Ceiba, Puerto Rico Explained

Official Name:Ceiba
Native Name:Spanish; Castilian: Municipio de Ceiba
Native Name Lang:es
Settlement Type:Town and Municipality
Image Alt:Facade of building with letters that read Alcaldia
Nicknames:"Los Come Sopas", "La Ciudad del Marlin", "Los Sin Sopa"
Anthem:"Ceiba"
Mapsize:300px
Coordinates:18.2381°N -65.6278°W
Subdivision Type:Sovereign state
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:Commonwealth
Subdivision Name1: Puerto Rico
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:April 7, 1838
Parts Type:Barrios
Parts:8 barrios
P1:Ceiba barrio-pueblo
P2:Chupacallos
P3:Daguao
P4:Guayacán
P5:Machos
P6:Quebrada Seca
P7:Río Abajo
P8:Saco
Leader Party:PNP
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Samuel “Sammy” Rivera Báez
Leader Title1:Senatorial dist.
Leader Name1:8 - Carolina
Leader Title2:Representative dist.
Leader Name2:36
Area Total Km2:200.28
Area Land Km2:70.5
Area Water Km2:129.78
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:11,307
Population As Of:2020
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:ceibeños
Timezone1:AST
Utc Offset1:-4
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:00735, 00742
Area Code:787/939
Blank Name Sec1:Major routes
Blank Info Sec1:

Population Rank:73rd in Puerto Rico

Ceiba (pronounced as /es/) is both a small town and a municipality in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree. Ceiba is located in the north-east coast of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, south of Fajardo, north of Naguabo and southeast of Río Grande. Located about one hour's driving distance from San Juan, Ceiba is spread over 7 barrios and Ceiba Pueblo (the downtown area and administrative center). It is part of the Fajardo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Ceiba was founded on April 7, 1838 by Luis de la Cruz. Ceiba derives its name from an Indian word Seyba, which is the name for a famous tree that grows in the island, Ceiba pentandra, the kapok tree.

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 and the population numbers of Ceiba were consolidated with the population numbers of Fajardo.[2]

Ceiba, situated near Fajardo, used to be home of an American military Naval base, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. Most of the units were relocated and the base was closed in 2004. Ex-governor Sila María Calderón suggested turning the property into a major international airport, to serve as a relief to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, and to increase the number of international airlines that operate into Puerto Rico. She was met with skepticism about these plans from such groups as environmentalists, economists and others, but in 2008, José Aponte de la Torre Airport was inaugurated at the base's former site.

Locals are commonly known as "Los Come Sopa" (Spanish for 'the soup-eaters'). Even though there is no official reason as to why they are called this, a few stories have been suggested. Among the tales is the belief that since the town did not have a local meat market people had to travel long distances in order to buy some meat and therefore mostly ate soup.

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Ceiba.[3] [4] Forty-nine structures in Punta Figuera were destroyed completely.[5] In July 2018, some residents received monies via FEMA to rebuild their homes.[6]

Geography

The Reserva Natural Medio Mundo y Daguao (Nature Reserve Medio Mundo and Daguao) extends along the coastline between Ceiba and Fajardo.[7] 95% of the forest is classified as mangrove. Various species of birds can be seen as well as turtles and manatees. Its rivers includes; Río Daguao, Río Demajagua and Río Fajardo.[8]

The municipality extends northwest into the seas between Fajardo and Culebra and thereby includes the reefs and islets named Arrecifes Hermanos and Arrecifes Barriles.[9] The reef are closest to the coastal barrio of Machos, but barrio boundaries are not defined in that area.[10]

The highest point in the municipality is Pico del Oeste in the Sierra de Luquillo at 3,346 feet (1,020 m) of elevation.[11]

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Ceiba is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as Spanish; Castilian: "el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.[12] [13] [14]

  1. Ceiba barrio-pueblo
  2. Chupacallos
  3. Daguao
  4. Guayacán
  5. Machos
  6. Quebrada Seca
  7. Río Abajo
  8. Saco

Sectors

Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions)[15] in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.[16] [17]

Special Communities

See also: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development. Spanish; Castilian: Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (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 Ceiba: Saco, Las Calderonas, Parcelas Aguas Claras, Parcelas Nuevas, Prado Hermoso, and Quebrada Seca.[18]

Climate

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 Ceiba page lists Spanish; Castilian: Charco Frío y Las Tinajas, Spanish; Castilian: Playa Los Machos, the mangroves at Spanish; Castilian: Medio Mundo y Daguao, as places of interest.[19]

Landmarks and places of interest

According to a news article by Primera Hora, there are 60 beaches in Ceiba, including Spanish; Castilian: Los Machos Beach.[20] Other places of interest include:

Culture

Festivals and events

Ceiba celebrates its patron saint festival in June. The Spanish; Castilian: Fiestas Patronales de San Antonio de Padua is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[21] The festival has featured live performances by well-known artists such as Grupo Manía, and Domingo Quiñones.[22]

Other festivals and events celebrated in Ceiba include:

Sports

Former IBF world Jr. Middleweight boxing champion Carlos Santos hails from Ceiba. Ceiba also has an amateur AAA baseball team Los Marlins de Ceiba.Chi-Chi Rodriguez, Pro golfer is from Ceiba.

Economy

Manufacturing (plywood, apparel, hardware products).

