Guánica, Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Guánica (ˈɡwanika) is a municipality
in southwestern Puerto Rico
located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea
, south of Sabana Grande
, east of Lajas
, and west of Yauco
. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Guánica's postal zip code is 00653 and telephone area codes are 787 and 939. The urban area of Ensenada has a separate postal zip code of 00647.
Guánica is also the name of the principal town
of the municipality. The town's population in 2000 was 9,247 persons among 3,808 housing units over a land area of 2.49 square miles (6.45 km²). The town is located on a deeply indented harbor of the same name. The harbor resembles a tropical fjord, narrow and bordered by rugged hills, barely a quarter-mile wide, but about two miles (3 km) from mouth to the town. The town is about 100 miles (160.9 km) and over two hours driving distance from San Juan
, the capital city of the island, and about 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Ponce
, another principal city of the island commonwealth.
landed in the Guánica harbor on August 12, 1508 and founded a town called Guaynía, a word derived from the Taíno indigenous culture that possibly meant "Here is a place with water". The town, considered the capital of the island of Puerto Rico (which was at that time named Isla de San Juan Bautista), was destroyed during the indigenous uprising of 1511, and the area was abandoned by Europeans for some years, during which time San Juan
(itself at first called Puerto Rico) became the capital of the island. The refounded town of Guánica was at first a part of the municipality of Yauco until Guánica was established as a separate municipality on March 13, 1914. Víctor Ángel Sallaberry Safini was Guánica's first mayor.
led by General Nelson A. Miles
) landed in Guánica as part of the course of the Puerto Rican Campaign
in the Spanish-American War
. This invasion led to Puerto Rico being acquired by the United States. The invasion, just one small part of the war between Spain and United States, occurred in Guánica due to its sheltered harbor and proximity to Ponce
, besides being such an unexpected site for such an attack, which had been anticipated at the heavily fortified city of San Juan. The Gloucester was the first ship to set anchor in the Bay of Guanica. Twenty-eight sailors and Marines
, under the command of Lieutenants H. P. Huse and Wood, departed from the ship on rafts and landed on the beach. The Marines lowered the Spanish flag from the beach flagpole and replaced it with the American flag. They then proceeded to set up a machine gun nest and placed barbed wire
around their perimeter. The first land skirmish in Puerto Rico between the Puerto Rican militia and the American forces occurred when Lt. Méndez López and his men attacked and opened fire on the Americans. During the small battle which followed, the Americans returned fire with their machine gun and the Gloucester began to bombard the Spanish position. Lt. Méndez López and three of his men were wounded and the militia unit was forced to retreat to the town of Yauco. The invasion is commemorated by a contentious monument on the waterfront: along a broad paseo (el malecón), there is a large coral boulder marked by the carved words, "3rd Battalion, 1st U.S.V. Engineers, September 16, 1898." July 25 was subsequently commemorated in Puerto Rico as Occupation Day, later renamed Constitution Day (see Public holidays in Puerto Rico
).
. The resort chain known as Club Med
once attempted to set up a luxury resort on beaches east of the town, but withdrew due to local opposition which was apprehensive about both environmental and community degradation; east of the town some 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land, including three miles (5 km) of beach, have been intermittently for sale. It is a fishing village. Commercial fishermen still ply their traditional trade beyond the harbor entrance.
(Bosque Estatal de Guánica) is also the name of a small dry forest reserve
east and west of the town, the largest remaining tract of tropical dry coastal forest in the world, and designated an international Biosphere Reserve
in 1981. The park comprising much of the dry forest is known as el bosque seco de Guánica.
Highway Route 116, the nearest principal road, heads west toward San Germán and east toward Ponce
, passing through the island of Puerto Rico's driest area. The largely intact forest of the Guánica Dry Forest reserve hosts the greatest number of bird species found on the island, including several bird species seldom found anywhere else: the Puerto Rican Lizard‑Cuckoo, Puerto Rican Woodpecker
, the Puerto Rican Nightjar
, and the Puerto Rican Emerald hummingbird
. Other animals thought to be extinct in PR have turned up in this forest. Many different types of cactus grow here, a stunning contrast to the lush Caribbean National Forest
in the northeast part of the island, which is a tropical rain forest. The contrast is due to the mountain ridge Cordillera Central
which separates Guánica from the northeast part of the island; while the northeast receives over 100 inches (2,540 mm) of precipitation each year, Guánica receives less than 30, and some regions of the forest reserve receive are said to receive only six inches.
