Moca, Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Moca (ˈmoka) 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 north-western region of the island, north of Añasco
Añasco, Puerto Rico
Añasco , named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, is a 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...
; southeast of Aguadilla
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Aguadilla , founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is spread over 15 wards and Aguadilla Pueblo...
; east of 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 west of Isabela
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Isabela is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. Isabela is spread over 13 wards and Isabela Pueblo...
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...
. Moca is spread over 12 wards and Moca Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The name of Moca comes from the tree Andira Ínermis
Andira inermis
Andira inermis is a nitrogen-fixing tree native to the area from southern Mexico through Central America to northern South America ; it has been introduced to the Caribbean, the Antilles, Florida, and Africa...
whose beautiful pink/purple flowers expose their presence, which are very common in this region.
The Moca tree was officially adopted as the representative tree of the town on February 19, 1972. Moca is famous for its Mundillo
Mundillo
Mundillo is a craft of handmade bobbin lace that is cultivated and honored on the island of Puerto Rico. The term 'mundillo' means 'little world', referring to the cylindrical pillow on which the lace maker weaves intricate designs...
lace. Mundillo is the Puerto Rican name for handmade bobbin lace
Bobbin lace
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the...
. It is almost synonymous with the small town of Moca.
History
Moca known as "La Capital del Mundillo" (The capital of lace) it was founded by Don José de Quiñónez on April 7, 1772. Diverse versions exist on the date of its foundation. Manuel de Ubeda and Delgado, in his "Isla de Puerto Rico. "Estudio histórico, geográfico y estadístico", published in San JuanSan 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...
in 1878, says to us that it was founded on 1774. On the other hand, Cayetano Coll y Toste
Cayetano Coll y Toste
Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste , was a Puerto Rican historian and writer. He was the patriach of a prominent family of Puerto Rican, educators, politicians and writers.-Early years:...
, in the "Boletín histórico de Puerto Rico", maintains that it was founded on April 7, 1772.
On August 14, 1898, The United States Armed Forces entered and took the town of Moca finding no resistance. On August 8, 1898, after 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...
officially ended, Puerto Rico became a United States territory as an outcome of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1898)
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 was signed on December 10, 1898, at the end of the Spanish-American War, and came into effect on April 11, 1899, when the ratifications were exchanged....
of 1898.
Flag
The rectangular flag consists of a purple equilateral triangular field, the color of the Moca tree flower. In this field appear five point stars, silver-plated, surrounding a greater gold star, also with five points.Coat of arms
It has oblong form. Divided in a silver-plated field and blue sky united by a purple rhombus (diamond shape), the color of the Moca flower. The rhombus has within religious symbolisms. The rhombus is surrounded, in its inferior part, by two branches of the Moca tree; in its superior part, an arc of eleven silver-plated five-point stars. Within the rhombus is a gold monogram (of the Virgin Mary) topped by a Christian crown of the same metal. A silver-lined crown in form of a three-tower castle crowns the shield. On the frontal portion of the crown, carved in gold, the word Moca. The stones of the castle are lined in blue. The doors and windows are purple.Geography
Climate: Tropical with hardly noticeable seasonal changes. Temperatures throughout the year range between 76 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 37 °C).
Hydrography: The Río Culebrinas crosses its territory from east to west, and its tributaries include the gorges of Los Gatos, Lassalle, de las Damas, Vieja, Los Romanes, the Morones, Higuillo, Chiquita, Yagruma, Echeverria, Aguas Frias, Las Marias, de los Méndez, La Caraíma, Grande, y Dulce.
Cerro Moca, Monte El Ojo, Monte Mariquita of the Jaicoa Mountain Range
On May 16, 2010, Moca was the epicenter of a strong 5.8 earthquake. The earthquake was felt in the entire island and also in the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands. Damage was reported in various towns.
Barrios (Districts/Wards)
- Aceitunas
- Capá
- Cerro Gordo
- Cruz
- Cuchillas
- Centro
- Marías
- Naranjo
- Plata
- Pueblo
- Rocha
- Voladoras
Economy
- Agriculture: Fruits, dairy farming, cattle and bovine ranching.
- Business:
- Industrial: Alarms, clothing, electronic machinery, footwear, plastic products.
- Services: Lawyers, Engineers, Appraiser (www.caargroup.org).
- Industrial: Alarms, clothing, electronic machinery, footwear, plastic products.
Landmarks and places of interest
- Enrique Laguerre House
- Enriqueta Hacienda
- Julia's Mundillo Shop
- Our Lady of Monserrate Parish
- Hacienda Labadie
- Palacete Los MoreauPalacete Los MoreauPalacete Los Moreau is a house museum located in Moca, Puerto Rico. Historically known as the Labadie Mansion, the house inspired Enrique Laguerre to write La Llamarada. The property was restored as a museum and renamed the "Palacete Los Moreau" in honor of Laguerre’s novel...
Sports
Moca has a Double-A Baseball team called the Moca Vampiros that play in the Superior Baseball LeagueSuperior Baseball League
The Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico is an AA professional spring baseball league based in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The league was founded in 1940. The season starts in Mid-February, and ends with the Carnaval de Campeones final in September. They play on a weekend schedule...
.
- Juan Sanchez Acevedo Coliseum
Moca also had a volleyball team named "Los Rebeldes", which played in LVS (Liga de Voleibol Superior) through the years of 1998 to 2005. The team went to the post season every year, obtained a controversial second place in its 1998 final with the "Changos" of Naranjito, also were National Champions against the "Changos" in the 2000 final, handing the "Changos" its most embasing finals defeat in the teams history.