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Aguas Buenas

Municipio Autónomo de Aguas Buenas
Town Hall of Aguas Buenas
Town Hall of Aguas Buenas
Flag of Aguas Buenas
Flag
Coat of arms of Aguas Buenas
Coat of arms
Nicknames: 
La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras,
Los Mulos,
El Oasis de Puerto Rico,
Los Ñocos
Anthem: "Yo Soy Aguas Buenas"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Aguas Buenas Municipality
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Aguas Buenas Municipality
Sovereign state  United States
Commonwealth  Puerto Rico
Founded May 25, 1838
Barrios
Area
 • Total 30.12 sq mi (78.01 km2)
 • Land 30.12 sq mi (78.00 km2)
 • Water 0.004 sq mi (.01 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 24,223
 • Rank 49th in Puerto Rico
 • Density 804.22/sq mi (310.511/km2)
Demonym(s) Aguasbonenses
Time zone UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code
00703
Area code(s) 787/939
Major routes PR secondary 1.svg PR secondary 156.svg PR secondary 173.svg link: Puerto Rico Highway 174
Website http://legislaturaaguasbuenas.com/

Aguas Buenas, (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈaɣwas ˈβwenas], IPA: [awaʔ ˈβwenaʔ]), popularly known as "La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras" or "The City of Clear Waters", is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Cidra, south of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San Juan; east of Comerio; and north-west of Caguas. Aguas Buenas is spread over 9 barrios and Aguas Buenas Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology and nicknames

The name Aguas Buenas translates to "good waters". The town's and municipality's original names were Aguabuena ("good water"), originally a barrio or district of Caguas, and Aguas Claras ("clear waters"). These names and some of the municipality's nicknames such as Ciudad de las Aguas Claras ("city of clear waters") and Oasis de Puerto Rico ("Puerto Rico's oasis") are a reference to the number of natural water springs that can be found in the municipality, particularly those founds around the Aguas Buenas Cave and Caverns System Nature Reserve (Spanish: Reserva Natural Sistema de Cuevas y Cavernas de Aguas Buenas). In addition to aguasbonenses, citizens and residents of Aguas Buenas are often referred to as Mulos ("mules") or Ñocos ("amputees").

History

Aguas Buenas was originally a sector of Caguas known as Aguabuena. In 1798, a group of residents started establishing their houses near some of the rivers in the area and started calling the sector Aguas Claras.

The quantity of residents incremented with time and on July 25, 1832, they organized a meeting and commissioned Francisco de Salas Torres and Ramón Díaz to do the necessary arrangements for the region to be declared a municipality. A resident, Julian López, offered part of his estate to be used for the construction of a town square, a church, the city hall, and the priest house.

The town was officially founded on May 25, 1838, and the name was changed to Aguas Buenas. Francisco de Salas Torres was declared the first mayor. Initially, the economy of the town relied on coffee plantations and commerce. At the end of the 19th century, the town's population was close to 7,000.

In 1906, mayor Don José E. Morales bought nearly six acres of terrain from Don Guillermo Díaz Delgado. In these lands, the sectors of La Pajilla, El Pueblito and El Guanábano were established, expanding the town's area.

The epicenter of the 2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake, popularly known as the Nochebuena Earthquake, was centered between the barrios Juan Asencio, Mulita and Sonadora.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Aguas Buenas with the significant amount of rainfall. Between1,000 and 3,000 homes in Aguas Buenas were destroyed or suffered significant damage as a result of the hurricane. A year after the hurricane struck, many older residents refused to leave their damaged homes and continued to live in their homes, without a reconstructed roof, but with a blue tarp for a roof. The hurricane winds and rain damaged infrastructure and caused the entire electrical system to collapse.

Geography

The terrain is moderately mountainous located in the northern edge of the Cayey mountain range (Sierra de Cayey), part of the Cordillera Central in Puerto Rico. The highest peaks are La Peña, Santa Bárbara, La Tisa, and La Marquesa.

Water features

Several rivers flow through Aguas Buenas. Some of them are the Bayamón River, and several small rivers that are part of the Río Grande de Loíza, like Bairoa, Caguitas, and Cañas.

Barrios

Barrios of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico locator map
Subdivisions of Aguas Buenas.

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Aguas Buenas is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.

  1. Aguas Buenas barrio-pueblo
  2. Bairoa
  3. Bayamoncito
  4. Cagüitas
  5. Jagüeyes
  6. Juan Asencio
  7. Mula
  8. Mulita
  9. Sonadora
  10. Sumidero

Sectors

Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities

Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Aguas Buenas: Vázquez neighborhood, Las Parcelas in Bayamoncito barrio, Sonadora barrio, Cagüitas Centro, Pajilla sector in Centro Urbano, Jagüeyes Abajo, Las Corujas, and Parcelas Santa Clara in Sumidero barrio.

