Guayama, Puerto Rico

Town of Wizards

Guayama (gwah-YAH-mah) is known as the “Town of the Witches” and the “City of the Guamaní.” The patron saint of Guayama is Saint Anthony of Padua.

Guayama is bordered on the north by the municipality of Cayey, on the east by Patillas and Arroyo, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by Salinas. Although it is part of the southern coastal plain, the Jájome range 2,395 feet high and Cayey range rise to the north of the municipality.

The highest points in Guayama are Cerro de la Tabla and Cerro Tumbado, which are part of the Cayey mountain range mentioned above. Other peaks in the municipality are Garau, Charcas and Peña Hendida.

By the middle of the 20th century, Guayama had achieved significant industrial development, including the arrival of the Univis Optical Corp., the Angela Manufacturing Company and the establishment of a petrochemical complex by the Philips Petroleum Company. In 1968, that company began production of paraffin, benzene, synthetic fibers, anhydrous plastic, a million gallons of gasoline daily and many other products.

In that same decade, a thermoelectric plant was built in Las Mareas sector. From that time, agriculture declined as a result of land lost to industrialization and the construction of urbanizations. The urban growth impacted the planting of sugar cane. As a result, 155,595 tones of cane were harvested in 1974, producing 12,655 tons of sugar.

Foundation:

Matías de Abadía founded Guayama in 1736. Its name is of Taino origin and derived from the region where Cacique Guanamí and Cacique Guayama lived, guayama means “great site”. The town is known as El Pueblo de los Brujos (Town of Wizards) in honor of “Moncho el Brujo” (Moncho the Wizard), a legendary baseball pitcher from Guayama.

In 1855, Arroyo was separated to become an independent municipality, taking the neighborhoods: Ancones, Arroyo, Yaurel, Pitajaya, and Cuatro Calles. By 1878, Guayama was a department head including: Comerío (then Sabana del Palmar), Cidra, Cayey, Salinas, Arroyo, San Lorenzo (then called Hato Grande), Aguas Buenas, Caguas, Gurabo, and Juncos.

The development continued with the construction of the town cemetery in 1844, the slaughterhouse and meat market in 1851, and a wooden theater of two levels in 1878. By then Guayama had fourteen sugar plantations operating with steam engines and three with ox mills.

Also practiced in this municipality was the exploitation of lead mines by the company “La Estrella”, owned by Miguel Planellas, as well as the mineral galena, by the company “La Rosita”, owned by Antonio Aponte.

In 1881, Guayama is declared a Villa (First Order Municipality).

Location:

Located in the southern coast, its bordered by: Cayey to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the south, Salinas to the west, and Patillas and Arroyo to the east.

Area:

169.7 sq km / 65.3 sq mi

Population:

44,301 (census 2000)

Population Density:

261.0 per sq km / 678.4 per sq mi

People are known as:

Guayameses

Guayama is also known as:

El Pueblo de los Brujos (Town Of Wizards)
Ciudad Bruja (Wizard City)
La Ciudad del Guamaní (Guamaní City)

Wards: Guayama, Puerto Rico

Census 2000: Population by Wards – Guayama	Habitants
Algarrobo	7,377
Caimital	4,505
Carite	1,157
Carmen	682
Guamaní	1,528
Guayama Pueblo	17,111
Jobos	7,706
Machete	2,509
Palmas	841
Pozo Hondo	885
Total	44,301

Source: Censo 2000

Topography:

Guayama pertenece, geográficamente, a la región de los Llanos Costaneros del Sur, por su parte norte corren las Sierras de Jájome y de Cayey.

Hydrography:

The hydrography is formed by the Plata, Chiquito, Guamaní and Seco rivers, and the Palmas Bajas, Culebra, Barros, Cimarrona, Salada, Corazón and Branderí gorges. The hydrographic system also includes the Carite Dam, Lake Melania and Las Mareas Lagoon near the coast.

Climate:

Annual precipitation is around 51.95 inches and its average temperature is 81°F.

Economy:

Manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, chemicals and petrochemicals), agriculture (sugar cane) and fishing.

Average Salary:

$344.93 weekly (1998)

Flag:

The Guayama flag is made up of three stripes of different colors. To the left of the top stripe we can see the Old Mill, which today is known as the Molino de Vives. Meaning of the colors:

• Black – the African or black race of Puerto Rico.
• Yellow – the economic gain that generated the sugar cane in Puerto Rico.
• Red – the blood spilled by the enslaved Indians in the fights with foreign invasions.

