Yauco
Yauco is a town of 34,000 people (2020) on the southwestern Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. The town is one of the most visited (aside from Ponce) in Puerto Rico's southern coast due to its rich history and architecture, its renowned coffee heritage and its indigenous past.
Understand
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The area where Yauco is located today used to form part of the Guaynia Taino region, led by Agüeybana, the most powerful Taíno cacique (chief) at the time of the Spanish arrival to Puerto Rico in 1493. The town of Yauco was founded in 1756, and it became a center for Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico in the 19th century. Corsicans have contributed to many areas of life in Yauco, particularly to its coffee industry and heritage. For this reason the town is nicknamed El Pueblo del Café ('Town of Coffee') and its residents are called Los Corsos ('The Corsicans'). You will probably also notice the Corsican/Italian-sounding names of streets and geographical features in the area. The town was later the scene of numerous historical events such as the 1897 Intentona de Yauco ('Yauco coup attempt') against the Spanish government and the year after, the Yauco Battle of the Spanish-American War. These two historical events have the commonality in the history of Puerto Rico for being the place where the Puerto Rican (1897) and American (1898) flags were flown for the first time.
The municipality of Yauco extends from the western Cordillera Central in the north to the Caribbean Sea in the south. As such, it can be divided into three sections: the mountainous area famous for its coffee plantations and its rainforests, the historic Pueblo area (the administrative and historic downtown) in the center, and the coastal area, which is part of the Guánica Dry Forest.
Get in
[edit]- Ponce: Mercedita International Airport, 24 miles (39 km) away
- Aguadilla: Rafael Hernández Airport, 51 miles (82 km) away
- San Juan: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, 91 miles (146 km) away
By car
[edit]Yauco Pueblo is along PR Route-2, the main road connecting Ponce to Mayagüez. The coastal area (Playa Ballena) of Yauco can only be reached by car from Guánica (PR-333) or as a hike from the nearby Guánica State Forest.
Get around
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As with most parts of Puerto Rico, driving is the best way to get around within the municipality of Yauco. The Pueblo or historic downtown area however is compact enough to be seen by foot.
See
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- 1 Yauco Pueblo (downtown Yauco). See the historic Roman Catholic church, Spanish-style recreational plaza, and the municipal buildings surrounded by streets and shops. The town has a distinctive architecture based on the combination of Beaux Arts, Classical and Criollo styles. A number of buildings and structures are inscribed in the National Register of Historic Places.
You can drive around the pueblo or park your car and walk around the square and into the plaza.
- 2 Chalet Amill, 33 Mattei Lluveras Street, Yauco, Puerto Rico. NRHP-listed Beaux Arts-style mansion built for Corsican immigrant Angel Antongiorgi Paoli in 1915. It used to be a hotel but the structure is no longer open to visitors.
- 3 Filardi House (Casa Muñoz), Junction of Calle 25 de Julio and Calle Baldorioty. Although the restaurant seems to be closed as of January 2023, the building is an architectural gem representing the union between the Beaux-Arts and Puerto Rican Criollo styles.
- 4 Flemming House (Franceschi Antongiorgi House), 25 de Julio Street, (in front of the public square). NRHP-listed historic mansion from 1907 designed in the Beaux Arts and Classical Revival styles. Although now used for retail, it was used for banquets, concerts and meetings.
- 5 Hijos de la Luz Masonic Lodge (Logia Masónica de Yauco), Avenida Jose C. Barbosa (in front of Arturo Lluberas Park). The NRHP-listed building is the oldest surviving Masonic Lodge in Puerto Rico.
- 6 Negroni Mansion (Casa Agostini), Dr. Gatell Street, between Santiago Vivaldi and Comercio Streets, Calle San Rafael, ☏ +1 787-856-4044. Former coffee warehouse and processing plant, as well as a residence and was built for Corsican immigrant Jose Maria Agostini Santini. The building is now home to a Catholic school Colegio del Santísimo Rosario.
- 7 Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church (Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Rosario), 24 Calle Mattei Lluveras #32 (in front of the public town square), ☏ +1 787-856-1222. Call for opening hours outside of weekend mass service (7-9PM). The Catholic parish church, located in front of the City Hall at Plaza Fernando Pacheco. Free.
- 8 Nuestra Señora del Rosario Hermitage Ruins (Antigua Ermita de Yauco), At the entrance to Yauco Pueblo along PR-335. Open 24 hours. Ruins of the former Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary of Yauco. It was built by the Spanish at the site of the first settlement of Yauco. The municipality preserves the ruins as the Parque de la Fundación. Free.
