Guayama (Spanish, English Guayama ) is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico .
| City | |||||
| Guayama | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guayama | |||||
| |||||
| A country |  Puerto rico | ||||
| The mayor | Glorimari Jaime Rodriguez | ||||
| History and Geography | |||||
| Founded | 1736 | ||||
| Area | 210.74 km² | ||||
| Center height | |||||
| Climate type | Tropical | ||||
| Timezone | UTC − 4 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 45 362 people ( 2010 ) | ||||
| Digital identifiers | |||||
| Postal codes | 00784, 00785 | ||||
| municipiodeguayama.net (Spanish) | |||||
Content
- 1 Geography
- 2 History
- 3 Demographics
- 4 Famous Citizens
Geography
Guayama Municipality is located in the south of Puerto Rico, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, south of the city of Cayei and east of Salinas , west of Patilas and Arroyo . Included in the urban area of Guayama . Administratively, the municipality is divided into 9 districts and the urban center of Guayama Pueblo (population 16.891 people). The total population of the municipality was 45.362 people (as of 2010).
The municipality includes the islands of Cayo Caribes, Isla Morillito and Mata Redonda. On its territory there is also Lake Melania.
History
The city of Guayama was founded on January 29, 1736 under the governor of Puerto Rico, Matias de Abadia, and was originally called San Antonio de Padua de Guayama (San Antonio de Padua de Guayama) . The name "Guayama" belonged to one of the powerful Native American Cassiks who ruled the southeastern part of Puerto Rico in the 16th century. Soon after, the Catholic Church in Guayama was turned into a parish cathedral. In 1766 there were more than 200 houses. In 1828, the royal palace (Casa del Rey) was completed in Guayama. In 1881, the city was declared a municipality (Villa).
During the Spanish-American War , July 26, 1898, American troops landed near Guayama under the command of General Nelson E. Miles. The city was occupied by the Americans under the command of General Brooke after his fierce defense and battle of Guayama , August 5, 1898.
After the end of the war and the annexation of Puerto Rico by the Americans, the Bernardini Theater (1913) was built and opened in Guayama. At the beginning of the XX century, the city was one of the most important cultural centers of the island. From the middle of the 20th century, rapid industrial development began in the municipality. Oil refineries, chemical enterprises, synthetic fiber production, and sugar factories are being created here.
Demographics
Of the 45,362 people living in the municipality (2010), 57.2% were white, 26.1% were Negroes, 1% were Indians, 15.4% were mulattos and mestizos.
Famous Citizens
In Guayama were born:
- Manuel Rivera-Ortiz - photographer
- Luz Palez-Matos - poet and writer
- Juan Laporte - boxer, WBC world champion (1982-1984)