Utuado is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central/western mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central. It is located north of Adjuntas and Ponce; south of Hatillo and Arecibo; east of Lares; and west of Ciales and Jayuya. In land area it is the third largest municipality in Puerto Rico (after Arecibo and Ponce). According to the 2000 US Census the city has a population of 35,336 spread over 24 wards and Utuado Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). The name Utuado derives from the Taíno word "otoao", meaning "between mountains."

History

Utuado was founded October 12, 1739 by Sebastian de Morfi, on behalf of 60 families from Arecibo. It was the first town established in the interior mountainous region of the island known as La Cordillera Central and the 11th oldest established municipality in Puerto Rico, following: San Juan, San Germán, Coamo, Arecibo, Aguada, Loiza, Ponce, Añasco, Guayama and Manati.

Columbus's arrival

At the time of the discovery of the island on November 19, 1493 by Christopher Columbus, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taíno Indians. The Taínos were a culturally developed society with a universal language, a developed agricultural system, and a social organization based on Caciques or Chieftains. The Utuado area was ruled over by Cacique Guarionex. In barrio Caguana the Taínos built an impressive series of courts or bateyes, The Caguana Indian Ceremonial park or Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana, that is considered the best example of Taino engineering in the West Indies.

Utuado's early history: XVI - XVIII

In his epic work El Dorado Borincano, La economia de la conquista 1510-1550, Jalil Sued Badillo gives a detailed account of the economic state of Puerto Rico during the first decades after the discovery and mentions the importance of the Otoao region. From 1510 through 1513 the island witnessed a Taíno rebellion as a result of harsh and inhumane treatment by the Spanish settlers. During the process of pacification many Spaniards settled in the area now occupied by the municipality of Utuado and set up farms (haciendas), initially on behalf of the Spanish government (Hacienda Real), to provide food to the Indian slaves working the gold mines and the Spanish colonists in the area. One of the first settlers in the Otoao region in 1512 was Antonio Sedeño, the island's bookkeeper. His farm's main crop was yuca. His farm was sold in 1519 to Blas de Villasante, the island's treasurer, for 525 gold pesos.

Areas in the Utuado region that were exploited for gold include Salto Arriba, initially, then later in the 1530s Caguana and Don Alonso. In the 1530s, landowners in the Don Alonso area petitioned the Spanish Crown permission to establish a town in the area but it was never granted.

Once the gold mining era ends toward the end of the 1500s, very little is known about the Utuado region until the early 1700s. According to the Puerto Rican historian Fernando Picó, the few documents that exist indicate the area was mostly unpopulated and densely forested. On the other hand, he states the fact that Utuado is the municipality with the most caves, that most likely served as dwellings for Indians or runaway slaves.

The agreement to establish the town of Utuado by the 60 families of Arecibo states they purchased the "Hato de Otoao" for 569 pesos and 5 reales from owners Manuel Natal and Felipa Román. It also states their desire to choose where on the land the Town Center would be located, which indicates the area was not populated yet.

During his visit to the island in 1771, Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra states the principal economic activity in the Utuado region was cattle raising, horses and mules. He mentions a small amount of agricultural activity existed but the population only produced enough tobacco and coffee for their own consumption.

During the late 1700s and early 1800s Utuado's population continued to grow as coffee gained in importance and growers saw the need for high altitudes and mountainous terrain to produce the best coffee beans. People not only migrated from the Puerto Rican coastal towns but also from the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Minorca, all seeking the riches that coffee had to offer.

The golden era of coffee - "black gold"

During the late 1800s Utuado experienced an explosive economic growth centered around the cultivation of coffee, also known at the time as oro negro or "black gold." By the 1890s Utuado was the largest producer of coffee in Puerto Rico and the second municipality (after Ponce) with the largest population. It produced a rich social lifestyle for many of its citizens and a casino and theatre were established in the town. The progress of the town was so evident that the regent Queen of Spain, María Cristina, honored the town with the title of Ciudad (City) on August 20, 1894. In 1896 or 1897 Utuado was the first city in Puerto Rico with a public electric lighting system powered by a hydraulic turbine power plant, and in that same year mayor Juan Casellas was planning a train system to unite Utuado with Arecibo. By 1899 this golden era came to a screeching halt due to two very important events that had a lasting negative effect on the city's economy. The first event was the United States occupation of the island in 1898, which made sugar the new crop of importance instead of coffee. Utuado's mountainous landscape was not ideal for growing sugarcane, making it impossible for it to compete in the sugar industry on a significant level. The second event and the one to have the most profound impact was Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899, which literally wiped out the coffee haciendas.

