Añasco, Puerto Rico

Infobox Settlement
settlement_type =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = Territory
subdivision_name1 = Puerto Rico
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
timezone = AST
utc_offset = -4
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
unit_pref = Imperial
map_caption = Location of Añasco, Puerto Rico within Puerto Rico.
latNS = N
longEW = W
official_name = Añasco, Puerto Rico


image_caption =
nickname = La Ciudad Donde los Dioses mueren", "El Pueblo Del Hojaldre", "El Pueblo de los Morcilleros", "Los Nativos


image_

population_blank1 = Añasqueños
population_blank1_title = Gentilic


population_blank1 = Añasqueños
population_blank1_title = Gentilic

Añasco (ah-NYAHS-ko), named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco is a 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.

History

The town was founded in October 18, 1733 and named after Don Luis de Añasco. Don Luis de Añasco was from neighboring San Germán el Nuevo and proprietor of the land where the town of Añasco was founded in 1733 by initiative of the rich landowner Don José de Santiago. This property was located on the margins of the rio "Guaorabo" (This is how the river was called by the Taínos),today known as Río Grande de Añasco. But,the deed of incorporation of Añasco was signed in December of 1728 making official the birth of the town. In the 1700s Añasco was the 4th most populated Municipality in Puerto Rico (year 1765) after San Germán (5,950), San Juan (4,506), Aguada (4,272), Añasco (3,398), Ponce (3,314), Arecibo (3,170), Manatí (2,475), Guayama (2,404), and Coamo (2,189). The Añasco River was also the famous historical site of the Indian drowning of the Spaniard Diego Salcedo in 1511, proving the Spanish Soldiers were not Gods as had been earlier believed by the Taino Indians. A revolt soon arose being lead by the Taínos Cacique Chayoán and suppressed by Spanish soldiers. Before Añasco, the town was originally settled as La Villa Sotomayor in 1510 and then San Germán (established in December 1512 on the mouth of the Guaorabo River, near the area known today as Añasco). Miguel de Toro, a lieutenant of Juan Ponce de León, ordered the creatation of a "Christian township" on the western part of Boriquen. The town was attacked on various occasions by French corsairs in August 1528, May 1538 and 1554. The Carib Indian attacks forced the population to be relocated to the south, built on the hills of Santa Marta, next to the Guanajibo River in 1573, being renamed by the population as the city San Germán el Nuevo and eventually La Villa de San Germán. The town was then resettled as Añasco in 1733. Many of the first settlers to the area came from the Canary Islands and the south of Spain.This is evident in the Forms of traditions and language. Most Puerto Rican immigration in the early 19th century involved Canary Islands' natives, who, like Puerto Ricans, had inherited most of their linguistic traits from Andalusia. Canarian influence is most present in the language of those Puerto Ricans who live in the central mountain region, who blended it with the remnant vocabulary of the Taíno. Puerto Rican and Canarian Spanish are strikingly similar. When visiting Tenerife or Las Palmas (Islas Canarias, Spain), Puerto Ricans are usually taken at first hearing for fellow-Canarians from a distant part of the Canary archipelago.

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.

Barrios (Wards/Districts) [http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/anasco.pdf]

Geography

*Canta Gallo (370 m), Gordo (340 m), and Pichón (340m).
*Rivers; La Justo, Icaco, Caguabo, La Balsa and Cerro Gordo and Parcelas Marias.

Anthem

By David Cruz Colón (Kimby)

Añasco pueblo querido
siempre orgulloso de ti estaré
Añasco tierra del alma,
grandes riqueza de ti encontré.

Eres la cuna de nuestra historia,
nuestra cultura es parte de ti.
La puerta Hermosa que navegantes
primero vieron al llegar
aquí hermosos valles, aguas cristalinas,
el Rió Grande y el coquí.

La historia cuenta que aquí
ahogaron a Salcedo
y que en salto una India de noche se ve
que linda gente en Añasco
siempre encuentro orgulloso
de ti estaré.

Economic

Agriculture

*Sugar cane had been cultivated in Añasco as early as 16th century.The earliest known sugar cane mill("ingenios") operator around the Añasco area was Tomás de Castellón in 1523.Today, the town has a reputation for producing the best moonshine rum in Puerto Rico from sugar cane. Añasco is renowned for its "Pitorro rum" production. The word "pitorro" is actually a corruption of the word "pintorro", an Andalusian term used to depict inferior-quality wine or rum that had a weak color (hence the name).
*Fruits
*Coffee

Business

*Construction
*Commerce

Industrial

Industries established in the industrial zone.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

*Añasco Beach
*Autodrome
*El Salto de la Encantada
*Hacienda La Eugenia
*Río Grande de Añasco
*San Antonio Abad Parish
*Villa Pesquera

Festivals and events

*Patron Festivities - January
*Mayuco Festival - January
*Festival de Bellas Artes - January
*Teather Festival - May
*Santa Rosa de Lima Festival - August
*Chipe Festival - September
*Cooperativa Marathon - 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

ports

The sport that Añasco in better known for is amateur boxing having young prospects as Samuel Figueroa and Jonathan Badillo.

Notable Añasqueños

*José de Jesús Domínguez (1843-1898) - Poet
*Leonardo Ponce de León(1865-1920) - Journalist
*Mariana Bracetti
*Víctor Arrillaga - Poet & actor
*Ivy Queen - Rap and "Reggaeton" singer
*Victor Manuelle - salsa singer (raised in Añasco)
*Felipe Odiott Morales (1942-1999] - Famous school director and has the school formerly knowned as "Segunda Unidad Playa de Añasco"(The school he directed for 17+ years) named after him.
*Agustina Ramírez-Actres and writer/director
*Marcos M. Hernandez- Hollywood producer and writer

References

External links

* [http://www.topuertorico.org/city/anasco.shtml Welcome to Puerto Rico Añasco]
* [http://www.puertohost.com/maps/anasco-map.php Map of Añasco Puerto Rico]
* [http://www.puertoricorv.com/index.php?n=Trips.TresHermanos Camping & Beach in Añasco]
*cite web
url = gnis3|1609515
title = Añasco, Puerto Rico
work = Geographic Names Information System
publisher = USGS
accessdate = 2008-05-07