Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico


Aguas Buenas, commonly known as "La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras" or "The City of Clear Waters", is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Cidra, south of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San Juan; east of Comerio; and north-west of Caguas. Aguas Buenas is spread over 9 wards and Aguas Buenas Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Aguas Buenas was originally a sector of Caguas known as Aguabuena. In 1798, a group of residents started establishing their houses near some of the rivers in the area and started calling the sector Aguas Claras.
The quantity of residents incremented with time and on July 25, 1832, they organized a meeting and commissioned Francisco de Salas Torres and Ramón Díaz to do the necessary arrangements for the region to be declared a municipality. A resident, Julian López, offered part of his estate to be used for the construction of a town square, a church, the city hall, and the priest house.
The town was officially founded on May 25, 1838, and the name was changed to Aguas Buenas. Francisco de Salas Torres was declared the first mayor. Initially, the economy of the town relied on coffee plantations and commerce. At the end of the 19th century, the town's population was close to 7,000.
In 1906, mayor Don José E. Morales bought nearly six acres of terrain from Don Guillermo Díaz Delgado. In these lands, the sectors of La Pajilla, El Pueblito and El Guanábano were established, expanding the town's area.

Geography

The terrain is moderately mountainous located in the Cayey mountain range, part of the Cordillera Central in Puerto Rico. The highest peaks are La Peña, Santa Bárbara, La Tisa, and La Marquesa.

Hurricane Maria

on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Aguas Buenas with the significant amount of rainfall. 1,000 homes in Aguas Buenas suffered significant damage as a result of the hurricane. A year after the hurricane struck, many older residents refused to leave their damaged homes and continued to live in their homes, without a reconstructed roof, but with a blue tarp for a roof.

Water features

Several rivers flow through Aguas Buenas. Some of them are the Bayamón River, and several small rivers that are part of the Río Grande de Loíza, like Bairoa, Caguitas, and Cañas.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Aguas Buenas is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.
  1. Aguas Buenas barrio-pueblo
  2. Bairoa
  3. Bayamoncito
  4. Cagüitas
  5. Jagüeyes
  6. Juan Asencio
  7. Mula
  8. Mulita
  9. Sonadora
  10. Sumidero

    Sectors

Barrios in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities

Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods are in Aguas Buenas: Vázquez neighborhood, Las Parcelas in Bayamoncito barrio, Sonadora barrio, Cagüitas Centro, Pajilla sector in Centro Urbano, Jagüeyes Abajo, Las Corujas, and Parcelas Santa Clara in Sumidero barrio.

Tourism

Some of the landmarks and places of interest in Aguas Buenas are located in its town square. Places of interest in Aguas Buenas include:

Sports

Aguas Buenas has an amateur baseball team called the Tigers.

Festivals and events

Aguas Buenas celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.
Other festivals and events celebrated in Aguas Buenas include the Salsa, Bomba & Plena Festival held in late summer, an Agricultural festival held in May and the Festival Folklórico de Campo y Pueblo held in January. An annual Carnival is held in March.

Economy

After its foundation, the economy of Aguas Buenas relied mostly on coffee plantations.

Demographics

The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, finding that the population of Aguas Buenas was 7,977.
Total Population28,659
Population by Sex/Age
Male14,047
Female14,612
Under 187,185
18 & over21,474
20-241,962
25-343,953
35-495,572
50-645,352
65 & over3,787
Population by Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino28,513
Non Hispanic or Latino146
Population by Race
White20,770
African American3,604
Asian25
American Indian and Alaska Native178
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander5
Other2,781
Identified by two or more1,296

As of 2010, Aguas Buenas has a population of 28,659. Although that represents a decrease of 373 when compared to 2000, its population had steadily increased since 1930. That year, Aguas Buenas registered a population of 12,885.
According to the 2010 Census, 72.5% of the population identifies themselves as White, and 12.6% as African-American. Also, according to the census, the population is equally divided by gender. Finally, 25% of the population is under 18 years old. The next biggest percentage of population is between 35 and 49 years old.

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Aguas Buenas is Javier García Pérez, of the New Progressive Party. He was elected at the 2016 general elections. The city hall is located in front of the town square.
Since 2011, the city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district I, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, José Nadal Power and Ramón Luis Nieves were elected as District Senators.

Mayors

The following have been the Mayors of the Aguas Buenas Municipality, from its foundation to the present:

Symbols

Flag

The flag of Aguas Buenas features a blue triangle with the base at the hoist. The triangle has a solitary white star, like the national banner. A second triangle appears interposed with the first one, in yellow, with its point reaching the other end of the flag. The main field of the flag, under both triangles, is color green.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms features a four-paneled shield. The upper left panel shows the Virgin of Monserrate, while the upper right panel features a Taíno, a symbol of the original inhabitants of this region. At the bottom right panel, lies a cornucopia containing the native fruit of Aguas Buenas. This panel represents how the agriculture was the primary source of income for the town. In the lower left panel, there are four maracas and a güicharo, typical instruments of the "jibaros" of Aguas Buenas and Puerto Rico. The crown, as with other municipalities of Puerto Rico, consists of three towers.

Transportation

To reach the town of Aguas Buenas, visitors must take the Puerto Rico Highway 52 to the city of Caguas. From there, road #156 leads directly into the town square. Other roads lead to nearby towns like Comerío.
There are 13 bridges in Aguas Buenas.

Education

There are around 14 public schools in Aguas Buenas. As with all other municipalities, education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. These are divided as follows:
Elementary Schools
Junior High Schools
High Schools
Bajo el azul del cielo de mi patria
En el oriente de la Cordillera
Aguasbonenses forjando la historia
Defendiendo el honor de su bandera.
De sol a sol sembrando nuestros frutos
El orgullo labrado en nuestra tierra
La siega de un futuro va anunciando
El brillo de la solitaria estrella.
Que se levanta en medio del combate
Por negarse a ser solo una quimera
Raices firmes que en el pecho laten
Afirmando la patria y la conciencia.
Aguas Buenas, estirpe de valientes
Pedazo del terruño borinqueño
Un pueblo que se une en la conquista
De lo que es ser un buen puertoriqueñio.
Yo soy Aguas Buenas!

Notable "Aguasbonenses"