Utuado, Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Utuado is a municipality
of Puerto Rico
located in the central-western mountain
ous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central
. It is located north of Adjuntas
and Ponce
; south of Hatillo
and Arecibo
; east of Lares
; and west of Ciales
and Jayuya
. In land area it is the third-largest municipality in Puerto Rico (after Arecibo and Ponce). According to the 2000 US Census
, the city has a population of 35,336 spread over 24 wards and Utuado Pueblo (the downtown
area and the administrative center of the city). The name Utuado derives from the Taíno
word Otoao, meaning "between mountains". The municipality is known as La Ciudad del Viví meaning "The City of the Viví"; Viví is the river that runs through Utuado: one part of it comes from Adjuntas and the other from Jayuya. These two rivers then meet near the Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci Avenue and continue the journey to Lago Dos Bocas
.
Utuado is the principal city of the Utuado Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
, San Germán
, Coamo
, Arecibo, Aguada
, Loiza
, Ponce, Añasco, Guayama
and Manatí
.
, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taíno Indians. The Taínos were a culturally developed society with a universal language
, a developed agricultural system, and a social organization based on caciques or chieftains. The Utuado area was ruled over by cacique Guarionex. In barrio
Caguana, the Taínos built a series of courts or bateyes, The Caguana Ceremonial Park or Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana, that is considered the best example of Taino engineering in the West Indies.
. His farm's main crop was yuca
. His farm was sold in 1519 to Blas de Villasante, the island's treasurer, for 525 gold pesos.
Areas in the Utuado region that were exploited for gold include Salto Arriba, initially, then later in the 1530s Caguana and Don Alonso. In the 1530s, landowners in the Don Alonso area petitioned the Spanish Crown permission to establish a town in the area but it was never granted.
Once the gold mining era ends toward the end of the 16th century, very little is known about the Utuado region until the early 18th century. According to the Puerto Rican historian Fernando Picó, the few documents that exist indicate the area was mostly unpopulated and densely forested
. On the other hand, he states that Utuado is the municipality with the most caves, that most likely served as dwellings for Indians or runaway slaves.
The agreement to establish the town of Utuado by the 60 families of Arecibo states they purchased the "Hato de Otoao" for 569 pesos
and 5 reales from owners Manuel Natal and Felipa Román. It also states their desire to choose where on the land the town center would be located, which indicates the area was not populated yet.
During his visit to the island in 1771, Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra
states the principal economic activity in the Utuado region was cattle raising, horses and mules. He mentions a small amount of agricultural activity existed but the population only produced enough tobacco
and coffee
for their own consumption.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Utuado's population continued to grow as coffee gained in importance and growers saw the need for high altitudes and mountainous terrain to produce the best coffee bean
s. People not only migrated
from the Puerto Rican coastal towns but also from Ireland (Founder Sebastian de Morfi = Sebastian Murphy), Canary Islands
and the Balearic Islands
of Majorca and Minorca
, all seeking the riches that coffee had to offer.
, honored the town with the title of Ciudad (City) on August 20, 1894. In 1896 or 1897 Utuado was the first city in Puerto Rico with a public electric lighting
system powered by a hydraulic turbine power plant, and in that same year mayor Juan Casellas was planning a train
system to unite Utuado with Arecibo. By 1899 this golden era came to a screeching halt due to two very important events that had a lasting negative effect on the city's economy. The first event was the United States
occupation of the island in 1898, which made sugar the new crop of importance instead of coffee. Utuado's mountainous landscape was not ideal for growing sugarcane
, making it impossible for it to compete in the sugar industry on a significant level. The second event and the one to have the most profound impact was Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899, which literally wiped out the coffee haciendas.
against United States rule, which culminated in what is known as the "Utuado Massacre".
In Utuado a group of 32 nationalists, led by nationalist leaders Heriberto Castro and Damián Torres, fought against the local police during the independence revolts which occurred in various cities and towns of the island. The group was reduced to 12 men and retreated to the house of Damián Torres. Torres' residence was attacked by 50-caliber machine-gun fire from four American P-47 Thunderbolt
planes. The National Guard arrived later that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. Once the nationalists surrendered they were forced to march down Dr. Cueto Street to the local town plaza where their shoes, belts and personal belongings were removed. The group was then taken behind the police station where they were machined gunned. Four of the nationalists died in the act, they were nationalist leader Heriberto Castro, Julio Colón Feliciano, Agustín Quiñones Mercado, Antonio Ramos and Antonio González. González, who was 17 years old, pleaded for water and instead was bayoneted to death.