Coat Of Arms:

The shield is divided in four parts and in two of them part of a chessboard appears. This makes reference to the square and regular form of the Guayama urban zone. It has two old mill towers. These symbolize the sugar cane culture. They also represent the characteristic elements of the landscape and history of the town.

The laurel trees constitute a representation of the beautiful Recreation Plaza very well known for its trimmed trees. The three silver flowers symbolize San Antonio de Padua, patron of Guayama. The crown represents Cacique Guayama, name of the town. The branches with guava fruits surrounding the shield symbolize a legend related to the origins of the town: the appearance of San Antonio de Padua floating over a guava tree. The big crown has four towers that represent the municipal autonomy and the unity of the citizens in the defense of their historical traditions and common well-being. The crown means that Guayama obtained the title of Village.

Distinguished Citizens:

• Luis Palés Matos – Poet. One of the founders of the Diepalismo Movement. Among his works are Azaleas, El Palacio en Sombras and Tuntún de Pasa y Grifería, among others.
• Catalino ‘Tite’ Curet Alonso – Musical composer. His songs were sung by many international figures, such as La Lupe, Celia Cruz and Ismael Miranda, among others.
• Eleuterio Derkes – (1836-1883) Poet, playwright, journalist and essayist.
• Luis Rivera – Pianist and composer specializing in religious music and awarded the gold medal in 1917 for his composition Ensueños.
• Francisco Porrata Doria – Architect. He designed the Old Bank of Ponce. among other historical buildings. He was mayor of Guayama 1933-1938.
• Vicente Palés Anés – Father of Luis Palés Matos and patriarch of a family of poets. He contributed to periodicals of his era. He published two small books of verse: A la masonería (1886) and El cementerio (1889).

Name	Level	Telephone	Address
Elementary
ALEJANDRO ORTÍZ RESTO	K-4	(787) 864-6413	PO Box 2219, P.R. 00785-0000
AMALIA MARÍN	K-6	(787) 864-1068	PO Box 2368, P.R. 00785-0000
ANSELMO VÁZQUEZ DE JESÚS	K-4	(787) 853-2002	PO Box 2219, P.R. 00785-0000
BARTOLO CAUSSADE GONZÁLEZ	K-6	(787) 866-0367	PO Box 1979, P.R. 00785-0000
CARLOS MARTÍNEZ BENÍTEZ	K-6	(787) 866-0373	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
FRANCISCO NAVARRO COLÓN	K-6	(787) 866-0779	PO Box 449, P.R. 00785-9707
JORGE WASHINGTON II	3-6	(787) 864-1268	PO Box 57, P.R. 00785-0000
JOSÉ MUÑOZ VÁZQUEZ	K-6	(787) 864-4919	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
LUIS MUÑOZ RIVERA	K-2	(787) 864-1015	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
LUIS PALÉS MATOS	K-6	(787) 864-2101	PO Box 2280, P.R. 00785-0000
MARCELA GARCÍA CORA	K-6	(787) 864-7374	PO Box 2219, P.R. 00785-0000
OLIMPO	K-6	(787) 864-3875	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
OSCAR HERNÁNDEZ GUEVARA	K-6	(787) 864-8242	PO Box 2370, P.R. 00785-0000
VICENTE PALÉS ANÉS	K-6	(787) 864-0866	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
WASHINGTON I	PK-2	(787) 864-0566	PO Box 10007 Suite 121, P.R. 00785-0000
Intermediate
GENARO CAUTIÑO	7	(787) 864-0668	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
LUIS A RIVERA	8-9	(787) 864-0968	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
SIMÓN MADERA	7-9	(787) 864-0768	PO Box 10007 Suite 102, P.R. 00785-0000
PS – Institute
INSTITUTO TECNOLÓGICO	13-14	(787) 864-0354	PO Box 150, P.R. 00785-0000
Otros
ELEUTERIO LUGO	ADULTOS	(787) 864-3959	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
RAMÓN ÁVILA (TECH. VOC.)	ADULTOS	(787) 864-0413	PO Box 150, P.R. 00785-0000
Secondary
ADELA BRENES TEXIDOR	7-12	(787) 864-7700	PO Box 2188, P.R. 00785-0000
FRANCISCO GARCÍA BOYRIE	7-12	(787) 864-3879	PO Box 10016, P.R. 00785-0000
SU JUAN ALEMAÑY SILVA	K-9	(787) 864-3005	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
High School
ANTONIO LUCHETTI	EE	(787) 864-2202	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000
DR. RAFAEL LÓPEZ LANDRÓN	10-12	(787) 864-4366	PO Box 90, P.R. 00785-0000

Hymn:

By Néstor Cora Vera