The forest reserve of some 9500 acres (38 km²) contains 36 miles (58 km) of trails through four different forest types: deciduous trees, a coastal region with tree-size milkweed and nine-foot-tall prickly pear cactus, a mahogany forest, and twisted gumbo limbo trees. There are about 700 varieties of plants, including aroma (acacia) and guayacan
(lignum vitae - Latin for wood of life). One guayacan is about 500–700 years old. The squat melon cactus and other cacti can be found here along with 40 species of birds, including the guabairo (Puerto Rican Nightjar), found nowhere else. Also in the area are a crested toad (Peltophryne lemur) and, sometimes on the beaches, green and leatherback turtles, though their eggs suffer severe predation from mongooses one time introduced to fight rats in sugar cane fields.
The forest office can be reached at 787-821-5706. The view of the bay and town from the stone tower at the top of Cerro Caprón make it worth the hike up the 450 feet (137.2 m) hill. Thirty-six miles of trails and ten miles (16 km) of undeveloped coastline, with peculiar limestone caves along the western side of the harbor make it a special place. Highway route 325 leads west to Point Jorobado and good snorkeling. Route 333 leads east by a small but beautifully situated park at the base of a cliff, and past the Guánica Light
house, now in disrepair with restoration plans ahead. Route 333 follows the coast, bordered with mangroves, to Balneario Caña Gorda, by the Copamarina Resort. There are several good seafood restaurants in town and at the end of this road; the end of the road is also a favorite bird watching area. Nearby are several mountain biking trails, fantastic beaches, and the Ballena Bay refuge for turtles, birds, and other wildlife. This refuge narrowly escaped Club Med's development plans. Its peculiar though precarious natural state makes the region a place of great beauty and scientific importance.
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...
in southwestern 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 southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, south of Sabana Grande
Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico
Sabana Grande is a municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Lajas and Guánica; south of Maricao; east of San Germán; and west of Yauco. Sabana Grande is spread over seven wards and Sabana Grande Pueblo...
, east of Lajas
Lajas, Puerto Rico
Lajas is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southwestern region, south of San Germán and Sabana Grande; east of Cabo Rojo; and west of Guánica. Lajas is spread over 11 wards and Lajas Pueblo...
, and west of Yauco
Yauco, Puerto Rico
Yauco is a city and municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island by the Caribbean, south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of Guayanilla. Yauco is spread over 20 wards and Yauco Pueblo...
. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Guánica's postal zip code is 00653 and telephone area codes are 787 and 939. The urban area of Ensenada has a separate postal zip code of 00647.
Guánica is also the name of the principal town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of the municipality. The town's population in 2000 was 9,247 persons among 3,808 housing units over a land area of 2.49 square miles (6.45 km²). The town is located on a deeply indented harbor of the same name. The harbor resembles a tropical fjord, narrow and bordered by rugged hills, barely a quarter-mile wide, but about two miles (3 km) from mouth to the town. The town is about 100 miles (160.9 km) and over two hours driving distance from 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...
, the capital city of the island, and about 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, another principal city of the island commonwealth.
Settlement
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan 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...
landed in the Guánica harbor on August 12, 1508 and founded a town called Guaynía, a word derived from the Taíno indigenous culture that possibly meant "Here is a place with water". The town, considered the capital of the island of Puerto Rico (which was at that time named Isla de San Juan Bautista), was destroyed during the indigenous uprising of 1511, and the area was abandoned by Europeans for some years, during which time 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...
(itself at first called Puerto Rico) became the capital of the island. The refounded town of Guánica was at first a part of the municipality of Yauco until Guánica was established as a separate municipality on March 13, 1914. Víctor Ángel Sallaberry Safini was Guánica's first mayor.
