Complejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex
Paseo Tablado La Guancha, the centerpice of the La Guancha Recreational Complex
Interactive map of Complejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex
Type	Passive park
Location	Bario Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	17°57′55.3674″N66°36′52.128″W / 17.965379833°N 66.61448000°W /17.965379833; -66.61448000
Area	approx 20cuerdas
Created	23 June 1998
Operated by	Autonomous Municipality of Ponce
Status	Open every day
Parking	Several areas with parking for about 900 vehicles

TheComplejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha (English:La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex) is a recreational complex in barrioPlaya inPonce, Puerto Rico, with family recreational and cultural facilities that opened on 23 June 1998.^[1] The highlight of the complex is thePaseo Tablado La Guancha, which is flanked by a beach, an observation tower, an amphitheater, and 24 open-air kiosks.^[2] It was developed during the administration of MayorRafael Cordero Santiago.^[3] In October 2017, afterHurricane Maria, it closed to the public to undergo repairs but, as of January 2020, when the area suffered severe damage due to the2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes, no repairs had been made and, as of 17 June 2020, it remained closed.^[4] By late 2020 arrangements were made for the merchants that operated from waterfront kiosks to reopen their businesses out of provisional facilities at a temporary location away from the waterfront while reconstruction of the waterfront area takes place.

Originally La Guancha consisted of a road and sidewalk alongside adike built close to the easternmost shore of barrio Playa across fromPonce Yacht Club. Theromantic area was frequented by families andsweethearts alike, especially on weekends, for relaxation andbonding. During the administration of MayorCordero, however, a number of facilities were added to the La Guancha area at a cost of over $18 million, developing it into a new recreational complex.^[5] The new facilities followed the design of engineer Axel Bonilla Cortes.^[6]

Seven new facilities were added to the existing walkway area:^[7]

• TheDr. Enrique "Coco" Vicens Recreational and Cultural Center (Spanish: Centro Recreativo y Cultural Enrique "Coco" Vicéns), which consists of an open-air amphitheater for concert-type facilities and seating some 30,000 spectators.^[8] Its stage is known as "Tarima Hector Lavoe".^[9]
• A rides and amusement park area, intended for the celebration ofPatron Saint's Day Festivals, fairs, and similar festivities
• The Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park, with over 40 games for the youngsters, plus the (Julio and Geraldo) Chamorro-Franceschini Brothers Park, with facilities for the handicapped
• Several parking areas with parking for some 900 vehicles, and distributed throughout the complex
• A majestic fountain, as its main axis, displaying the city'sCoat-of-arms and its iconiclion
• A multi-use building providing facilities for thePonce Municipal Police, medical emergencies and ambulance, and other related agencies
• Anourished beach area with over 10,000 cubic meters of new sand that replenished and built up the previous beach area, and including fivebeach volleyball courts,gazebos, access ramps to theCaribbean Sea, and associated illumination.

This project complemented the recently inaugurated tourist pier in the nearbyPort of Ponce, and which saw an investment of $4 million.^[10]

The Complex was developed by the Department of Community and Economic Development of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce at a cost of $18.6 million. The breakdown of the cost included $3.6 million in the acquisition of thePaseo Tablado La Guancha, 6.5 million in the purchase of over 27 acres (110,000 m²) of land, $8.0 million in the construction of the project, $0.2 million for the bidding process, and $0.3 million for the upgrade ofPR-12 (Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros) asinfrastructure leading to the new complex.^[11]

External audio
You may see some of La Guancha Recreational and Cultural CenterHERE

The complex sustained damage due to the2020 Puerto Rico earthquake.^[12][13]

• 
  Aerial view of the Complex (right half)
• 
  Hector Lavoe Rides and Amusement Plaza (Western End)
• 
  Children looking at fish at La Guancha
• 
  Rides and Amusement Park Area (Eastern End)
• 
  Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park sign
• 
  Children's Playground at the Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park
• 
  Sign marking the Children's Area
• 
  Chamorro-Franceschini Bros. Handicapped Children's Park
• 
  Public parking for over 900 cars at La Guancha
• 
  Majestic Fountain and Lion at the Entrance to La Guancha
• 
  Sign marking the Multiuse Building
• 
  Administrative Multiuse Building
• 
  EMS Office at the Multi Use Building
• 
  Beach volleyball courts
• 
  Sand-nourished La Guancha Beach
• 
  Ponce Municipal Band Gazebo
• 
  Walkway

• Paseo Tablado La Guancha

• Fay Fowlie de Flores.Ponce, Perla del Sur: Una Bibliográfica Anotada. Second Edition. 1997. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce. p. 13. Item 65.LCCN 92-75480
• Nelson Garcia. "Origen del Nombre de La Guancha."La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 23-30 enero 1996. p. 37.

• Complejo Recreativo La Guancha at Explore Puerto Rico
• La Historia Olvidada de La Guancha. Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. 27 May 2015. Accessed 26 November 2020.

• Buildings and structures in Ponce, Puerto Rico
• Parks in Ponce, Puerto Rico
• Beaches of Puerto Rico
• Buildings and structures completed in 1998
• Parks established in the 1990s
• Protected areas established in 1998
• 1998 establishments in Puerto Rico
• Tourist attractions in Ponce, Puerto Rico

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from July 2020
• Articles with permanently dead external links
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2018
• Pages using infobox mapframe without shape links in Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Pages using the Kartographer extension