Descalabrado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Descalabrado
Barrio
House near where Central Cortada was
Location of Descalabrado within the municipality of Santa Isabel shown in red
Descalabrado Location in Caribbean
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Municipality	Santa Isabel
Area
• Total	10.11 sq mi (26.2 km2)
• Land	7.19 sq mi (18.6 km2)
• Water	2.92 sq mi (7.6 km2)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,138
• Density	575.5/sq mi (222.2/km2)
	Source: 2010 Census
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)

Descalabrado is a special kind of neighborhood called a barrio in the town of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. In 2010, about 4,138 people lived there. It's a place with a rich history, especially known for its past in growing and processing sugarcane.

History of Descalabrado

Descalabrado has an interesting past, especially with its connection to sugar.

The Central Cortada Sugar Mill

A long time ago, there was a big sugar mill in Descalabrado called Central Cortada. It was also known as the Cortada Sugarcane Refinery. This place was a large farm where sugarcane was grown and then turned into sugar. People had been growing and processing sugarcane in this area since the 1700s!

Puerto Rico's Change in Control

After the Spanish–American War, Spain gave Puerto Rico to the United States. This happened because of a special agreement called the Treaty of Paris of 1898. Puerto Rico then became an unincorporated territory of the United States. This means it's part of the U.S. but doesn't have all the same rights as a state.

In 1899, the United States Department of War counted all the people in Puerto Rico. They found that Descalabrado and a nearby barrio called Boca Velázquez had a combined population of 1,083 people.

Water for Sugarcane

In 1905, the U.S. Congress passed a law that allowed the Central Cortada sugar farm to use water from the Descalabrado River. This water was very important for watering the sugarcane crops.

Images for kids

Here are some pictures showing what Descalabrado looks like:

• 

  Ruins of the Central Cortada sugarcane mill

See also

In Spanish: Descalabrado para niños

• List of communities in Puerto Rico