Invasion
On July 25, 1898, American forces (who included the young poet-writer Carl SandburgCarl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
led by General Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
) landed in Guánica as part of the course of the Puerto Rican Campaign
Puerto Rican Campaign
The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. This invasion led to Puerto Rico being acquired by the United States. The invasion, just one small part of the war between Spain and United States, occurred in Guánica due to its sheltered harbor and proximity to Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, besides being such an unexpected site for such an attack, which had been anticipated at the heavily fortified city of San Juan. The Gloucester was the first ship to set anchor in the Bay of Guanica. Twenty-eight sailors and Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, under the command of Lieutenants H. P. Huse and Wood, departed from the ship on rafts and landed on the beach. The Marines lowered the Spanish flag from the beach flagpole and replaced it with the American flag. They then proceeded to set up a machine gun nest and placed barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
around their perimeter. The first land skirmish in Puerto Rico between the Puerto Rican militia and the American forces occurred when Lt. Méndez López and his men attacked and opened fire on the Americans. During the small battle which followed, the Americans returned fire with their machine gun and the Gloucester began to bombard the Spanish position. Lt. Méndez López and three of his men were wounded and the militia unit was forced to retreat to the town of Yauco. The invasion is commemorated by a contentious monument on the waterfront: along a broad paseo (el malecón), there is a large coral boulder marked by the carved words, "3rd Battalion, 1st U.S.V. Engineers, September 16, 1898." July 25 was subsequently commemorated in Puerto Rico as Occupation Day, later renamed Constitution Day (see Public holidays in Puerto Rico
Public holidays in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico celebrates all the official holidays of the United States, and a large number of other which are official holidays established by the Commonwealth government....
).
Today
Guánica is a modern town that maintains roots and connections to a traditional past. Known as el pueblo de la amistad (The town of Friendship), is also occasionally referred to as el pueblo de las doce calles (the town of the twelve streets). The central part of town consists of five streets running north-south crossing seven other streets that run east-west, resulting in a compact grid of 24 square blocks, one of which is the town plaza. Facing the plaza is the Catholic Church, city hall, a school, and many shops; the plaza itself contains greenery, walks, and a music stand. In recent years this central area of the twelve streets has been extensively supplemented by suburbs in the south and west. Hills surround the town and harbor, including the 450-foot (140 m) hill to the east of town, itself topped by the tiny Fort Caprón. Two large factories, one producing fertilizer, partially distract the eye from the pleasant landscape, but both have been important to the economy of the town, at one time dominated by the sugar plantations of Central GuanicaCentral Guanica
Central Guánica was a sugar mill located in the barrio Ensenada of the Municipality of Guánica, Puerto Rico. It was one of the largest sugar mill in the Caribbean and until World War I it was one of the largest mill in the world.It closed down in 1982....
. The resort chain known as Club Med
Club Med
Club Méditerranée , commonly known as Club Med, is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in exotic locations. It is considered the original all-inclusive resort.-Foundation:...
once attempted to set up a luxury resort on beaches east of the town, but withdrew due to local opposition which was apprehensive about both environmental and community degradation; east of the town some 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land, including three miles (5 km) of beach, have been intermittently for sale. It is a fishing village. Commercial fishermen still ply their traditional trade beyond the harbor entrance.
Flag
The five waves, blue and yellow represent the Guánica Bay, a fragment of the Official Shield of Guánica.Coat of Arms
Shield divided in four quarters. In the superior right side, it has a "bohio" (hut) under a crown that represents Cacique Agüeybaná, whose yucayeque (Indian territory) was in this region. In the superior left quarter, a lion representing Juan Ponce de León. The checkered strips over a silver-plated background in the inferior right side represent the shields of Don Cristóbal de Sotomayor, founder of the town of Tavara, the actual location of Guánica. The waved stripes represent the bay of this town. The branches surrounding the shield represent the sugar cane industry that was very important in this region.Barrios (Districts/Wards)
- Arena
- Caño
- Carenero
- Ciénaga
- Ensenada
- Guanica Pueblo
- Guaypao
- Magueyes
- Montalva
- Susuá Baja
- Belgica
- Fuigs
- Reparto Oasis
- La Joya
Geography and topography
Guánica State ForestGuánica State Forest
The Guánica State Forest is a subtropical dry forest located in southwest Puerto Rico. The area was designated as a forest reserve in 1919 and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1981...
(Bosque Estatal de Guánica) is also the name of a small dry forest reserve
Puerto Rican dry forests
The Puerto Rican dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion located in southwestern and eastern Puerto Rico and on the offshore islands. They cover an area of . These forests grow in areas receiving less than of rain annually...
east and west of the town, the largest remaining tract of tropical dry coastal forest in the world, and designated an international Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in 1981. The park comprising much of the dry forest is known as el bosque seco de Guánica.
Highway Route 116, the nearest principal road, heads west toward San Germán and east toward Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, passing through the island of Puerto Rico's driest area. The largely intact forest of the Guánica Dry Forest reserve hosts the greatest number of bird species found on the island, including several bird species seldom found anywhere else: the Puerto Rican Lizard‑Cuckoo, Puerto Rican Woodpecker
Puerto Rican Woodpecker
The Puerto Rican Woodpecker is the only woodpecker endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico and is one of the five species of the Melanerpes genus that occur in the Antilles. Furthermore, it is the only resident species of the Picidae family in Puerto Rico...
