Yauco, Puerto Rico
Land of Coffee
Yauco (YOU-ko) is known as the “Coffee Town,” the “Taino Capital,” and the “Town of Corsicans.” Its patron saint is the Virgen del Santísimo Rosario. Its name comes from the Taino word Coayú or Coayuco, which was used to identify the region and is related etymologically to the word yuca or cassava.
Yauco is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas, on the east by Guayanilla, on the west by Guánica and Sabana Grande and on the south by the Caribbean Sea.
The municipality is part of the southern coastal plain. Although the northern zone of the municipality extends to the southern slopes of the central mountain range. The municipality’s highest elevations are located in this areas: mount Membrillo, Rodadero peak and the Curet peak. Part of the mountainous territory of Yauco falls within the Guilarte and Susúa forests.
Other geographical features are La Ballena bay and El Convento and El Negro caves, located in the Duey sector.
The economy of Yauco is based on agriculture, especially its coffee, which is recognized worldwide. Tobacco, sugar cane and fruits are also grown. Also operating in the municipality are several factories that manufacture scientific instruments and food products made from flour.
Foundation:
Yauco, its etymological root comes from yucca. It was the well-known southeastern region known as Coayuco. This town already existed as a indigenous community long before the discovery of Puerto Rico. Yauco was the indigenous capital of the island of Borikén. Juan Ponce de León arrived to the island to explore and colonize it in 1508, entering thru the Guánica Bay. He went to the Coayuco region, seat of the main chief of the Island, named Agueybaná.
During 1755 the neighbors of this territory had already built a hermitage under the patronage of Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) and maintained a chaplain to take care of its religious necessities. These neighbors empowered Fernando Pacheco to request from of the Government authorization to found a town. In January of 1755 Fernando Pacheco presented to Spanish Crown the request of the neighbors. On February 29 of the following year, the Spanish crown authorized the founding. It was then that plans were drawn for the main buildings, such as the town hall, the church, the plaza and streets. Pacheco became the first mayor.
After the Real Cédula de Gracia order of 1815, the population of Yauco prospered notably, thanks to the production of cotton, sugar and coffee. The many Corsican immigrants who arrived in the mountainous area of the southwestern part of the island dedicated themselves to agriculture. Cultivation of coffee in Yauco originally began in the Rancheras and Diego Hernández sectors and later extended to the Aguas Blancas, Frailes and Rubias sectors.
The “last cry of rebellion” against the Spanish government was raised in Yauco. On March 24, 1897, about sixty insurrectionists, under the command of Fidel Vélez, took up arms against the colonial regime. Other leaders of the revolt were Manuel Catalá, Antonio Mattei Lluveras and Agustín Morales. They attempted to seize the city hall and raise a Puerto Rican flag sewn by the wife of Fidel Vélez. Many of these leaders were arrested and imprisoned in El Morro.
On July 27, 1898, U.S. troops commanded by General Miles arrived in Yauco. At that time, the municipality had various manufacturing facilities: factories producing furniture, crackers, pasta, chocolate and other products.
Location:
Located in the southern coast, closer to the west, it borders north with Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas, south with the Caribbean Sea, west with Sabana Grande and Guánica and east with Guayanilla.
Area:
177.5 sq km / 68.3 sq mi
Population:
46,384 (census 2000)
Population Density:
261.3 per sq km / 679.1 per sq mi
People are known as:
Yaucanos
Yauco is also known as:
El Pueblo del Café (Town of Coffee)
Capital Taína (Taino Capital)
Los Corsos (The Corsicans)
Wards: Yauco, Puerto Rico

Census 2000: Population by Wards – Yauco |
Habitants |
Aguas Blancas | 316 |
Algarrobo | 483 |
Almácigo Alto | 1,905 |
Almácigo Bajo | 4,986 |
Barina | 5,726 |
Caimito | 647 |
Collores | 971 |
Diego Hernández | 1,645 |
Duey | 1,412 |
Frailes | 205 |
Jácana | 1,969 |
Naranjo | 699 |
Quebradas | 836 |
Ranchera | 564 |
Río Prieto | 783 |
Rubias | 294 |
Sierra Alta | 1,119 |
Susúa Alta | 4,069 |
Susúa Baja | 13,319 |
Vegas | 178 |
Yauco Town | 4,258 |
Total | 46,384 |
Source: Censo 2000

Patron:
Virgen del Santísimo Rosario
Santísimo Rosario Parish
Apartado 46
Yauco, P.R. 00698
(787) 856-1222
Mass Scheduled:
Monday thru Friday – 7:00am, 12:00m y 7:30pm
Saturday – 7:00am y 7:30pm
Sundays – 7:00am, 8:30am, 10:00am y 7:30pm
Topography:
It belongs to the municipalities of the Southern Coastal Plain, in addition its northern territory is located in the southern slopes of the Central Mountain Range; where great elevations can be found like Mount Membrillo, the Rodadero Peak and the Curet Hill.
Hydrography:
It is watered by the Yauco, Loco, Chiquito, Naranjo and Duey rivers. The Grande, La Granja, Quebradas, Berrenchín, Grande, Fría, Mango Prieto andSusúa gorges. In the river basin of the Yauco river the Luchetti dam forms, it has an original capacity of 16,500 acres/foot. In the river basin of the Loco river the Loco dam forms, that originally had a capacity of 1,950 acres/foot.
