Humacao () is a city, municipality in Puerto Rico and capital of the department of the same name located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

150px|left|thumb|Statue of Cacique Jumacao

The region of what became Humacao belonged to the Taíno region of Humaka, which covered a portion of the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. The region was led by cacique Jumacao (also referred to as "Macao"). The Taíno settlement was located on the shores of what became the Humacao River. It is believed that the Taíno chief Jumacao was the first "cacique" to learn to read and write in Spanish, since he wrote a letter to the King of Spain Charles I complaining about how the Governor of the island wasn't complying with their peace agreement. In the letter, Jumacao argued that their people were virtually prisoners of Spain. It is said that King Charles was so moved by the letter that he ordered the Governor to obey the terms of the treaty.

During the early 16th century, the region was populated by cattle ranchers. However, since most of them officially resided in San Juan, a settlement was never officially organized. At the beginning of the 18th century, specifically around 1721–1722, the first official settlement was constituted in the area. Most of the residents at the time were immigrants from the Canary Islands, but due to attacks from Caribs, pirates, and other settlers, some of them moved farther into the island in what became Las Piedras. Still, some settlers remained and by 1776, historian Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra visited the area and wrote about the population there. By 1793, the church was recognized as parish and the settlement was officially recognized as town.

In March 2008, a new Roman Catholic diocese was established as the Fajardo-Humacao diocese. Its first bishop is Monsignor Eusebio 'Chebito' Ramos Morales, a maunabeño who was rector of the Humacao's main parish in the 1990s.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. Punta Santiago in Humacao saw a six-foot storm surge. The hurricane caused destruction of homes and infrastructure.

Geography

Humacao is located in the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. It is bordered by the municipalities of Naguabo to the north, Yabucoa to the south, and Las Piedras to the west. The Atlantic Ocean borders the city in the east. Humacao is located in the region of the Eastern Coastal Plains, with most of its territory being flat. There are minor elevations to the southwest, like Candelero Hill, and northwest, like Mabú. Humacao's territory covers 45 square miles (117&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).

Water features

Humacao's hydrographic system consists of many rivers and creeks like Humacao, Antón Ruíz, and Candelero. Some of its creeks are Frontera, Mariana, and Del Obispo, among many others. Humacao was working on flood mitigation plans and shared that its barrios located on the coast; Antón Ruíz, Punta Santiago, Río Abajo, Buena Vista and Candelero Abajo barrios, are extremely vulnerable to flooding and destruction.

Barrios

thumb|Humacao map with barrio subdivisions|left

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Humacao is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as , near the center of the municipality.

  1. Antón Ruíz
  2. Buena Vista
  3. Candelero Abajo
  4. Candelero Arriba
  5. Cataño
  6. Collores
  7. Humacao barrio-pueblo
  8. Mabú
  9. Mambiche
  10. Mariana
  11. Punta Santiago
  12. Río Abajo
  13. Tejas

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.

Special Communities

(Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Humacao: Antón Ruiz, Obrera neighborhood, Cotto Mabú-Fermina, Buena Vista, Parcelas Aniseto Cruz in Candelero Abajo, Parcelas Martínez in Candelero Abajo, Cataño, Punta Santiago, Verde Mar, and Cangrejos.

Demographics

Tourism

To stimulate local tourism, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo ("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Humacao page lists , its Pueblo with historic architecture, and its cuisine, specifically , as places and things of interest.

thumb|200px|left|The beach at Palmas del Mar resort

According to a news article by Primera Hora, there are 8 beaches in Humacao including . Beach in Humacao is considered a dangerous beach due to its strong currents.

Due to its location on the coast and relative short distance from the capital, Humacao is a frequent stop for tourists. One of the most notable tourist mainstays is the Palmas del Mar resort, which is Puerto Rico's largest resort. This mega-resort is composed of over of land and occupies the entire southeastern portion of Humacao. The resort contains tennis courts, two world-class golf courses, beach access, several restaurants and a riding center.

Aside from the beaches at the Palmas del Mar resort, Humacao has other beaches. The most popular ones are Punta Santiago, Buena Vista, Punta Candelero, and El Morrillo.

The Astronomical Observatory at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Casa Roig, the Guzmán Ermit, the Humacao Wildlife Refuge, and the Church Dulce Nombre de Jesús may be classed as other places of interest.

In the 1980s, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources established the Humacao Nature Reserve (also called the Punta Santiago Nature Reserve) in the municipality. The Palmas del Mar Tropical Forest is also located in Humacao.

Economy

Burlington in Humacao employs under 100 people and reopened its doors in March 2019. The store had been shuttered since Hurricane Maria destroyed it on September 19, 2017.