, the Puerto Rican Nightjar
Puerto Rican Nightjar
The Puerto Rican Nightjar, Caprimulgus noctitherus, is a very rare bird found in the coastal dry scrub forests in localized areas of southwestern Puerto Rico....
, and the Puerto Rican Emerald hummingbird
Puerto Rican Emerald
The Puerto Rican Emerald , or Zumbadorcito de Puerto Rico in Spanish, is an endemic hummingbird found only in the archipelago of Puerto Rico....
. Other animals thought to be extinct in PR have turned up in this forest. Many different types of cactus grow here, a stunning contrast to the lush Caribbean National Forest
Caribbean National Forest
El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Luquillo National Forest, and the Caribbean National Forest, is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rain forest in the United States...
in the northeast part of the island, which is a tropical rain forest. The contrast is due to the mountain ridge Cordillera Central
Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico
The Cordillera Central, or La Cordillera Central , is the main mountain range in Puerto Rico. Generally speaking, the range crosses the island from west to east with an average elevation of 915m and divides the territory's northern and southern coastal plains.La Cordillera Central runs east to...
which separates Guánica from the northeast part of the island; while the northeast receives over 100 inches (2,540 mm) of precipitation each year, Guánica receives less than 30, and some regions of the forest reserve receive are said to receive only six inches.
The forest reserve of some 9500 acres (38 km²) contains 36 miles (58 km) of trails through four different forest types: deciduous trees, a coastal region with tree-size milkweed and nine-foot-tall prickly pear cactus, a mahogany forest, and twisted gumbo limbo trees. There are about 700 varieties of plants, including aroma (acacia) and guayacan
Guaiacum officinale
Guaiacum officinale, commonly known as Roughbark Lignum-vitae, is a species of tree in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, that is native to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America.-Description:...
(lignum vitae - Latin for wood of life). One guayacan is about 500–700 years old. The squat melon cactus and other cacti can be found here along with 40 species of birds, including the guabairo (Puerto Rican Nightjar), found nowhere else. Also in the area are a crested toad (Peltophryne lemur) and, sometimes on the beaches, green and leatherback turtles, though their eggs suffer severe predation from mongooses one time introduced to fight rats in sugar cane fields.
The forest office can be reached at 787-821-5706. The view of the bay and town from the stone tower at the top of Cerro Caprón make it worth the hike up the 450 feet (137.2 m) hill. Thirty-six miles of trails and ten miles (16 km) of undeveloped coastline, with peculiar limestone caves along the western side of the harbor make it a special place. Highway route 325 leads west to Point Jorobado and good snorkeling. Route 333 leads east by a small but beautifully situated park at the base of a cliff, and past the Guánica Light
Guánica Light
Guánica Light was a historic lighthouse located in the town of Guánica, Puerto Rico in the Guánica State Forest. It was first lit in 1893 and deactivated on 1950...
house, now in disrepair with restoration plans ahead. Route 333 follows the coast, bordered with mangroves, to Balneario Caña Gorda, by the Copamarina Resort. There are several good seafood restaurants in town and at the end of this road; the end of the road is also a favorite bird watching area. Nearby are several mountain biking trails, fantastic beaches, and the Ballena Bay refuge for turtles, birds, and other wildlife. This refuge narrowly escaped Club Med's development plans. Its peculiar though precarious natural state makes the region a place of great beauty and scientific importance.
Landmarks and places of interest
- Azul Beach
- Ballena Bay
- Caprón Fortress
- Casa Alejada
- Cayo Aurora, Gilligan's IslandCayos de Caña GordaThe Cayos de Caña Gorda is a group of three uninhabited, mangrove-covered cays, located at off the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. They belong to barrio Caranero of Guánica municipio. The eastern cay, Isla Ballena is separated from the Puerto Rican mainland close to Punta Ballena only by a 20 m...
- El Malecón (Boardwalk)
- Guánica Bay
- Guánica Hacienda
- Manglillo Beach
- Mary Lee's By the Sea
- Mimi's Guest House
- Guánica LighthouseGuánica LightGuánica Light was a historic lighthouse located in the town of Guánica, Puerto Rico in the Guánica State Forest. It was first lit in 1893 and deactivated on 1950...