Economy:
Based on agriculture, mainly in the cultivation of coffee, for its excellent quality, it has world-wide fame; other agricultural products that are cultivated here are sugar cane, tobacco and fruits. Within the most important factories we emphasize, by the number of people employed, those that elaborate scientific instruments and nutritional products derived from the wheat flour.
Average Salary:
$247.34 weekly (1998)
Flag:
The flag of Yauco consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, green the superior and gold the inferior one. To the center the official shield of Yauco.
Coat Of Arms:
Shield divided in quarters by a cross in the center that represents the Christendom. In the first aquarter, the shield of the Pacheco family, in honor to its founder and First Lieutenant don Fernando Pacheco. The description of the Pacheco family shield follows:
- In a silver field a gold and black boiler, with seven necks and heads of black serpents in each handle, three to the right hand, confronted with four to the left-hand side. Bordered by a checkered band in gold and black.
- The second and third quarter, in a field of gold, two coffee plant flowers of five leaves of silver and four red. The coffee plant flower and the coffee grains, represent their cultivation in the Yauco municipality.
- The border of the shield represents the beads of the rosary.
- The three tower crown, establishes its category of town.
Places To Visit:
- Agre House
- Cesari House
- Lake Luchetti
- Lake Vegas
- Ruins of Nuestra Señora del Rosario Chapel
- Ideal Theater
- Tozza Castle
Events:
- National Coffee Festival – February
- Patron Saint Festival – October
- Christmas Festival – December
Distinguished Citizens:
- Loida Figueroa – Poet, historian and novelist of the mid-20th century.
- Francisco Lluch Mora – Poet and essayist. Wrote Canto a Yauco and Canto a Eugenio María de Hostos, among other poems, along with prose. Was selected Humanist of the year 1994 by the Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades.
- Ismael Vélez – Internationally recognized scientific researcher and botanist.
- Amaury Veray – Composer from the nationalist period of Puerto Rican music. He wrote the Christmas classic called “Villancico yaucano.”
Public Schools sorted by educational levels.
Yauco Distict
Name | Level | Telephone | Address |
ALGARROBOS | Elementary | (787) 267-6662 | HC 1 Box 6303 |
ALMACIGO ALTO I | Elementary | (787) 856-0458 | PO Box 5005 PMB 039 |
ALMACIGO ALTO II | Elementary | (787) 856-2141 | HC 2 Box 11623 |
ALMACIGO BAJO I Y BAJO II | Elementary | (787) 856-9028 | PO Box 48 |
ARTURO LLUBERAS | Elementary | (787) 856-0613 | PO Box 3049 |
BENICIA VÉLEZ | Elementary | (787) 856-6628 | PO Box 48 |
CARMEN ESPADA | Elementary | (787) 856-7043 | PO Box 5006 PMB 157 |
COLLORES I | Elementary | (787) 267-4984 | PO Box 5006 PMB 157 |
BARRIO BARINES | Elementary | (787) 267-0033 | PO Box 48 |
FERNANDO JULIA CALDER | Elementary | (787) 267-7953 | HC 1 Box 6303 |
INÉS MA. MENDOZA | Elementary | (787) 856-7338 | PO Box 5005 PMB 064 |
LENA M. FRANCESCH – RUBIAS KM 2 | Elementary | (787) 267-3033 | HC 1 Box 6614 |
LUIS MUÑOZ RIVERA | Elementary | (787) 856-1370 | PO Box 48 |
PALOMAS | Elementary | (787) 856-3635 | PO Box 2208 |
PATRIA PÉREZ | Elementary | (787) 856-1440 | PO Box 5294 |
QUEBRADAS | Elementary | (787) 856-1003 | PO Box 48 |
SANTA CATALINA | Elementary | (787) 856-0100 | PO Box 229 |
SANTIAGO NEGRONI | Elementary | (787) 856-1830 | PO Box 1860 |
SIERRA ALTA | ELEMENTAL | (787) 856-8922 | G9 Calle Gladiola |
ELVIRA VICENTE | INTERMEDIO | (787) 856-1394 | PO Box 48 |
ERNESTO RAMOS ANTONINI | Intermediate | (787) 856-1325 | PO Box 48 |
JOSÉ ONOFRE TORRES | Intermediate | (787) 856-2143 | PO Box 48 |
VEGAS | Intermediate | (787) 267-3033 | PO Box 6414 |
RAFAEL MARTÍNEZ NADAL | Second Unit | (787) 856-1390 | MSC 1203 |
ANA MARÍA NEGRÓN | Second Unit | (787) 856-4020 | PO Box 48 |
JAIME CASTAÑER | Second Unit | (787) 856-2329 | HC 1 Box 7639 |
LUIS MUÑOZ MARÍN | High School | (787) 856-2144 | PO Box 3069 |
VOCACIONAL SANTIAGO GARCÍA | High School | (787) 856-1904 | PO Box 5004 |
Hymn:
By M. Ramos Antonmattei
Pueblo de gestas gloriosas
es Yauco ciudad cafetal
sus hijos le escriben la historia
con cantos de gloria inmortal.
Por eso mi pueblo querido
tu emblema y noble pendón
serán por siempre tenidos
en alto con honra y honor.
Tus valles y tus montañas
son ricas en caña y café
tus hijos con amor trabajan
la tierra que les vio nacer.
Por eso mi Yauco querido
te canto con gran emoción
tu corazón se ha prendido
muy dentro de mi corazón.