Agricultural Census. It also produces oranges (ranked 4th), plantains (ranked 6th) and bananas (ranked 9th). It has also been successful with livestock inventory ranking 3rd with hives of bees and 13th with pigs
. Industrially, Utuado counts with a few companies that produce textiles, paper and stone.
, Centennial
and Sprint
offer mobile
coverage, and Liberty Cablevision and DirecTV
offer cable
and satellite television
service, respectively, with Spanish and English channels (ABC
, CBS
, NBC
, Fox
, CNN
, and many others) as well as high-speed Internet
service. Most of the public areas in the University of Puerto Rico Utuado campus are set up with Wi-Fi
wireless Internet access.
With narrow streets leading up to a central plaza surrounded by a church and the governor's house, Utuado Pueblo is an example of a town built during the Spanish Colonial era of Puerto Rico. The Iglesia San Miguel Arcangel, the local Catholic parish, was founded in 1746. The current double-steepled church was built between 1872 and 1878 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
, along with the Caguana Ceremonial Park and the Blanco Bridge or "Puente Blanco" located in barrio Arenas joining Utuado with Adjuntas. Other buildings in Utuado Pueblo that retain their colonial architectural features include The Center for Art, Culture and Tourism in the old Tobacco Coop building, the old hospital "Hospital Catalina Figueras and Teatro San Miguel, among others (for pictures of these and other buildings see photo gallery below).
The Rio Abajo State Forest (Bosque Estatal Rio Abajo) is a 5780 acres (23 km²) forest reserve shared with Arecibo and home to 223 plants and wildlife species including: native Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra
), Asian teaks
(Tectona spp.), West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni
), Honduran Mahogany (S. humilis
) and Australian pines (Casuarina
spp.). It is also home to a captive population of the critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata).
East of the Rio Abajo Forest Reserve is Lago Dos Bocas
, one of several man-made lakes in Utuado. From El Embarcadero, near routes 123 and 146, boats take guests around the water to one of the many restaurants for lakeside dining.
Lago Caonillas in the western region of Utuado is another man-made lake. This reservoir encompasses over 50 square miles (129.5 km²) and was constructed in 1948 by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.
metropolitan area, what used to be a 3-hour trip has been reduced to 1 hour and 30 minutes (to reach Utuado Pueblo).
and Universidad del Este
(UNE), a hospital (Hospital Metropolitano de la Montaña) and two radio stations (WERR 104.1 FM, WUPR 1530 AM).
Most students in Utuado attend public schools, these being spread all over the town. Public education in Utuado is the best fit to the town's economical reality. Principal primary education institutions include; Maria Libertad Gomez, Felix Seijo and Bernardo Gonzalez among others. Among the principal secondary level institutions are Luis Muñoz Rivera, Judith A. Vivas, Francisco Ramos and Antonio Reyes Padilla (also known as 'Vocacional'). While most students attend the above mentioned schools there are many other schools distributed all over Utuado. The main private educational institution of Utuado is Colegio San Miguel. This catholic school offers all lower level education grades (K-12). Founded in the early 1920s, it is located at downtown Utuado.
Troop with the Boy Scouts of America
for over 50 years, changing its number from time to time. Troop 1996 was led by Scoutmaster Raúl A. Pérez from 1997 to April 2011. He is a local agronomist who has been in the Scouting
movement for over 30 years, since he was 11 years old. Troop 1996 still has its Facebook Fan Page (under the name BSA Tropa 1996, Utuado) and operates as a news giver for Scout units all over Puerto Rico. As of April 2011, Troop 1996 has ceased operations due to lack of parent support.
crew in Utuado in 2006, but failed sustainment afterwards.
del Pepino in the last Double A semi-finals game, thus the opponent won 4 of the 7 required games to win for the advancement to the finals. As of mid September 2009, Francisco J. Artau quit the Doble AA baseball team as owner. The post was later resumed by Montañeses' player Leonardo Matos then quit the position and later taken by Physical Therapist Héctor "Dalito" Rodríguez.
