Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Bayamón is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico. Located on the northeastern coastal plain, it is bounded by Guaynabo to the east, Toa Alta and Naranjito to the west, Toa Baja and Cataño to the north, and Aguas Buenas and Comerío to the south. Part of the San Juan metropolitan area, Bayamón is spread over 11 barrios and the downtown area and administrative center of Bayamón Pueblo. With a population of 185,187 as of the 2020 census, it is the second most populated municipality in the archipelago and island after the capital of San Juan.

Etymology and nicknames

Two theories exist about the origin of the name Bayamón. According to one, it was named after the local cacique, Bahamon. The other theory states the name was derived from the Taino word Bayamongo, which is the native name of the river that runs across this region, implying that Bayamón is the area around this main river, which later on became the center of the city's development.
Bayamón is nicknamed "City of the Chicharrón" or "Pork Rind City" after the popular fried dish, locally known as chicharrón volao, that is often sold as street food. Other nicknames include "City of Cowboys", after the local sports team, "City of the Sciences" after the popular tourist educational attraction, and, more recently, Ciudad del Tapón, due to the high amounts of road traffic congestion there.

History

The Taino, the indigenous peoples who encountered European explorers and settlers, were the long-time settlers in this area. Before the foundation of the municipality, Hacienda Santa Cruz was established near the Bayamón River in 1750. The Spanish colonist Juan Ramírez de Arellano formally established Bayamón as a Spanish settlement on May 22, 1772, on a hill known as Alto del Embarcadero. The establishment of its current parish church on that same spot also dates to this year.
In 1821, Marcos Xiorro, an African slave, planned to lead a revolt against the sugarcane plantation owners and the Spanish colonial government in Puerto Rico. The slave conspiracy was revealed and suppressed, but Xiorro became a hero among the slaves. He is part of Puerto Rico's folklore. Marco Xiorro was owned by Vicente Andino, a militia captain who owned a sugarcane plantation in Bayamón. An earthquake in 1867 caused damages in Bayamón, particularly to its parish church.
Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Bayamón was 19,940.
The city grew considerably during the start of the 20th century. The area became home to numerous factories specializing in textiles, fertilizer, aluminum between 1901 and 1920. During this time the city also became home to financial institutions such as the Puerto Rico Commercial Bank, the American Colonial Bank, the First National City Bank of New York, the Chase Manhattan Bank and the Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. This developed and strengthened Bayamón's economy and turned it into both an industrial and commercial hub. The city's infrastructure also developed with the establishment of a bigger sewer system. The city was also host to some of the events of the VIII Pan American Games in 1979.
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, causing large-scale damage and destruction to infrastructure. Numerous landslides occurred in Bayamón as a result of the hurricane's significant amount of rainfall. In Bayamón, around 300 homes were destroyed, and two people were killed by Hurricane María. Many municipal buildings, and the Goya Foods factory in Bayamón sustained significant damage.

Geography

Bayamón lies on the northern coastal plain region and Northern Karst Belt in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is bordered by the municipalities of Toa Baja, Cataño, Comerío, Aguas Buenas, Toa Alta, Naranjito, and Guaynabo. Bayamón has a surface area of 43.5 square miles. The terrain is mostly flat, but it does include some large hills such as La Peña and Vergaras.
Bayamón is Puerto Rico's second-most populous municipality and is part of the large metropolitan area centered around San Juan. Other cities included in the metropolitan area are Guaynabo, Cataño, Toa Baja, Canóvanas, Carolina and Trujillo Alto. Bayamón is served by the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Despite the city's size, it has no weather station.

Water features

The rivers that pass through Bayamón include the Río Bayamón, Río Hondo, Río Minillas, Río Bucarabones and Río Cuesta Arriba.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Bayamón is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo".

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 Bayamón: Abra Estrecha, Barriada Vista Alegre, Juan Sánchez, Nuevo, Bda. Cedeño in Pájaros, Collores in Santa Olaya, Corea, Dajaos, El Chícharo, Sector Gandul, El Volcán, La Cambija, La Caridad, La Morenita, Los Viejitos, Papito, Sergio Reyes, Parcelas Sabanas, and Punta Brava.