Culture

Festivals and events

Humacao celebrates its patron saint festival in December. The 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 Humacao include:

  • Three Kings’ Day- January
  • Festival of the Cross – May
  • Flat-bottom Boat Festival – June
  • Saint Cecilia Festival (patron saint of musicians) – November
  • Catholic Church Community Festival – December

Sports

The Grises basketball team (Humacao Grays), founded in 2005, belongs to Puerto Rico's National Superior Basketball league. In 2010, they changed their name to the Caciques de Humacao. They play at the new Humacao Coliseum.

The Grises is also a Double A class amateur baseball team that has won one championship (1951) and four time runners-up in (1950, 1960, 1965 and 1967).

Government

thumb|Humacao District Jail

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The mayor of Humacao is former Senator Rosamar Trujillo Plumey, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). She was first elected at the 2024 general elections. Trujillo Plumey is the daughter of Marcelo Trujillo, a former mayor of Humacao from 2001 until his death in 2019.

In 2019, Luis Raul Sanchez became interim mayor of Humacao after Marcelo Trujillo Panisse died in September 2019.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Wanda Soto Tolentino and Luis Daniel Colón La Santa were elected as District Senators.

FBI satellite office

There is an FBI satellite office located in Humacao.

Healthcare

Humacao has three secondary care hospitals HIMA-San Pablo Humacao, Menonita (Hospital Oriente), and Ryder Memorial Hospital.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

It consists of three horizontal stripes: gold that stands for Chief Jumacao's crown, red that symbolizes the coat of arms and the green that represents the arrows used by the Taínos.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms mainly consists of two colors, gold and green but also has gules. The gold represents the sun, Humacao is located in the island were the sun rises. Green symbolizes the native Indian heritage as well as the natural tropical valley where the city is located. The shield itself represents Humacao's native and Indian name origin. The coat of arms was designed by Roberto Brascochea Lota in 1975 and approved by Humacao on November 13, 1975.

Education

There are various elementary and high school facilities, three of which were recognized by the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools and each has its own National Honor Society chapters. These include Colegio San Antonio Abad, founded in 1957 and operated by the Benedictine monks of the Abadía San Antonio Abad.

The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, formerly the CUH, educates over 4,000 students and is well known for its sciences, producing many of the island's most skilled microbiologists, marine biologists, wildlife biologists and chemists at the undergraduate level. It also manages an astronomical observatory where many tourists and locals come visit and view the stars and planets and the Museo Casa Roig where arts expositions and cultural events are celebrated.

Natives and residents

  • Rita Moreno, Academy Award-winning actress
  • Edwin Núñez, professional baseball player
  • Luis Rafael Sánchez, novelist and author
  • Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, member of the Chicago City Council
  • Eddie Miró, TV personality
  • Julio M. Fuentes, US Circuit Court judge
  • Tito Rojas, salsa singer
  • Adamari López, actress
  • Jaquira Díaz, author, journalist
  • Cosculluela, rapper, songwriter
  • Eladio Carrión, rapper, songwriter
  • Jumacao, Taino Cacique
  • Benito Pastoriza Iyodo, poet, narrator, and essayist
  • Carlos Ponce, actor
  • Luis Antonio "Yoyo Boing" Rivera, actor and comedian
  • Diplo, comedian
  • Jerry Rivera, singer and dancer
  • Junior Ortiz, former Major League Baseball player
  • Raul Casanova, former Major League Baseball player
  • Rafael Orellano, former professional baseball player
  • Jantony Ortiz, professional boxer
  • José Estrada Jr., former professional wrestler
  • Ana Otero, Pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, activist.
  • Jon Z, rapper, songwriter
  • Luis Enrique Juliá, composer
  • Yomo, rapper, singer

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">

File:Moon jellyfish off the coast of Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|Moon jellyfish off the coast of Humacao

File:View of Vieques Island from Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|View of Vieques Island from Humacao

File:Centro de Arte Angel “Lito” Peña Plaza en Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|The in 2020, which used to be the or town hall of Humacao is on the US National Register of Historic Places.

File:A beach in Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|A beach in Humacao

File:Fishing from a pier in Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|Fishing from a pier in Humacao

File:Large planter and buildings in Humacao barrio-pueblo, Puerto Rico.jpg|Large planter in Humacao barrio-pueblo

File:Palmas del Mar beach - Humacao Puerto Rico.jpg|Palmas del Mar Beach

File:Plaza de recreo de Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|Square in the Pueblo of Humacao

File:Underwater scene off the coast of Humacao, Puerto Rico.jpg|Underwater scene off the coast of Humacao

</gallery>

See also

  • List of Puerto Ricans
  • History of Puerto Rico
  • Did you know-Puerto Rico?

References

  • Humacao and its barrios, United States Census Bureau
  • Victoria840 news station in Humacao