Salinas offered her a scholarship which she accepted. She has competed in Guatemala (being the only Puerto Rico female, earning 2nd place among her category) and in Georgia, US. She studied in Colegio Utuadeño San José, Colegio San Miguel, and currently in Albergue Olimpico in Salinas. She is one of the six Utuado athletes who have competed in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
.
Also, her sister, Fabiola, is a shooting champion. She also studies in Albergue Olímpico de Salinas. She is the youngest athlete ever to compete in Mayagüez 2010
and any Central American and Caribbean Games
.
, they are: Antonio "Tonito" Acevedo (Baseball), Diamilette Quiles (Softball), Giovanni González (Table Tennis), Luis Collazo (Road Running), Paola Álvarez (Pneumatic Shooting) and Fabiola Álvarez (Pneumatic Shooting).
Municipalities of Puerto Rico
The Municipalities of Puerto Rico number 78 and they make up the smallest electoral division of the Commonwealth. Each municipality is divided into barrios, though the latter are not vested with political authority.-Administrative divisions:...
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-western mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ous region of the island known as La 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...
. It is located north of Adjuntas
Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
Adjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
and 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...
; south of Hatillo
Hatillo, Puerto Rico
Hatillo is a municipality located on Puerto Rico's north coast, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Lares and Utuado to the south, Camuy to the west, and Arecibo to the east. According to the 2000 US Census Hatillo is spread over 9 wards and Hatillo Pueblo...
and Arecibo
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
; east of Lares
Lares, Puerto Rico
Lares is a small mountain municipality of Puerto Rico's central-western area located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of San Sebastián and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Lares is spread over 10 wards and Lares Pueblo...
; and west of Ciales
Ciales, Puerto Rico
Ciales is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located on the Central Mountain Range, northwest of Orocovis; south of Florida and Manatí; east of Utuado and Jayuya; and west of Morovis. Ciales is spread over eight wards and Ciales Pueblo...
and Jayuya
Jayuya, Puerto Rico
Jayuya is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 18 wards and Jayuya Pueblo...
. In land area it is the third-largest municipality in Puerto Rico (after Arecibo and Ponce). According to the 2000 US Census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city has a population of 35,336 spread over 24 wards and Utuado Pueblo (the downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
area and the administrative center of the city). The name Utuado derives from the Taíno
Taíno language
Taíno, an Arawakan language, was the principal language of the Caribbean islands at the time of the Spanish Conquest, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Florida Keys, and the Lesser Antilles...
word Otoao, meaning "between mountains". The municipality is known as La Ciudad del Viví meaning "The City of the Viví"; Viví is the river that runs through Utuado: one part of it comes from Adjuntas and the other from Jayuya. These two rivers then meet near the Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci Avenue and continue the journey to Lago Dos Bocas
Lago Dos Bocas
Lago Dos Bocas is a lake located in the municipalities of Arecibo and Utuado on the island of Puerto Rico. The lake was created in 1942 when a dam was constructed by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for a hydroelectric power plant. It also serves as one of the island's potable water...
.
Utuado is the principal city of the Utuado Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area.
History
Utuado was founded October 12, 1739 by Sebastian de Morfi, on behalf of 60 families from Arecibo. It was the first town established in the interior mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central and the 11th oldest established municipality in Puerto Rico, following 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...
, 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...
, Coamo
Coamo, Puerto Rico
Coamo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern region, north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo is spread over 10 wards and Coamo Pueblo...
, Arecibo, 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...
, Loiza
Loíza, Puerto Rico
Loíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...
, Ponce, Añasco, Guayama
Guayama, Puerto Rico
Guayama is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded on January 29, 1736 and located on the Southern Coastal Valley region, bordering the Caribbean, south of Cayey; east of Salinas; and west of Patillas and Arroyo. Guayama is spread over 9 wards and Guayama Pueblo...
and Manatí
Manatí, Puerto Rico
Manatí is a municipality of Puerto Rico in the northern coast, north of Morovis and Ciales; east of Florida and Barceloneta; and west of Vega Baja. Manatí is spread over 8 wards and Manatí Pueblo...