Tourism

Bayamón is the site of several notable Puerto Rican landmarks and places of interest. Bayamón Central Park is a public park where people gather and relax. Bayamon also hosts the Braulio Castillo Theater, the Francisco Oller Museum, and the José Celso Barbosa Monument. The Bayamón City Hall building is notable by being built across a major divided highway. While walking through a connecting corridor, right above the road, pedestrians can see passing cars underneath. It is believed to be the only building of its class in the world.
One of the most popular attractions in Bayamón is the Parque de las Ciencias. It is a science-themed park with various exhibitions and attractions. It is located in the middle of karstic hills. An observation building on one of the hills provides a good view of the metropolitan area. The building hosts antennas for government and civil communication.
El parque del tren was a park featuring what was then Puerto Rico's only working train. It featured a DC-3, which had been used by United Airlines. In 2001, the park was dismantled and destroyed in the course of major road construction. What is left of the park is a small plaza for activities and an area for jogging and passive entertainment. The area is now known as "Parque del Nino" or "Children's Park".
Shopping is a major tourist activity in Bayamón. Plaza del Sol and Plaza Rio Hondo are large commercial centers in the city.
Also, many American restaurant franchises such as Dave and Buster's, Famous Dave's, and Olive Garden are first established in Bayamon before expanding to other communities in Puerto Rico.
A suspension bridge in Bayamón is a pedestrian-only bridge, at the time it was built, it was believed to be one of only three of its kind in Puerto Rico.
To stimulate local tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The Voy Turisteando Bayamón passport page lists Centro de Conservación de Manatíes, Paseo Lineal over the Bayamón River, and Ron Del Barrilito in the Hacienda Santa Ana, as places of interest.
Ron del Barrilito located in the Hacienda Santa Ana is the oldest rum distillery in Puerto Rico. The hacienda features a nature trail.

Culture

Festivals and events

Bayamón celebrates its patron saint festival in May. The Festival de la Santa Cruz 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 Bayamón include:

José Celso Barbosa Birthday Commemoration – July
Tree Lighting Ceremony – November
Caminata por la diabetes – November
Sports

There are several professional and amateur sports team based in Bayamón. The Vaqueros de Bayamón are the local basketball team that plays at the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. They are currently the leaders as the team with the most championships in the history of the league, the last of which was achieved in 2020. The team's host venue is the Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez.
The Vaqueros de Bayamón was also the name of the baseball club which played from 1974 through 2003 in the Professional Baseball League of Puerto Rico, and played its home games at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.
The city also has a female volleyball team, named the Vaqueras de Bayamón, which plays for the Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino.
Bayamón was the home of the Puerto Rico Islanders and Puerto Rico FC of the North American Soccer League. The teams played at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón. The city's main soccer team, Bayamón FC, was founded in 1999, and play at matches at Bayamón Soccer Complex.
The famous boxing fight between Alexis Argüello and Alfredo Escalera dubbed The Bloody Battle of Bayamon was held in Bayamón in 1978. Also, professional boxers Luis Del Valle, Wilfredo Vazquez and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. are from Bayamón. International Boxing Hall of Fame member Hector Camacho was born in Bayamon. Current boxing prospect Jean "Chapito" Rivera is from the Bayamon.

Club	Sport	League	Venue	League Championships
Bayamón FC	Football	Liga Puerto Rico	Bayamón Soccer Complex
Vaqueros de Bayamón	Basketball	Baloncesto Superior Nacional	Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum	BSN Championships 1933 – defeated Atléticos de San Germán, series 4–? 1935 – defeated Vega Baja, series 4–? 1967 – defeated Leones de Ponce, series 4–? 1969 – defeated Cardenales de Río Piedras, series 4–? 1971 – defeated Cardenales de Río Piedras, series 4–? 1972 – defeated Piratas de Quebradillas, series 4–? 1973 – defeated Piratas de Quebradillas, series 4–? 1974 – defeated Capitalinos de San Juan, series 4–? 1975 – defeated Piratas de Quebradillas, series 4–? 1981 – defeated Mets de Guaynabo, series 4–2 1988 – defeated Indios de Canóvanas, series 4–3 1995 – defeated Leones de Ponce, series 4–1 1996 – defeated Leones de Ponce, series 4–3 2009 – defeated Piratas de Quebradillas, series 4–2 2020 - defeated Piratas de Quebradillas, series 3–0
Vaqueras de Bayamón	Volleyball	Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino	Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum