Maricao Municipio Autónomo de Maricao | |
|---|---|
Town andMunicipality | |
.jpg) Maricao High School | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: "Pueblo de las Indieras", "Ciudad del Monte del Estado", "Ciudad de Leyenda y Romance", "Tierra del Café" | |
| Anthem:"Sobre las verdes altura" | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Maricao Municipality | |
| Coordinates:18°10′51″N66°58′48″W / 18.18083°N 66.98000°W /18.18083; -66.98000 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1848 |
| Founded | April 10, 1874 |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wilfredo (Juny) Ruiz (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 5 - Ponce |
| • Representative dist. | 21 |
| Area | |
• Total | 37.1 sq mi (96.0 km2) |
| • Land | 37 sq mi (96 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 4,455 |
| • Rank | 77th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 120/sq mi (46/km2) |
| Demonym | Maricaeños |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Code | 00606 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |      |
Maricao (Spanish pronunciation:[maɾiˈkao]) is atown and the second-least populousmunicipality ofPuerto Rico; it is located at the western edge of theCordillera Central. It is a small town set around a small square in hilly terrain, north ofSan Germán,Sabana Grande andYauco; south ofLas Marías andLares, southeast ofMayagüez, and west ofAdjuntas. Maricao has 7 barrios includingMaricao Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city).
The town borders theMaricao Fish Hatchery, afish hatchery made up of tanks and pools in a garden setting, where some 25,000 fish are raised yearly to stock farm fishponds and island lakes.[2] The hatchery is part of theMaricao State Forest, also known asMonte del Estado. Though of dryer vegetation than the other mountain forest, Maricao is home to large number ofbird species. Its stone observation tower provides far-flung views to the coast and theMona Passage.
Maricao has a2020 census population of 4,455.[3]
Maricao was founded on April 1, 1874, when Bernardo Collado, Julián Ayala, Francisco M. Sojo, Napoleón Pietri and Leoncio S. Martínez requested the Provincial Deputation authorization to establish an official town. It originally belonged to the district ofSan Germán, but they alleged the roads were too long and almost impassable. Their request made references to aparish already established in 1866.
During the 19th centurycoffee boom, Maricao and other regions surged economically. When the spurt of coffee in the island ended by the start of the 20th century, the economic conditions deteriorated again. Many of the old plantation houses have been turned into museums to stimulate the tourism industry. While Puerto Rico still has a niche in the gourmet coffee market, the large scale coffee growing which built Maricao is no longer economically feasible.
Puerto Rico was ceded bySpain in the aftermath of theSpanish–American War under the terms of theTreaty of Paris of 1898 and became a colony of theUnited States. In 1899, theUnited States Department of War conducted acensus of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Maricao was 8,312.[4]
On September 20, 2017Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. Several major landslides covered roads into Maricao. Highways and bridges were washed away by flooding rivers. Residents were left incommunicado.[5] In some areas of Maricao there were more than 25 landslides per square mile.[6][7] Elderly were especially affected.[8]
Maricao is mountainous and rugged and belongs to the Western portion of theCordillera Central.[9]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Maricao is subdivided intobarrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as"el pueblo".[10][11][12]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable tominor civil divisions)[13] and subbarrios,[14] are further subdivided into smaller areas calledsectores (sectors in English). The types ofsectores may vary, from normallysector tourbanización toreparto tobarriada toresidencial, among others.[15][16][17]
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount ofsocial 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 Maricao: Llanadas, El 30 (Sector Los Mercados) in Indiera Alta, La Cuchilla, Los Cuadros-Montoso, and Villa Esperanza.[18][19]
.jpg)
Due to its importance as a coffee producer in the past, some of Maricao's coffeehaciendas were turned into museums or guest houses: Hacienda Delicias andHacienda Juanita, which has since closed. Other places for tourists to visit are the Bambúa Recreational Center and theMaricao Fish Nursery. Some natural spots to visit are theMonte del Estado forest reserve, theMaricao River Natural Protected Area, the Prieto Lake and the Salto de Curet waterfall.
Maricao celebrates itspatron saint festival in June. TheFiestas Patronales de San Juan Bautista is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[9][20]
Known locally as theFestival del Acabe de Café, the End of the Coffee Harvest Festival is celebrated onPresident's Day weekend in February.[21] It celebrates the tradition wherein the Hacienda owners would provide a feast for their workers at the end of the coffee harvest. The festival was founded in 1977 by then mayor, Vicente Byron.