Demographics

Barrios (Districts/Wards)

Ángeles Arenas Caguana Cayuco Caonillas Abajo Caonillas Arriba Consejo Don Alonso

Guaonico Las Palmas Limón Mameyes Abajo Paso Palma Río Abajo Roncador Sabana Grande

Salto Abajo Salto Arriba Santa Isabel Santa Rosa Tetuán Viví Abajo Viví Arriba

Geography and topography

• Rio Abajo State Forest - between Arecibo and Utuado

Anthem

By Amilcar Rivera Díaz

Valle bendito el de mi Otoao,
mundo de verde, de azul y sol,
tierra del pitirre y del guaraguao,
cáliz y altar de mi amor.
Es de mi patria su corazón.
Es fiel guardián de su tradición.
Es el perenne y firme bastión
del alma de mi país.

Utuado, amado Utuado,
¿Como no has de estar en mí
si creció mi alma en tus campos
y mis sueños acunó el Viví?
Si algún día de ti me alejo
o si calla al fin mi voz
dejo como eterna ofrenda a ti
hecho canción mi amor.

Vocal Version

Instrumental Version

Economic

Agriculture

Utuado has regained some of its coffee producing power and was the 3rd largest coffee producer in Puerto Rico in the 2002 USDA Agricultural Census. It also produces oranges (ranked 4th), plantains (ranked 6th) and bananas (ranked 9th). It has also been successful with livestock inventory ranking 3rd with hives of bees and 13th with pigs. Industrially, Utuado counts with a few companies that produce textiles, paper and stone.

Business

Utuado today is equipped with a modern and competitive telecommunications infrastructure. Major cell phone companies including Claro, Centennial and Sprint offer mobile coverage, and Liberty Cablevision and DirecTV offer cable and satellite television service, respectively, with Spanish and English channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, and many others) as well as high-speed internet service. Most of the public areas in the University of Puerto Rico Utuado campus are set up with Wi-Fi wireless internet access.

Landmarks and places of interest

• Cascada El Saltillo
• Lago Dos Bocas
• Lago Caonillas
• Hacienda Roses
• Monumento a los Soldados Utuadeños
• Represa Dos Bocas
• Taller Hacienda Taína
• Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana

With narrow streets leading up to a central plaza surrounded by a church and the governor's house, Utuado Pueblo is a perfect example of a town built during the Spanish Colonial era of Puerto Rico. The Iglesia San Miguel Arcangel, the local Catholic parrish, was founded in 1746. The current double-steepled church was built between 1872 and 1878 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, along with the Caguana Ceremonial Park and the Blanco Bridge or "Puente Blanco" located in barrio Arenas joining Utuado with Adjuntas. Other buildings in Utuado Pueblo that retain their colonial architectural features include The Center for Art, Culture and Tourism in the old Tobacco Coop building, the old hospital "Hospital Catalina Figueras and Teatro San Miguel, among others (for pictures of these and other buildings see photo gallery below).

The Rio Abajo Forest Reserve (Bosque Estatal Rio Abajo) is a forest reserve shared with Arecibo and home to 223 plants and wildlife species including: native silk-cotton trees, Asian teaks, Dominican and Honduran mahogany and Australian pines. It is also home to a captive population of the critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon.

East of the Rio Abajo Forest Reserve is Lago Dos Bocas, one of several man made lakes in Utuado. From El Embarcadero, near routes 123 and 146, boats take guests around the water to one of the many restaurants for lakeside dining.

Lago Caonillas in the western region of Utuado is another man made lake. This reservoir encompasses over and was constructed in 1948 by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. People seeking a great mountain getaway with breath-taking views of the lake can stay in the several hotels in the area including Casa Grande Mountain Retreat and Hostal Villas del Lago.

Festivals and events

Barrio Angeles Fiesta - April

The Agricultural Technology department of the University of Puerto Rico at Utuado hosts an annual festival, Festival Tierra Adentro, featuring arts and crafts by local artisans, music, food and plant and animal exhibitions. This festival is held in early April.

Guarionex Fiestas - April

'Feria Artesanal de Angeles is an annual arts & crafts fair held in early May in barrio Angeles featuring local artisans, music and food.