.
Columbus's arrival
At the time of the discovery of the island on November 19, 1493 by Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taíno Indians. The Taínos were a culturally developed society with a universal language
Natural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
, a developed agricultural system, and a social organization based on caciques or chieftains. The Utuado area was ruled over by cacique Guarionex. In barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
Caguana, the Taínos built a series of courts or bateyes, The Caguana Ceremonial Park or Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana, that is considered the best example of Taino engineering in the West Indies.
Early history: XVI - XVIII
In his work El Dorado Borincano, La economia de la conquista 1510-1550, Jalil Sued Badillo gives a detailed account of the economic state of Puerto Rico during the first decades after the discovery and mentions the importance of the Otoao region. From 1510 through 1513, the island witnessed a Taíno rebellion as a result of harsh and inhumane treatment by the Spanish settlers. During the process of pacification many Spaniards settled in the area now occupied by the municipality of Utuado and set up farms (haciendas), initially on behalf of the Spanish government (Hacienda Real), to provide food to the Indian slaves working the gold mines and the Spanish colonists in the area. One of the first settlers in the Otoao region in 1512 was Antonio Sedeño, the island's bookkeeperBookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions. Transactions include sales, purchases, income, receipts and payments by an individual or organization. Bookkeeping is usually performed by a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping should not be confused with accounting. The accounting process is usually...
. His farm's main crop was yuca
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
. His farm was sold in 1519 to Blas de Villasante, the island's treasurer, for 525 gold pesos.
Areas in the Utuado region that were exploited for gold include Salto Arriba, initially, then later in the 1530s Caguana and Don Alonso. In the 1530s, landowners in the Don Alonso area petitioned the Spanish Crown permission to establish a town in the area but it was never granted.
Once the gold mining era ends toward the end of the 16th century, very little is known about the Utuado region until the early 18th century. According to the Puerto Rican historian Fernando Picó, the few documents that exist indicate the area was mostly unpopulated and densely forested
Puerto Rican moist forests
The Puerto Rican moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion on the archipelago of Puerto Rico. They cover an area of .-Lowland forests:Lowland forests are found throughout the island's coastal lowlands except for the dry southwest...
. On the other hand, he states that Utuado is the municipality with the most caves, that most likely served as dwellings for Indians or runaway slaves.
The agreement to establish the town of Utuado by the 60 families of Arecibo states they purchased the "Hato de Otoao" for 569 pesos
Pesos
Pesos may refer to** Peso, the currency, in plural form* Fenfluramine, by the trade name Pesos...
and 5 reales from owners Manuel Natal and Felipa Román. It also states their desire to choose where on the land the town center would be located, which indicates the area was not populated yet.
During his visit to the island in 1771, Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra
Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra
Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra , born in Estadilla, Spain, was a Benedictine monk and the first historian to extensively document Puerto Rico's history, nationality and culture....
states the principal economic activity in the Utuado region was cattle raising, horses and mules. He mentions a small amount of agricultural activity existed but the population only produced enough tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
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,...
for their own consumption.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Utuado's population continued to grow as coffee gained in importance and growers saw the need for high altitudes and mountainous terrain to produce the best coffee bean
Coffee bean
A coffee bean is a seed of a coffee plant. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance to true beans. The fruits - coffee cherries or coffee berries - most commonly contain two...
s. People not only migrated
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
from the Puerto Rican coastal towns but also from Ireland (Founder Sebastian de Morfi = Sebastian Murphy), 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 Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
of Majorca and Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
, all seeking the riches that coffee had to offer.
Golden era of coffee - "black gold"
During the late 19th century Utuado experienced an explosive economic growth centered around the cultivation of coffee, also known at the time as oro negro or "black gold". By the 1890s Utuado was the largest producer of coffee in Puerto Rico and the second municipality (after Ponce) with the largest population. It produced a rich social lifestyle for many of its citizens and a casino and theatre were established in the town. The progress of the town was so evident that the regent Queen of Spain, María CristinaMaria Christina of Austria
Maria Christina of Austria was Queen consort of Spain as the second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain...