Other festivals and events celebrated in Maricao include:
.jpg)
For decades, Maricao's economy has relied onagriculture, specifically coffee plantations. Fruits and vegetables are also grown in the town. Currently only one factory is established in Maricao,Fenwal Blood Technologies. Devices and materials that are used in blood donation, transfusion, transportation and storage are produced there. Tourism has also played an important role in the town's economy.
For two decades, this municipality has had the highest level ofchildren living in poverty in Puerto Rico.[22]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 8,312 | — | |
| 1910 | 7,158 | −13.9% | |
| 1920 | 8,291 | 15.8% | |
| 1930 | 6,463 | −22.0% | |
| 1940 | 7,724 | 19.5% | |
| 1950 | 7,403 | −4.2% | |
| 1960 | 6,990 | −5.6% | |
| 1970 | 5,991 | −14.3% | |
| 1980 | 6,737 | 12.5% | |
| 1990 | 6,206 | −7.9% | |
| 2000 | 6,449 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 6,276 | −2.7% | |
| 2020 | 4,455 | −29.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] 1899 (shown as 1900)[24] 1910-1930[25] 1930-1950[26] 1960-2000[27] 2010[12]2020[28] | |||
According to the 2000 census, Maricao is the second least populousmunicipality inPuerto Rico, above the island municipality ofCulebra, with 6,449 inhabitants. The 2020 census shows the municipality remains the second least populated with a population of 4,455. The population of the town has decreased during the past decades in part due to the decline in coffee production and the deteriorating economy. In 1899, the population was 8,312. Making thepopulation density is 174.2 people per square mile (67.0/km2).
As a whole, Puerto Rico is mainly made up of people from aCriollo (born on the Island of European descent) orSpanish andEuropean descent, with small groups ofAfrican andAsian people. Statistics taken from the 2000 census shows that 90.3% of Maricaeños haveSpanish orWhite origin, 3.0% areblack, 0.2% areAmerindian etc. The majority of the local population are partly descended from pre Columbian indigenous inhabitants.
There is a general consensus in Puerto Rico that the barrios of Indieras in Maricao have the most people of indigenous origin in Puerto Rico.[30]
| Race - Maricao, Puerto Rico - 2000 Census[31] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Population | % of Total |
| White | 5,824 | 90.3% |
| Black/African American | 194 | 3.0% |
| American Indian andAlaska Native | 10 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 1 | 0.0% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 204 | 3.2% |
| Two or more races | 216 | 3.3% |
Maricao's first mayor was Juan Ferrer y Arnijas, whose term ran from 1874 to 1876.Gilberto Pérez Valentín, alias "El Enano" or the Dwarf, was mayor for seven consecutive terms until he lost his seat in 2020 toWilfredo "Juny" Ruiz, who was re-elected in 2024.[32]
The city belongs to thePuerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In2024,Marially González Huertas andJamie Barlucea, from thePopular Democratic Party andNew Progressive Party, respectively, were elected as District Senators.[33]
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[34]
The flag of Maricao derives its colors, design and symbolism from the municipal shield. It consists of a green cloth, with the three usual dimensions of the municipal flags ofPuerto Rico, crossing from an end to another a yellow band with three points. The color green symbolizes the vegetation of the municipality and the yellow band symbolizes the mountains of the region.[35]
In a silver field, resides an inverted V-shaped green band. Contained in the band are five golden huts. To either side and below the band are a total of three Maricao (Byrsonima spicata) tree branches with flowers. Surrounding the shield below and to either side are two coffee tree branches. Above it is placed a gold mural crown with three towers outlined in black with green doors and windows.[35]
The origin of its name has two versions. It is said to come from the name of the Maricao tree (Byrsonima spicata) which has yellow flowers and grows in the region. The second version is a legend about aTaíno woman called María that, during theSpanish colonization, fell in love with a Spanish soldier. She informed him of an attack planned by her tribe and the Spanish took the offensive. María was then taken prisoner by her people and tried fortreason. As was the tradition, she was tied to a tree and sacrificed. Allegedly "cao" means "sacrifice" so Maricao means "María's sacrifice"; this is consideredfolk etymology.
.jpg)
Maricao has several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by thePuerto Rico Department of Education.
There is no directhighway connection to Maricao.Puerto Rico Highway 119 andPuerto Rico Highway 120 lead from the north, whilePuerto Rico Highway 121 andPuerto Rico Highway 105 lead from the south. Maricao lies about three hours fromSan Juan.
There are 13 bridges in Maricao.[36]
.jpg)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) [Date of access: September 25, 2006]Places adjacent to Maricao, Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
