Caguas

Caguas (KAH-gwahs) (founded in 1775) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey.

Caguas is located twenty minutes to an hour by car from San Juan and an hour and a half from Ponce. It is known as El Valle del Turabo (Turabo Valley) or La Ciudad Criolla (The Creole City) and its name originates from the Taíno cacique Caguax.

History

Originally called San Sebastián del Piñal de Caguax, Caguas derives its name from a local Indian chief (Caguax) who was an early Christian convert.

Politics

During the 1980s the city was directed by Mayor Angel O. Berrios and Miguel Hernández, and these days it is led by Mayor William Miranda Marin. Mayors Berrios and Miranda Marín are both members of the PPD which has led the city for many years. Previous mayors also include Manuel Seoane, and Angel Rivera.

Flag

The colors are blue and yellow. The cross stands for the Cross of San Sebastián, for this was the first Christian village that settled in the Caguas Valley together with the hermitage of San Sebastián del Barrero. Ten of the Caguas Barrios have their own flag using the Cross of San Sebastian, its own coat of arms and colors.

Coat of Arms

The colors blue and gold were chosen for the shield, distinctive of the city of Caguas. The figures symbolize the Indigenous and Christian origins of this city. The crown represents Chief Caguax, Monarch of the Turabo Valley, upon the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

Demographics

Caguas cathedral “Dulce Nombre de Jesús” (Sweet Name of Jesus) inaugurated in 1930 with image of Carlos Manuel Rodríguez (restored 1999)

Barrios (Districts/Wards)

Caguas Pueblo
Bairoa
Beatriz
Borinquen

Cañabón
Cañaboncito
La Barra
La Muda
Rio Cañas
San Antonio

San Salvador
Tomás de Castro
Turabo

Geo/Topography

The Grande de Loíza river divides this municipality from Gurabo.
Rivers - The Turabo, Cagüitas, Cañaboncito, Bairoa and Cañas

Economic

In September 2005 City Mayor William Miranda Marin levied the first Municipal tax in Puerto Rico via city ordinance. Area Merchants now charge a one cent tax for every dollar spent on all retail businesses. The tax has become known around the island as the "Willie Tax". It has resulted in a $500,000.00 monthly estimated income for the city. Other mayors in the island are looking into the tax system.

During 2006, Miranda Marin began calling Caguas "El Nuevo Pais de Caguas" ("The New Country of Caguas"), a nickname that drew diverse reactions from Puerto Rican political critics. It is unclear whether Miranda Marin just uses the slogan to attract tourists and companies to the area, or whether he is actually looking for Caguas to become an independent country-municipality.

Agriculture

Its community has enjoyed one of the best economies among Puerto Rican cities since at least the 1980s. During the early part of the 20th century, Caguas hosted one of Puerto Rico's most important sugar manufacturers, which gave employment to thousands of cagüeños.

Business

Numerous business and important buildings have opened up there since then, including the imposing 23 story apartment building Caguas Tower, its adjacent competitors Bonneville Apartments, the 10 floor San Juan Bautista Medical Center, Plaza del Carmen Mall, Plaza Centro Mall, Las Catalinas Mall, Los Prado Mall, Bairoa Shopping Center,Villa Blanca Mall,Angora Shopping Center, and various other important structures.

Transportation

Public transportation in Caguas, as in most of Puerto Rico is limited to small “guaguas públicas” (Mini Bus). There is service from and to San Juan and Rio Piedras, very inexpensive but slow. Within Caguas, there are several buses and taxis serving the town.

A light-rail system connecting Caguas to San Juan is in the planning stages. It is part of the plans of extending the Tren Urbano.

Caguas is served by one freeway, one tolled expressway and one main divided highway. Puerto Rico Highway 30 connects Caguas to the east, but there is no freeway/expressway to the west, mainly to the fact that there is no sufficient population west of Caguas to develop a new freeway or expressway; but good access to the municipalities of Cidra(southwest) and Aguas Buenas(northwest) are possible via PR-172 and PR-156, respectively. Puerto Rico Highway 52 connects Caguas to the north (San Juan) and south (Cayey, Ponce). Puerto Rico Highway 1 is an alternate route to San Juan and Guaynabo with two lanes per direction, but in south Caguas it turns rural near Borinquen, therefore the only good access to Cayey is the expressway (PR-52) and a toll of $1.00 has to be paid (only in the south direction). the only municipality bordering Caguas with a poor-access road is San Lorenzo, via PR-183; but good access to San Lorenzo is possible entering Gurabo first via PR-30 and then taking PR-203 south.