, honored the town with the title of Ciudad (City) on August 20, 1894. In 1896 or 1897 Utuado was the first city in Puerto Rico with a public electric lighting
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
system powered by a hydraulic turbine power plant, and in that same year mayor Juan Casellas was planning a train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
system to unite Utuado with Arecibo. By 1899 this golden era came to a screeching halt due to two very important events that had a lasting negative effect on the city's economy. The first event was the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
occupation of the island in 1898, which made sugar the new crop of importance instead of coffee. Utuado's mountainous landscape was not ideal for growing sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, making it impossible for it to compete in the sugar industry on a significant level. The second event and the one to have the most profound impact was Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899, which literally wiped out the coffee haciendas.
Massacre
One of the most tragic moments in Utuado's history occurred on October 30, 1950, during the Utuado UprisingUtuado Uprising
The Utuado Uprising, also known as the Utuado Revolt or El Grito de Utuado, refers to the revolt against the United States government in Puerto Rico which occurred on October 30, 1950 in various localities in Puerto Rico and which in Utuado culminated in the "Utuado massacre".-Events leading to the...
against United States rule, which culminated in what is known as the "Utuado Massacre".
In Utuado a group of 32 nationalists, led by nationalist leaders Heriberto Castro and Damián Torres, fought against the local police during the independence revolts which occurred in various cities and towns of the island. The group was reduced to 12 men and retreated to the house of Damián Torres. Torres' residence was attacked by 50-caliber machine-gun fire from four American P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
planes. The National Guard arrived later that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. Once the nationalists surrendered they were forced to march down Dr. Cueto Street to the local town plaza where their shoes, belts and personal belongings were removed. The group was then taken behind the police station where they were machined gunned. Four of the nationalists died in the act, they were nationalist leader Heriberto Castro, Julio Colón Feliciano, Agustín Quiñones Mercado, Antonio Ramos and Antonio González. González, who was 17 years old, pleaded for water and instead was bayoneted to death.
Barrios (districts/wards)
- Ángeles
- Arenas
- Caguana
- Pueblo
- Caonillas Abajo
- Caonillas Arriba
- Consejo
- Don Alonso
- Guaonico
- Las Palmas
- Limón
- Mameyes
- Paso Palma
- Santa Rosa
- Roncador
- Sabana Grande
- Salto Abajo
- Salto Arriba
- Santa Isabel
- Tetuán 1
- Tetuán 2
- Viví Abajo
- Viví Arriba
Agriculture
Utuado has regained some of its coffee producing power and was the 3rd largest coffee producer in Puerto Rico in the 2002 USDAUnited States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
Agricultural Census. It also produces oranges (ranked 4th), plantains (ranked 6th) and bananas (ranked 9th). It has also been successful with livestock inventory ranking 3rd with hives of bees and 13th with pigs
PIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
. Industrially, Utuado counts with a few companies that produce textiles, paper and stone.
Business
Utuado today is equipped with a modern and competitive telecommunications infrastructure. Major cell phone companies including ClaroClaro (mobile phone network)
Claro is the largest mobile phone network in the Americas. It is part of the Mexican telecom group América Móvil which is one of the four largest mobile phone network operators in the world, with more than 200 million customers...
, Centennial
Centennial Communications
Centennial Communications and its subsidiaries provide wireless and broadband telecommunications services to wireless telephone subscribers in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands...
and Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
offer mobile
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
coverage, and Liberty Cablevision and DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
offer cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
service, respectively, with Spanish and English channels (ABC
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and many others) as well as high-speed Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
service. Most of the public areas in the University of Puerto Rico Utuado campus are set up with Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
wireless Internet access.
Landmarks and places of interest
- Cascada El Saltillo
- Lago Dos BocasLago Dos BocasLago Dos Bocas is a lake located in the municipalities of Arecibo and Utuado on the island of Puerto Rico. The lake was created in 1942 when a dam was constructed by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for a hydroelectric power plant. It also serves as one of the island's potable water...