Tourism

Some of the landmarks and places of interest in Aguas Buenas are located in its town square. Places of interest in Aguas Buenas include:

  • Finca Artesanal
  • La Charca Recreational Center
  • Aguas Buenas Caves
  • El Mirador Walkway
  • Luis A. Ferré Plaza (main square of the downtown area)
  • City Hall
  • Lecture House
  • Christ Redeemer House
  • Jagüeyes Country Club
  • Monte La Tiza
  • Maximiliano Merced fire station
  • Juan Nieves Cotto baseball park
  • Holy Spirit parish

To stimulate local tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The Voy Turisteando Aguas Buenas passport page lists Viva La Cosecha (agritourism), Hacienda Cascada (agritourism), Centro Recreativo La Charca, and Paseo Mirador as places of interest.

Culture

Sports

Aguas Buenas has an amateur baseball team called Los Tigres de Aguas Buenas.

Festivals and events

Aguas Buenas celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Aguas Buenas include the Salsa, Bomba & Plena Festival held in late summer, an Agricultural festival held in May and the Festival Folklórico de Campo y Pueblo held in January. An annual Carnival is held in March.

Economy

After its foundation, the economy of Aguas Buenas relied mostly on coffee plantations.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 7,977
1910 8,292 3.9%
1920 10,741 29.5%
1930 12,885 20.0%
1940 14,671 13.9%
1950 15,565 6.1%
1960 17,034 9.4%
1970 18,600 9.2%
1980 22,429 20.6%
1990 25,424 13.4%
2000 29,032 14.2%
2010 28,659 −1.3%
2020 24,223 −15.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1899 (shown as 1900) 1910–1930
1930–1950 1960–2000 2010 2020
Total Population 28,659
Population by Sex/Age
Male 14,047
Female 14,612
Under 18 7,185
18 & over 21,474
20–24 1,962
25–34 3,953
35–49 5,572
50–64 5,352
65 & over 3,787
Population by Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino 28,513
Non Hispanic or Latino 146
Population by Race
White 20,770
African American 3,604
Asian 25
American Indian and Alaska Native 178
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 5
Other 2,781
Identified by two or more 1,296

According to the 2020 census, Aguas Buenas has a population of 24,223. This represents a decline of 15.5% or over 4,000 inhabitants in comparison to the 2010 census.

According to the 2010 Census, 72.5% of the population identifies themselves as White, and 12.6% as African-American. Also, according to the census, the population is equally divided by gender (49% are males, while 51% are females). Finally, 25% of the population is under 18 years old. The next biggest percentage of population (19.4%) is between 35 and 49 years old.

Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The flag of Aguas Buenas features a blue triangle with the base at the hoist. The triangle has a solitary white star, like the national banner. A second triangle appears interposed with the first one, in yellow, with its point reaching the other end of the flag. The main field of the flag, under both triangles, is color green.

Coat of arms

Designed by Francisco Diaz Rivera in 1975, the coat of arms features a four-paneled shield. The upper left panel shows the Virgin of Monserrate, while the upper right panel features a Taíno, a symbol of the original inhabitants of this region. At the bottom right panel, lies a cornucopia containing the native fruit of Aguas Buenas. This panel represents how the agriculture was the primary source of income for the town. In the lower left panel, there are four maracas and a güicharo, typical instruments of the "jibaros" of Aguas Buenas and Puerto Rico. The crown, as with other municipalities of Puerto Rico, consists of three towers.

Anthem

Bajo el azul del cielo de mi patria

En el oriente de la Cordillera

Aguasbonenses forjando la historia

Defendiendo el honor de su bandera.

De sol a sol sembrando nuestros frutos

El orgullo labrado en nuestra tierra

La siega de un futuro va anunciando

El brillo de la solitaria estrella.

Que se levanta en medio del combate

Por negarse a ser solo una quimera

Raices firmes que en el pecho laten

Afirmando la patria y la conciencia.

Aguas Buenas, estirpe de valientes

Pedazo del terruño borinqueño

Un pueblo que se une en la conquista

De lo que es ser un buen puertoriqueñio.

Yo soy Aguas Buenas!

Transportation

To reach the town of Aguas Buenas, visitors must take the Puerto Rico Highway 52 to the city of Caguas. From there, PR-156 leads directly into the downtown square. Other minor roads lead to nearby towns such as Comerío.

There are 13 bridges in Aguas Buenas.

Education

There are around 14 public schools in Aguas Buenas. As with all other municipalities, education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. These are divided as follows:

Elementary Schools

  • Dr. Gustavo Muñoz Díaz
  • Ezequiel Ramos La Santa
  • Jagüeyes Abajo
  • José R. González
  • Luis Santaella
  • Luis T. Baliñas
  • Mulitas Alvelo
  • Ramón Luis Rivera/Juan Asencio
  • Santa Clara

Junior High Schools

  • Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
  • Luis Muñoz Marín
  • Su Bayamoncito
  • Su Sumidero

High Schools

  • Josefa Pastrana

Notable people

  • Victor Hernández Cruz – Poet
  • Gustavo Muñoz Díaz – Dramatist
  • Jacobo Córdova Chirino (1901–1955) – Journalist & Humorist
  • José Arsenio Torres – Professor
  • Luis Rechani Agrait (1902–1997) – Dramatist
  • Pio Rechani – Journalist
  • Rafael Nicolau – Journalist
  • Josefa Pastrana Lopez (1899–1958) – Professor
  • Joyce Giraud – Actress and Miss Puerto Rico 1998

See also

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