Tourism

Caguas Municipal Trolley in the Town Square

Entrance to the Botanic and Cultural Gardens

Landmarks and places of interest:

Botanic and Cultural Gardens
Cable Car/Trolley
Caguas Historical Museum
Caguas Cathedral
Coquí Villa
Hacienda Catalina Ruins
Hacienda Cofresí
Hacienda Country Club
La Casa de Ajedrez (The House of Chess)
Tobacco Museum
Turabo Park

Festivals and events:

Rosario Cantado a los Reyes - 4 January
Three Kings Festival - 5 January
Criolla Beatriz - February
Criolla Borinquen Fair - March
Criolla Cañabón Fair - April
Felipe "La Voz Rodríguez' Birthday - 8 May
Cross Festival - 23 - 31 May
Typical Criole Festival - 1 - 2 June
Latin American Musical

Education

High Schools

Academia Cristo de los Milagros
Caguas Military Academy
Colegio Bautista
Colegio Católico Notre Dame
Colegio San José
Dr. Juan José Osuna School High school
José Gautier Benítez High school
Manuela Toro Morice High School
Republica de Costa Rica Vocacional de Caguas High School
Bairoa III High School
Rio Cañas High School
Escuela de Ciencias, Matematicas y tecnologia segunda unidad de Caguas
Colegio Santa Rosa Superior

Higher Education

Hospitals

Hospital Hima San Pablo
San Juan Bautista Medical Center

Sports

The Criollos de Caguas baseball team are considered one of the greatest of all-time in all of Latin America, having won 14 national Puerto Rico titles and 3Caribbean World Series titles The team is a member of the LBPPR. Three of the first five Puerto Ricans that played Major League Baseball in the U.S. at one point in their careers played for the Criollos de Caguas (Luis Rodríguez Olmo, Victor Pellot Power, Roberto Clemente).

The Criollos de Caguas basketball team, founded in 1968 by Dr. Héctor "Tato" Dávila and Lcdo. Libertario Pérez Rodríguez, hasn't enjoyed as much success as their baseball counterparts, but in the early 2000s, they showed a lot of progress by reaching the national playoffs various times. The team is a member of the BSN. In 2006, the team won its first BSN national basketball championship, defeating Flor Melendez and his Santurce Crabbers in five games.

Caguas is home to the Bairoa Gym, one of the most important boxing gyms in all Puerto Rico and a place where many visiting champions have trained at; such as boxing Welterweight Champion Miguel Cotto, his brother Jose Miguel, Alberto Mercado, Juan Carazo, Hector Camacho, Alfredo Escalera and others.

The Criollas de Caguas women's volleyball team has won 7 national Puerto Rico titles and has made it to the finals more than 15 times. The team is a member of the LVSFPR.

Notable "Cagüeños"

Abelardo Diaz Alfaro - Writer - Story teller
Agnes Tañón Correa- Miss Universe Puerto Rico 1980
Alex Cora - Boston Red Sox middle infielder
Carlos Manuel (Charlie) Rodriguez - First Puerto Rican named Blessed in the Catholic Church
Concha Meléndez (1895–1983) - Educator
David Quiñones - Coach of the Year Volleyball Superior League, Holds record of most consecutive victories undefeated (team was 25-0).
Edgardo Diaz - manager of Menudo
Florencio Morales Ramos (Ramito) Ramos (1915–1990) - Trovador
Herman Badillo (1929- ) - First Puerto Rican congressman
Jose Gautier Benitez - Poet
Jose Ignacio Quinton - pianist and composer of danzas.
Juan Carazo - Boxer
Julian Solis - Boxer
Dr. Libertario Pérez Rodríguez - Co-founder of the Caguas Basketball team.
Felipe Rodríguez (1926–1996) - Singer
Margot Arce de Vázquez (1904–1990) - Writer & educator
Miguel Cotto - Boxer
Raul Papaleo - Volleyball Player-Gold medalist in the Centroamerican games
Wilnelia Merced Cruz - Miss World 1975
Joseph Alicea Lopez - Los Super Reyes member
Tony Pabon - Founder and president of Taifushoi Karate Do first Puerto Rican Karate style.

Sister Cities

Hartford, USA

Notes and references

^ Demographics/Ethnic U.S 2000 census

References

Caguas and its barrios, United States Census Bureau
Carrasquillo, Rosa E. (2006). Our Landless Patria: Marginal Citizenship and Race in Caguas, Puerto Rico, 1880-1910. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. OCLC 61204347.