Añasco, Puerto Rico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Añasco Municipio Autónomo de Añasco
City and Municipality
Puente Salcedo de Añasco
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  "La Ciudad Donde los Dioses mueren", "El Pueblo Del Hojaldre", "El Pueblo de los Morcilleros", "Los nativos"
Anthem: "Añasco pueblo querido..."
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Añasco Municipality
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Founded	October 18, 1733
Barrios	23 barrios Añasco Abajo Añasco Arriba Añasco barrio-pueblo Caguabo Caracol Carreras Casey Abajo Casey Arriba Cerro Gordo Cidra Corcovada Dagüey Espino Hatillo Humatas Marías Miraflores Ovejas Piñales Playa Quebrada Larga Río Arriba Río Cañas
Area
• Total	35.5 sq mi (92 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,596
• Density	721.0/sq mi (278.4/km2)
Demonym(s)	Añasqueños
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code	00610
Area code(s)	787/939
Major routes

Añasco, named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located on the west coast of the island bordering the Mona Passage to the west, north of Mayagüez, and Las Marias; south of Rincón, Aguada, and Moca and west of San Sebastián and Las Marias. It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The town was founded on October 18, 1733 and named after Don Luis de Añasco, a colonist from the Extremadura region of Spain who came to Puerto Rico with Juan Ponce de León. Añasco was founded by the initiative of rich landowner Don José de Santiago, who wanted to establish the "villa" in properties owned by Don Luis de Añasco. The property was located on the margins of the río "Guaorabo", as the Taínos called it

Anasco town was preceded by the first settlement of San German. In November 1511, Juan Ponce de León handed over governorship to Juan Cerón, a lieutenant of the viceroy Diego Colon (son of Cristobal Colon or Cristopher Columbus). Cerón ordered Miguel de Toro, a lieutenant of Juan Ponce de León, to create a "Christian Village" in western Borinquen, calling it San German. This was the second attempt of foundation given in 1511 at the mouth of the Guaorabo River (present day Rio Anasco), near the area known today as Anasco, Puerto Rico. This first settlement was attacked in 1528, 1538, and again in 1554. A fort to protect this town began in 1540, but its construction was suspended in 1546 when the people decided to move inland being tired of attacks. Attacks by Carib Indians forced the population to move south inland to the present site of the present town of San German

In the 18th century, Añasco was the fourth most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, after San Germán, San Juan, and others. The Añasco River is also claimed to be the site of the popular legend of the drowning of the Spaniard Diego Salcedo in 1511 at the hands of the Taínos, proving the Spanish soldiers were not gods and igniting a revolt. It is believed that the revolt was led by the cacique Chayoán and suppressed by Spanish soldiers.

Many of the first settlers to the area came from the Canary Islands and the south of Spain. The 1918 San Fermín earthquake destroyed Añasco's parish church, the town hall and other structures, almost eliminating most of the historic downtown structures.

Geography

Añasco is located in the Coastal Plains of the west, bordered by the Río Grande de Añasco. It is bordered in the north by Rincón, Aguada, and Moca; Mayagüez to the south; and San Sebastián and Las Marías to the east. The Mona Passage lies to the west of the town.

The Añasco terrain is mostly plain, but features a series of hills and mountains like Canta Gallo (364 meters, or 1,194 feet), Gordo and Pichón (both at 340 meters, or 1,115 feet). It is also crossed by several rivers like Icaco River, Caguabo River, La Balsa, and others.

Cityscape

Barrios/Neighborhoods

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

• Añasco Beach
• Autodrome
• El Salto de la Encantada, esta bien contaminado.
• Hacienda La Eugenia
• Río Grande de Añasco
• San Antonio Abad Parish
• Villa Pesquera

Culture

Festivals and events

• Patron Festivities - January
• Mayuco Festival - January
• Festival de Bellas Artes - January
• Theater Festival - May
• Santa Rosa de Lima Festival - August
• Chipe Festival - September
• Cooperativa Marathon - October
• Theater Festival - October
• Festival del Hojaldre
• Festival de la Juventud - July
• Encuentro de Talladores de Santos de Palo en Añasco
• Festival de Merengue
• Reconocimiento a Marianna Bracetti - July

Sports

Añasco has a AA baseball team called the Fundadores de Añasco. It is also known for being the hometown of some amateur boxing prospects like Samuel D. Figueroa and Jonathan Badillo. Samuel D. Figueroa is now an undefeated professional boxer and holds a record of 2-0, 1 KO.

Notable People

• Mariana Bracetti - (1825–1903) was a patriot and leader of the Puerto Rico independence movement in the 1860s. She is attributed with having knitted the flag that was intended to be used as the national emblem of Puerto Rico in its attempt to overthrow the Spanish government on the island, and to establish the island as a sovereign republic.
• Lolita Aspiros - Pianist.
• Agustina Ramirez- Playwright & Actor.
• Brian J. Rivera- Youtuber & Actor
• Ivy Queen - Singer
• Albert Rodríguez - Actor & Director
• Aristides Gonzalez - boxer, Olympic bronze medalist in 1984

Demographics

Like most of the people of Puerto Rico, the Añasco population originated with the Taino Indians and then by immigrants from Spain that settled the central highland, most prominently the Andalusian and Canarian Spanish migration who formed the bulk of the jibaro or white peasant stock of the island. The Andalusian and Canarian Spaniards also influenced much of the Puerto Rican culture which explains the Southern Spanish dialect, and the Spanish colonial architecture.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Añasco was 13,311.

Symbols

Flag

The flag colors, design and symbolism is taken from the municipal Coat of Arms, with the only exception being that silver is painted white on the flag.

Coat of Arms

The green field of the shield contains a saber cross massed in black, outlined in silver, and has a gold scallop shell in each quadrant formed by the cross. A gold mural crown of three towers crests the shield.

Economy

In 2016 the municipal government reported a budget surplus of $1.3 million nonetheless the government also indicated that the municipal debt was $13 million.

Agriculture

Sugar cane had been cultivated in Añasco as early as the 16th century. The earliest known sugar mill ("ingenios") operator around the Añasco area was Tomás de Castellón in 1523. Añasco has also been a place for fruits and coffee cultivation.

Education

The Puerto Rico Department of Education operates several public schools in the municipality, including two bilingual schools, Antonio Gonzalez Suarez Regional Bilingual Elementary School and Sergio Ramirez de Arellano-Hostos Regional Bilingual Secondary School, the first public bilingual schools on the island. There's also private bilingual schools in the municipality, such as Colegio de la Salle and MAS Integrated School.

Transportation

There are 22 bridges in Añasco, and many sustained damage on September 20, 2017, when Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico.

Images for kids

• 

  Subdivisions of Añasco.

• 

  Tres Hermanos Beach, Añasco

• 

  Mirador de la Bahía

See also

In Spanish: Añasco para niños