- Lago Caonillas
- Hacienda Roses
- Monumento a los Soldados Utuadeños
- Represa Dos Bocas
- Taller Hacienda Taína
- Centro Ceremonial Indígena de CaguanaCaguana Ceremonial Ball Courts SiteThe Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site in barrio Caguana, Utuado, Puerto Rico, is considered one of the most important archeological sites in the West Indies. Studies estimate it is over 700 years old, built by the Taíno around 1270 AD. Approximately 30 ball courts have been identified and many...
With narrow streets leading up to a central plaza surrounded by a church and the governor's house, Utuado Pueblo is an example of a town built during the Spanish Colonial era of Puerto Rico. The Iglesia San Miguel Arcangel, the local Catholic parish, was founded in 1746. The current double-steepled church was built between 1872 and 1878 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, along with the Caguana Ceremonial Park and the Blanco Bridge or "Puente Blanco" located in barrio Arenas joining Utuado with Adjuntas. Other buildings in Utuado Pueblo that retain their colonial architectural features include The Center for Art, Culture and Tourism in the old Tobacco Coop building, the old hospital "Hospital Catalina Figueras and Teatro San Miguel, among others (for pictures of these and other buildings see photo gallery below).
The Rio Abajo State Forest (Bosque Estatal Rio Abajo) is a 5780 acres (23 km²) forest reserve shared with Arecibo and home to 223 plants and wildlife species including: native Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra
Kapok
Ceiba pentandra is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae , native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and to tropical west Africa...
), Asian teaks
Plantation Teak
Plantation Teak is a tropical hardwood tree from the genus Tectona, endemic to Southeast Asia. The primary distinction between conventional teak and plantation teak is that the latter is exclusively planted for the purpose of forestry management, for either commercial or ecological purposes...
(Tectona spp.), West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni
Swietenia mahagoni
Swietenia mahagoni, commonly known as the West Indies Mahogany, is a species of Swietenia native to southern Florida, USA, The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola. It is the species from which the original mahogany wood was produced....
), Honduran Mahogany (S. humilis
Swietenia humilis
Swietenia humilis is a tree species in the diverse Meliaceae family. The Genus Swietenia, the true mahoganies, is made up of three species: S. mahagoni, S. macrophylla, and S. humilis. The Latin, humilis, translates to small or dwarfish. S. humilis at 6 m. reaches one-fifth the height of S....
) and Australian pines (Casuarina
Casuarina
Casuarina is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera .They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall...
spp.). It is also home to a captive population of the critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata).
East of the Rio Abajo Forest Reserve is Lago Dos Bocas
Lago Dos Bocas
Lago Dos Bocas is a lake located in the municipalities of Arecibo and Utuado on the island of Puerto Rico. The lake was created in 1942 when a dam was constructed by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for a hydroelectric power plant. It also serves as one of the island's potable water...
, one of several man-made lakes in Utuado. From El Embarcadero, near routes 123 and 146, boats take guests around the water to one of the many restaurants for lakeside dining.
Lago Caonillas in the western region of Utuado is another man-made lake. This reservoir encompasses over 50 square miles (129.5 km²) and was constructed in 1948 by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.
Festivals and events
- Festival Nacional Del BBQ en Utuado - Originated by locals Samuel Kanig and Ramon G. Garcia, it is a One-Day Barbecue Festival in early January. It is also were people come to show out their own creativity in a barbecue.
- Bicicletada De La Amistad, Juan Domingo Reyes Negrón - An annual bike day usually celebrated on the Friday of Valentine's Day week since 2001. Celebrated in memory of Juan Domingo Reyes Negrón, a local boy who died in a truck impact while in his bicycle in 2000. The idea was originated by Utuado's First Lady Ivelisse Reyes and has been sponsored by the Municipal Government of Utuado. It has been celebrated annually for the past 10 years. On February 17, 2010 a Municipal employee lost his life in an accident in the Arecibo Waste Dump, therefore the Municipal Government postponed the bike day from February 19, 2010 to March 5, 2010. On this date, the starting point was moved from the Ramón Cabañas Baseball Stadium to the University of Puerto Rico, Utuado recintUniversity of Puerto Rico at UtuadoThe University of Puerto Rico at Utuado is a state university located in the municipality of Utuado, Puerto Rico. UPRU is the youngest campus of the University of Puerto Rico System...
