of Añasco; southeast of Aguadilla; east of Aguada; and west of Isabela and San Sebastián. Moca is spread over 12 wards and Moca Pueblo...
; Mayagüez
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
to the south; and San Sebastián
San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
San Sebastián is a municipality of Puerto Rico located northwest of the island south of Isabela and Quebradillas; north of Las Marías; east of Moca and Añasco; and west of Lares. San Sebastián is spread over twenty-four wards and San Sebastián Pueblo...
and Las Marías
Las Marías, Puerto Rico
Las Marías is a municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Maricao; southeast of Añasco; south of San Sebastián; east of Mayagüez; and west of Lares...
to the east. The Mona Passage
Mona Passage
The Mona Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Mona Passage connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and is an important shipping route between the Atlantic and the Panama Canal....
lies to the west of the town.
The Añasco terrain is mostly plain, but features a series of hills and mountains like Canta Gallo (364 meters, or 1,194 feet), Gordo and Pichón (both at 340 meters, or 1,115 feet). It is also crossed by several rivers like Icaco River, Caguabo River, La Balsa, and others.
Barrios
- Añasco Abajo
- Añasco Arriba
- Añasco Pueblo
- Caguabo
- Caracol
- Carreras
- Casey Abajo
- Casey Arriba
- Cerro Gordo
- Cidra
- Corcovada
- Dagüey
- Espino
- Hatillo
- Humatas
- Marías
- Miraflores
- Ovejas
- Piñales
- Playa
- Quebrada Larga
- Río Arriba
- Río Cañas
Landmarks and places of interest
- Añasco Beach
- Autodrome
- El Salto de la Encantada
- Hacienda La Eugenia
- Río Grande de AñascoRio Grande de AñascoThe Rio Grande de Añasco is a river in western Puerto Rico. Its source is in the Cordillera Central mountain range west of Adjuntas, and it flows about 40 miles westwards to its mouth on the Mona Passage north of Mayagüez.-References:*Añasco River. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America...
- San Antonio Abad Parish
- Villa Pesquera
Festivals and events
- Patron Festivities - January
- Mayuco Festival - January
- Festival de Bellas Artes - January
- Teather Festival - May
- Santa Rosa de Lima Festival - August
- Chipe Festival - September
- Cooperativa Marathon - October
- Festival del Hojaldre
- Festival de la Juventud - July
- Encuentro de Talladores de Santos de Palo en Añasco
- Festival de Merengue
- Reconocimiento a Marianna Bracetti - July
Sports
Añasco has a AA baseball team called the Fundadores de Añasco. It is also known for being the birthplace of some amateur boxingAmateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
prospects like Samuel D. Figueroa and Jonathan Badillo.
Agriculture
Sugar cane had been cultivated in Añasco as early as the 16th century. The earliest known sugar mill ("ingenios") operator around the Añasco area was Tomás de Castellón in 1523.Today, the town has a reputation for producing the best moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
in Puerto Rico from sugar cane. Añasco is renowned for its "Pitorro rum" production. The word "pitorro" is actually a corruption of the word "pintorro", an Andalusian term used to depict inferior-quality wine or rum that had a weak color (hence the name).
Añasco has also been a place for fruits and 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,...
cultivation.
Industrial
There are several industries established in the industrial zone around the town of Añasco.Education
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...
operates Antonio Gonzalez Suarez Regional Bilingual Elementary School
Antonio Gonzalez Suarez Regional Bilingual Elementary School
The Antonio González Suárez Regional Bilingual Elementary School is a public specialized elementary school, in the western town of Añasco, Puerto Rico...
.