Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
Aguas Buenas, popularly known as "La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras" or "The City of Clear Waters", is a town and 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 barrios and Aguas Buenas Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology and nicknames
The name Aguas Buenas translates to "good waters". The town's and municipality's original names were Aguabuena, originally a barrio or district of Caguas, and Aguas Claras. These names and some of the municipality's nicknames such as Ciudad de las Aguas Claras and Oasis de Puerto Rico are a reference to the number of natural water springs that can be found in the municipality, particularly those founds around the Aguas Buenas Cave and Caverns System Nature Reserve. Citizens and residents of Aguas Buenas are referred to as aguasbonenses and sometimes as Mulos or Ñocos.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.
The epicenter of the 2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake, popularly known as the Nochebuena Earthquake, was centered between the barrios Juan Asencio, Mulita and Sonadora.
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Aguas Buenas with the significant amount of rainfall. Between1,000 and 3,000 homes in Aguas Buenas were destroyed or 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. The hurricane winds and rain damaged infrastructure and caused the entire electrical system to collapse.
Geography
The terrain is moderately mountainous located in the northern edge of 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.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.- Aguas Buenas barrio-pueblo
- Bairoa
- Bayamoncito
- Cagüitas
- Jagüeyes
- Juan Asencio
- Mula
- Mulita
- Sonadora
- Sumidero
Sectors
Barrios and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de 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 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:- Finca Artesanal
- La Charca Recreational Center
- Aguas Buenas Caves
- El Mirador Walkway
- Luis A. Ferré Plaza
- City Hall
- Lecture House
- Christ Redeemer House
- Jagüeyes Country Club
- Monte La Tiza
- Maximiliano Merced fire station
- Juan Nieves Cotto baseball park
- Holy Spirit parish
Culture
Sports
Aguas Buenas has an amateur baseball team called Los Tigres de Aguas Buenas.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
| Total Population | 24,223 |
| Population by Sex/Age | |
| Male | 14,047 |
| Female | 14,612 |
| Under 18 | 7,185 |
| 18 & over | 21,474 |
| 20–24 | 1,962 |
| 25–34 | 3,953 |
| 35–49 | 5,572 |
| 50–64 | 5,352 |
| 65 & over | 3,787 |
| Population by Ethnicity | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24,223 |
| Non Hispanic or Latino | 146 |
| Population by Race | |
| White | 20,770 |
| African American | 3,604 |
| Asian | 25 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 178 |
| Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander | 5 |
| Other | 2,781 |
| Identified by two or more | 1,296 |
According to the 2020 census, Aguas Buenas has a population of 24,223. This represents a decline of 15.5% or over 4,000 inhabitants in comparison to the 2010 census.
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. However, on May 5, 2022, García Pérez was arrested by the FBI on corruption, bribery, and extortion charges. and was subsequently removed from his position.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
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.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
Designed by Francisco Diaz Rivera in 1975, 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.Anthem
Bajo el azul del cielo de mi patriaEn 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!''
Transportation
To reach the town of Aguas Buenas, visitors must take the Puerto Rico Highway 52 to the city of Caguas. From there, PR-156 leads directly into the downtown square. Other minor roads lead to nearby towns such as 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
- Dr. Gustavo Muñoz Díaz
- Ezequiel Ramos La Santa
- Jagüeyes Abajo
- José R. González
- Luis Santaella
- Luis T. Baliñas
- Mulitas Alvelo
- Ramón Luis Rivera/Juan Asencio
- Santa Clara
- Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
- Luis Muñoz Marín
- Su Bayamoncito
- Su Sumidero
- Josefa Pastrana
Notable people
- Joyce Giraud – Actress and Miss Puerto Rico 1998
- Ismael Cruz Córdova, actor