. The 2011 edition's starting point was moved to the end of the under-construction PR-10, near the Utuado recint of the University of Puerto Rico.
- Barrio Angeles Fiesta - April
- Festival Tierra Adentro - Hosted annually by the Agricultural Technology department of the University of Puerto Rico at UtuadoUniversity of Puerto Rico at UtuadoThe University of Puerto Rico at Utuado is a state university located in the municipality of Utuado, Puerto Rico. UPRU is the youngest campus of the University of Puerto Rico System...
, featuring arts and crafts by local artisans, cultural music, food and plant and animal exhibitions. This festival is held in April from a Wednesday to Sunday.
- Guarionex Fiestas - April
- Feria Artesanal de Angeles is an annual arts & crafts fair held in early May in barrio Angeles featuring local artisans, music and food.
- Cross Rosary - May
- Festival Cultural del Otoao is an annual cultural event held in the beginning of December celebrating Utuado's Taino heritage. It features arts & crafts, concerts, food and dance and takes place in the central plaza "'Plaza del Recreo'" in Utuado Pueblo.
- The Annual Patron Saint Festival is held towards the end of September to early October. The town's patron saint, San Miguel ArcangelMichael (archangel)Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, is honored with processions, music, and in 2005 featured amateur boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
matches, softballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and domino games. It is held in Utuado Pueblo's central plaza, "Plaza de Recreo". The 2009 Edition of the Festival was not celebrated due to low budget from the Municipal Administration.
- Festival de la Longaniza celebrated its first year on June 26–28, 2009. It was the life long dream of Don Jose A. Carmona, aka Don Toño, to establish it to celebrate his legacy to his children (his own recipe for seasoning the sausage) and bring another special celebration to the mountain town and celebrate something as delicious as "longaniza".
Transportation
With the recent completion of the Highway 10, Utuado has become one of the easiest towns in the interior mountainous region to reach from the 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...
metropolitan area, what used to be a 3-hour trip has been reduced to 1 hour and 30 minutes (to reach Utuado Pueblo).
Education
There are currently 20 schools under the Department of Education system, 3 private schools, two college level institutions, University of Puerto Rico at UtuadoUniversity of Puerto Rico at Utuado
The University of Puerto Rico at Utuado is a state university located in the municipality of Utuado, Puerto Rico. UPRU is the youngest campus of the University of Puerto Rico System...
and Universidad del Este
Universidad del Este
Universidad del Este Eastern University in English— is a private non-profit institution of higher education and a component of the Ana G...
(UNE), a hospital (Hospital Metropolitano de la Montaña) and two radio stations (WERR 104.1 FM, WUPR 1530 AM).
Most students in Utuado attend public schools, these being spread all over the town. Public education in Utuado is the best fit to the town's economical reality. Principal primary education institutions include; Maria Libertad Gomez, Felix Seijo and Bernardo Gonzalez among others. Among the principal secondary level institutions are Luis Muñoz Rivera, Judith A. Vivas, Francisco Ramos and Antonio Reyes Padilla (also known as 'Vocacional'). While most students attend the above mentioned schools there are many other schools distributed all over Utuado. The main private educational institution of Utuado is Colegio San Miguel. This catholic school offers all lower level education grades (K-12). Founded in the early 1920s, it is located at downtown Utuado.
Boy Scouts
Utuado had a Boy ScoutBoy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
Troop with the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
for over 50 years, changing its number from time to time. Troop 1996 was led by Scoutmaster Raúl A. Pérez from 1997 to April 2011. He is a local agronomist who has been in the Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
movement for over 30 years, since he was 11 years old. Troop 1996 still has its Facebook Fan Page (under the name BSA Tropa 1996, Utuado) and operates as a news giver for Scout units all over Puerto Rico. As of April 2011, Troop 1996 has ceased operations due to lack of parent support.