- 9 Yaucromatic, 29-37 Calle E Sanchez Lopez, ☏ +1 787-429-7530. Open 24 hours. Yaucromatic is a public art initiative with beautiful murals in a walkable area. There is an interactive map that you can access through the QR code on posters and stickers placed in the area. There is a neighborhood at the top of the hill that was damaged by the 2020 earthquake and has been painted in festive colors. Some parts are steep with narrow roads, so park the car and walk around. Free.
- 2 Chalet Amill, 33 Mattei Lluveras Street, Yauco, Puerto Rico. NRHP-listed Beaux Arts-style mansion built for Corsican immigrant Angel Antongiorgi Paoli in 1915. It used to be a hotel but the structure is no longer open to visitors.
- 10 Guánica State Forest (Guánica Dry Forest), Along PR Route-333, ☏ +1 787-821-5706. Open 24 hours. The Guánica State Forest preserves the largest tract of subtropical dry forest in the world. Although mostly located in neighboring Guánica, the state forest extends into the coastal area of the municipality of Yauco. This part of the state forest is famous for being home to the only beach in Yauco, Playa Atolladora, also known as Playa Ballena (not to be confused with nearby Punta Ballena Beach) or simply Yauco Beach. Free.
- 11 Hacienda Mireia (Hacienda La Juanita), Río Prieto, Carr. 374 Km. 5.3, Sector Carrizales, ☏ +1 787-508-0508. 50-acre historic coffee farm and plantation. It also has a coffee shop.
- 12 Lake Luchetti (Lago de Yauco), Along PR-128. Open 24 hours. Historic dam and reservoir home to a boating area, a wildlife refuge and few restaurants.
Do
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- 1 Apitursimo Puerto Rico (Diego Hernandez Apiary), Carretera 372 km 0.4 Bo, Diego Hernández, ☏ +1 787-856-1037. Educational tour offered by a local apiary with a focus on beekeeping, honey production and bee conservation efforts. In the past, Yauco and the surrounding region were also famous throughout Puerto Rico for honey production. $33.45.
- Hiking. The municipality of Yauco is home to numerous state forests and natural reserves.
- 2 Monte Membrillo (Pico Membrillo). Open 24 hours. Membrillo is the highest point in Yauco and one of the tallest mountains in Puerto Rico. The area is very forested and hard to traverse so it is best to come with someone familiar with the topography.
- 3 Pico Rodadero (Cerro El Rodadero). Open 24 hours. Although the second highest point in Yauco it is the most distinctive mountain located in the municipality as it can easily be seen from the Pueblo. The mountain is popular for hiking due to its well-maintained trail and its steep yet accessible grassy summit which offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, the southern valleys such as the Lajas Valley, and the Caribbean coast.
- Swimming. Although Yauco has only one beach (Playa Atolladora), the municipality is also home to numerous charcas or swimming holes located in its mountainous region, such as Charco Piazza and the Santa Clara Waterfall.
Buy
[edit]- Coffee is probably one of the best things to buy in Yauco. The town is considered one of the coffee capitals of Puerto Rico.
- There are gift shops selling handcrafted items in the downtown area (Pueblo) of Yauco, particularly around the Fernando de Pacheco y Matos Plaza and the Parque Arturo Lluberas.
Eat
[edit]- Country Chicken, 2 Calle 25 de Julio, ☏ +1 787-856-6568. Daily 10AM–7PM. Fried chicken and Puerto Rican dishes.
- Dolche Salao, 26 Calle Mattei Lluveras, ☏ +1 787-533-7080. Breakfast/brunch 7:30AM–1PM. Dinner 2–8PM. Closed on Tuesdays..
- El Paladar Bar & Grill, Mini mall, Yauco Pl. II suite 613, ☏ +1 787-267-4491, paladarbargrill@gmail.com. Weekdays 11AM–9PM, Weekends 11AM–10PM.
- King's Cream, 5 Betances Suite 4- (next to the public town square). Daily 10AM–8:30PM.
- Lolita’s Bar and Tapas (Lolita's Yauco), 23 Calle Dr, Calle Pasarell, ☏ +1 787-543-6862, lolitasyauco@gmail.com. Weekends 5PM–2AM.
- You can also find the typical fast food places in and around Yauco Plaza such as Burger King, McDonald's and Pizza Hut, as well as Puerto Rican chains such as El Mesón Sandwiches, Martin’s BBQ and Taco Maker.