Cross Rosary - May

Festival Cultural del Otoao is an annual event held in the beginning of December celebrating Utuado's Taino heritage. It features arts & crafts, concerts, food and dance and takes place in the central plaza "Plaza del Recreo" in Utuado Pueblo.

The annual Patron Saint Festival is held towards the end of September to early October. The town's patron saint, San Miguel Arcangel, is honored with processions, music, and in 2005 featured amateur boxing matches, softball and domino games. It is held in Utuado Pueblo's central plaza, "Plaza de Recreo."

Festival Nacional Del BBQ en Utuado... Originated by Locals Samuel Kanig & Ramon G. Garcia

Transportation

With the recent completion of the highway 10, Utuado has become one of the easiest towns in the interior mountainous region to reach from the San Juan metropolitan area, what used to be a 3-hour trip has been reduced to 1 hour and 30 minutes (to reach Utuado Pueblo).

Education

There are currently 20 schools under the Department of Education system, two college level institutions, University of Puerto Rico at Utuado and Universidad del Este (UNE), a hospital and two radio stations (WERR 104.1 FM, WUPR 1530 AM).

Sports

On September 1, 2007 Utuado's baseball team Los Montañeses (The Mountaineers) won their third Double A League National championship against Los Bravos (The Braves) of Cidra. Their first victory was in 1941 in the then Federación Deportiva del Norte (Sports Federation of the North). In 1970 they won the first championship under the new Federación de Béisbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico (Federation of Baseball Enthusiast of Puerto Rico).

Notable "Utuadeños"

• María Libertad Gómez (1898-1961) - Educator and Politician, founding member of the Democratic Popular Party (PPD, Partido Popular Democratico) and was a member of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. Founded the first Tobacco Cooperative on the Island. In 1952 the Constitution of Puerto Rico was adopted, creating the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. She was a member of the Constituent Convention of Puerto Rico.
• Dolores Rivera Candelaria - Mayor from 1945 to 1952. Member of the Constituent Convention of Puerto Rico.
• Isaac González Martínez (1871-1954) - doctor who pioneered the fight against cancer in Puerto Rico.
• Ramón Juliá Marín (1878-1917) - Poet and Novelist. Among his most celebrated works are Tierra Adentro and La Gleba.
• Jesús María Lago (1873-1927) - Poet and Painter. Some of his better known works include the poems La Flota de los Sueños, La Princesa Ita-Lu, Marina and Ojos Negros.
• Jorge "Peco" Gonzalez - Puerto Rican marathon runner. Won many races and competed in many international events, such as the Central American and Caribbean Games and the Olympic Games.
• Norma Burgos Andújar - Senator, former Puerto Rico Secretary of State.
• Normando Valentín - TV Journalist
• Nuria Sebazco - TV Journalist
• Rafael Rivera Aquino - Puerto Rico Representative
• Dr. Iván González Cancel - Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon who made history in Puerto Rico with the first heart transplant on June 27, 1999 and also the first heart and kidney transplants.
• Major Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci USA Air Force F-111 killed in action in Libya in 1986.
• Ermelindo Santiago Rivera - Former mayor with 16 years without losing in the elections in this city. Founding member of the PPD (Partido Popular Democratico de Puerto Rico)
• Marisol Malaret Contreras - First Puerto Rican woman to be crowned Miss Universe.

References

Books

• El Porvenir de Utuado: estudio historico, descriptivo y estadistico, by Ramón Morel Campos, published by El Vapor: Ponce in 1896.
• Libertad y Servidumbre en el Puerto Rico del siglo XIX: (los jornaleros utuadeños en vísperas del auge del café), by Fernando Picó, published by Ediciones Huracan in 1979.
• Los Gallos Peleados, by Fernando Picó, published by Ediciones Huracan in 1983.
• Amargo Café: los pequeños caficultores de Utuado en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, by Fernando Picó, published by Ediciones Huracan in 1981.
• El Dorado Borincano: La economia de la conquista 1510 - 1550, Jalil Sued Badillo, published by Ediciones Puerto Rico in 2001.
• Historia Geografica, Civil y Natural de la isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico, Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra, originally published in 1788, later published in 1866 with anotations by Jose Julian Acosta y Calbo.

External links

• Utuado and its barrios, United States Census Bureau
• History of Utuado and Old Archival Photos
• Link to Puerto Rico Utuado
• Utuado on Google Maps