- http://www.puertoricorv.com/index.php?n=Trips.PlayaSanta Playa Santa Beach
- Punta de Brea
- Punta Jorobao
- Santa Rita Hacienda
- Serra Beach
- Central GuanicaCentral GuanicaCentral Guánica was a sugar mill located in the barrio Ensenada of the Municipality of Guánica, Puerto Rico. It was one of the largest sugar mill in the Caribbean and until World War I it was one of the largest mill in the world.It closed down in 1982....
(Sugar Cane Refinery)
Festivals and events
- Festival del Juey- Junio
- Patron Festivities - Julio
- July 25 Parade - July
- Juan Ponce de León Celebration - August
Notable "Guaniqueños"
- Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II, TaínoTaíno peopleThe 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...
chiefs - Primitivo Anglada, activist in obtaining Guánica’s municipal independence; first secretary of the Town Council
- Domingo Bracero Hernández
- Adolfo Quiles Belen, Research Director for United States Department of Agriculture in St. Croix
- Rose FrancoRose FrancoCWO3 Rose Franco , a Puerto Rican, was the first Hispanic woman to become a Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Marine Corps.-Early years:...
(1932- ), first Puerto Rican woman Chief Warrant Officer in U.S. Marine Corps - Miguel A Morciglio, member of the House of Representatives for District 24 (1961–1964)
- Reynaldo RodriguezPuerto Rican recipients of the Distinguished Service CrossPuerto Ricans have served as members of the United States Armed Forces and have fought in every major conflict in which the United States has been involved from World War I onward. Many Puerto Ricans, including those of Puerto Rican descent, have distinguished themselves during combat as members...
, Private First Class, U.S. Army, recipient of The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Vietnam - Dominga "Fidela" Olivera Martinez, Local Poet
- Julio Victor Ramirez Torres, journalist for El VoceroEl VoceroEl Vocero is a Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan.Published since 1974, El Vocero was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing El Mundo and El Nuevo Día and leading The San Juan Star in sales...
, radio and television producer - Rubén del Rosario – Educator, writer, and linguist.
- Víctor Ángel Sallaberry Safini, first elected mayor and principal founding father of the municipality
- Pedro Santana Ronda, writer, poet, and journalist published in the weekly paper El Erizo
- Hilda Siurano, singer (Mingo and the Whoppie Kids, Famous Ponce Orchestra)
- Domingo Suárez Cruz, civic leader, orator, writer, & keeper of the Guánica Lighthouse; public library named in his honor
- Lolita (Carmen Ramirez) Vargas, singer-actress-educator, daughter to Maria H Vargas
- Maria Heliodora Vargas (1908–1991), educator, author of poem La Bandera de los Guaniqueňos, daughter to Pedro Vargas Rodriguez
- Pedro Vinicio Vargas, musician and singer, composed songs about Puerto Rico and Guánica, son to Pedro Vargas Rodriguez
- Pedro Vargas Rodríguez (1888–1930), secretary of the Separation Committee that achieved the emancipation of the municipality; poet, orator, musician, writer, journalist, & founder of El Fósforo (1908) and Brisas del Caribe (1915), the first newspapers in Guánica; also known as Vardriguez
- Pedro Juan Vargas Mercado, journalist and historian
- Víctor Guillermo "Yomo" Toro Vega (1933- ), is noted for pioneering the use of the cuatro in salsa music, member of the Fania All-Stars
- Rogelio "Kito" Velez-Feliciano, bandleader, composer, trumpet player, member of "Cesar Concepcion Band", musical director of "Cortijo y Su Combo", co-founder of the "El Gran Combo"; composer of "Ojos Chinos", "Jala Jala Para Gozar", "Casabe Sabe".
- Jean P. Villa , New Progressive Party co-Founder
- Rodolfo A. Barrios Quinones, Master Sergeant, Recipient of the Bronze Order of Mercury Medallion from the US Army Signal Corps/photographer, Artist name "Don Fofo".
- Waldemar Ramirez III, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Veteran,Warrant Officer in the Army Reserve, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus Graduate, Currently working in Security Assistance with the (ARMY) Federal Government.
- Mariano "tito" Rodriguez Town mayor in 1992 were he died of a heart attack
Books
- Torres, Angel Luis, Walter Torres, and Miguel Casals. En el Bosque Seco de Guánica. San Juan, Puerto Rico: La Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico (Colección San Pedrito), 1995. ISBN 0847702073 - Children's picture book about a trip through the dry forest of Guánica with a sea turtle.
External links
- Links to Guánica dry forest
- Maps of Guánica dry forest