Cub Scouts
The only Cub Scout Pack was formed around 2000 as Pack 551. This number was chosen as commemoration to former Boy Scout Troop 551 (Now Troop 1996). The Pack then failed sustainment in 2003, later reinstalled in 2008 as Pack 894 and failed sustainment again.Venturing crew
There has been only one VenturingVenturing (Boy Scouts of America)
Venturing is part of the program of the Boy Scouts of America for young adults, men and women, from the age of 14 years old or 13 years old and completed eighth grade through 21....
crew in Utuado in 2006, but failed sustainment afterwards.
Baseball
On September 1, 2007 Utuado's baseball team Los Montañeses (The Mountaineers) won their third Double A League National championship against Los Bravos (The Braves) of Cidra. Their first victory was in 1941 in the then Federación Deportiva del Norte (Sports Federation of the North). In 1970 they won the first championship under the new Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico (Federation of Baseball Enthusiast of Puerto Rico). On August 21, 2009, Los Montañeses lost to Los Patrulleros of San SebastianSan 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...
del Pepino in the last Double A semi-finals game, thus the opponent won 4 of the 7 required games to win for the advancement to the finals. As of mid September 2009, Francisco J. Artau quit the Doble AA baseball team as owner. The post was later resumed by Montañeses' player Leonardo Matos then quit the position and later taken by Physical Therapist Héctor "Dalito" Rodríguez.
Table tennis
Utuado has famous young table tennists such as Manuel Paso Jr., Bryan Afanador, Giovanni González and Melanie Díaz. Afanador has won World Semi-Champion (Unknown place) among his category early in 2009; Mayor Gonzales recognized his effort in the 9th Annual Bike Day of Friendship.Rifle shooting
Paola Z. Álvarez is Utuado's rifle shooting champion. She started to experience rifle shooting in 2007 in the inauguration of the pneumatic shooting range in Club Central de Tiro in Caonillas. After one year, shooting the equivalent of 2 years of expert shooting in 6 months, Albergue Olímpico de SalinasAlbergue Olímpico
The Albergue Olímpico German Rieckehoff Sampayo or Olympic Hostel is an athletic training and recreational center located in Salinas, Puerto Rico. It is the most complete sports center in Puerto Rico used by professional athletes and by the general public for health, educational, and recreational...
Salinas offered her a scholarship which she accepted. She has competed in Guatemala (being the only Puerto Rico female, earning 2nd place among her category) and in Georgia, US. She studied in Colegio Utuadeño San José, Colegio San Miguel, and currently in Albergue Olimpico in Salinas. She is one of the six Utuado athletes who have competed in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from July 18, 2010 to August 1, 2010.-Bid:...
.
Also, her sister, Fabiola, is a shooting champion. She also studies in Albergue Olímpico de Salinas. She is the youngest athlete ever to compete in Mayagüez 2010
2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from July 18, 2010 to August 1, 2010.-Bid:...
and any Central American and Caribbean Games
Central American and Caribbean Games
The Central American and Caribbean Games are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial , typically in the middle year between Summer Olympics...
.
Mayagüez 2010
Six athletes of Utuado have competed in Mayagüez 20102010 Central American and Caribbean Games
The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from July 18, 2010 to August 1, 2010.-Bid:...
, they are: Antonio "Tonito" Acevedo (Baseball), Diamilette Quiles (Softball), Giovanni González (Table Tennis), Luis Collazo (Road Running), Paola Álvarez (Pneumatic Shooting) and Fabiola Álvarez (Pneumatic Shooting).
Further reading
- El Porvenir de Utuado: estudio historico, descriptivo y estadistico, by Ramón Morel Campos, published by El Vapor: Ponce in 1896.
- Libertad y Servidumbre en el Puerto Rico del siglo XIX: (los jornaleros utuadeños en vísperas del auge del café), by Fernando Picó, published by Ediciones Huracan in 1979.
- Los Gallos Peleados, by Fernando Picó, published by Ediciones Huracan in 1983.
- Amargo Café: los pequeños caficultores de Utuado en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, by Fernando Picó, published by Ediciones Huracan in 1981.
- El Dorado Borincano: La economia de la conquista 1510-1550, Jalil Sued Badillo, published by Ediciones Puerto Rico in 2001.
- Historia Geografica, Civil y Natural de la isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico, Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra, originally published in 1788, later published in 1866 with anotations by Jose Julian Acosta y Calbo.