Transportation

José Aponte de la Torre Airport offers commercial (mostly domestic) flights on three airlines; it also houses an MD-82 jet donated by American Airlines to local air mechanics students.

There are 29 bridges in Ceiba.[23]

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Ceiba include:

Government

See main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico. All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Ceiba is Angelo Cruz Ramos, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected at the 2012 general elections.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VIII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Pedro A. Rodríguez and Luis Daniel Rivera were elected as District Senators.[24]

Symbols

The Spanish; Castilian: municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[25]

Flag

Ceiba's flag derives its design and colors from the municipal coat of arms. This maintains the same symbolism given to the coat of arms. It is made of two vertical lines of the same width, red in the left side and green on the right. The red side depicts a yellow cross.[26]

Coat of arms

The Ceiba coat of arms depicts a shield with a Ceiba tree. In the upper part of the shield is a red horizontal space with a golden cross in the middle and a golden fleur-de-lis on either side. The cross symbolizes the Christian faith as well recognizing Luis de la Cruz as Ceiba's founder. Around the shield are sugar cane stalks. Above the shield there is a golden Spanish fort.

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census. 2021-08-25. The United States Census Bureau. EN-US. August 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210826053734/https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/puerto-rico-population-change-between-census-decade.html. live.
  2. Book: Joseph Prentiss Sanger. Henry Gannett. Walter Francis Willcox. Informe sobre el censo de Puerto Rico, 1899, United States. War Dept. Porto Rico Census Office. 1900. Imprenta del gobierno. 41. es.
  3. Web site: Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico . USGS Landslide Hazards Program . USGS . 2019-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190303143147/https://landslides.usgs.gov/research/featured/2017/maria-pr/ . 2019-03-03 . live .
  4. Web site: Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico . USGS Landslide Hazards Program . USGS . 2019-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190303143147/https://landslides.usgs.gov/research/featured/2017/maria-pr/images/PR_Maria_LS_density_map.pdf . 2019-03-03 . live .
  5. News: María, un nombre que no vamos a olvidar. María barrió con lo que dejó en pie el huracán Irma . Maria, a name we will never forget. María swept up what Hurricane Irma left . El Nuevo Día . 2019-06-13 . es . 2021-09-19 . September 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212333/https://huracanmaria.elnuevodia.com/2017/municipio/ceiba/ . live .
  6. Web site: Torres Gotay . Benjamín . Damnificada del huracán María: "Nunca pensé en irme de mi casa" . El Nuevo Día . 2021-09-20 . es . 2021-09-20 . September 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212222/https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/damnificada-del-huracan-maria-nunca-pense-en-irme-de-mi-casa/ . live .
  7. Web site: Así es la extensa biodiversidad que ofrece el Municipio de Ceiba. live. 2021-09-30. El Nuevo Día. es. https://web.archive.org/web/20210926153711/https://www.elnuevodia.com/ciencia-ambiente/flora-fauna/fotogalerias/asi-es-la-extensa-biodiversidad-que-ofrece-el-municipio-de-ceiba/ . September 26, 2021 .
  8. Web site: Ceiba Municipality. Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). enciclopediapr.org. 2019-03-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20190623201827/https://enciclopediapr.org/en/encyclopedia/ceiba-municipality/. 2019-06-23. live.
  9. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=05000US72037&tree_id=4001&context=dt&_lang=en&_ts=300465838926 Census 2000 map of Ceiba Municipio
  10. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=06000US7203748260&tree_id=4001&context=dt&_lang=en&_ts=300465985036 Census 2000 map of Machos barrio
  11. Web site: Pico del Oeste (1611655). 2021-09-11. www.usgs.gov/. October 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028223956/https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/board-on-geographic-names/download-gnis-data. live.
  12. Book: Picó . Rafael . Buitrago de Santiago . Zayda . Berrios . Hector H. . Nueva geografía de Puerto Rico: física, económica, y social, por Rafael Picó. Con la colaboración de Zayda Buitrago de Santiago y Héctor H. Berrios. . San Juan Editorial Universitaria, Universidad de Puerto Rico,1969 . 2019-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181226171916/https://archive.org/details/nuevageografad00pic/page/247 . 2018-12-26 . live .
  13. Book: Gwillim Law. Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. 25 December 2018. 20 May 2015. McFarland. 978-1-4766-0447-3. 300.
  14. Web site: Map of Ceiba at the Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20180324204920/http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/ceiba.pdf . dead . 2018-03-24 . 2018-12-29 .
  15. Web site: US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition . factfinder.com . US Census . 5 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170513190743/https://factfinder.census.gov/help/en/barrio.htm . 13 May 2017 . dead .
  16. Web site: Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconómico y la Autogestión (Proposed 2016 Budget). Puerto Rico Budgets. es. 28 June 2019. June 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190628234856/http://www.presupuesto.pr.gov/Presupuesto2015-2016/PresupuestosAgencias/229.htm. live.
  17. Web site: Leyes del 2001. Lex Juris Puerto Rico. es. 24 June 2020. September 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180914224408/http://www.lexjuris.com/lexlex/Leyes2001/lex2001001.htm. live.
  18. Web site: Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico. 8 August 2011. es. 24 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624004414/https://cpprbib.wordpress.com/biblioteca-virtual/guias-tematicas/comunidades-especiales/comunidades-especiales-de-puerto-rico/. 24 June 2019. live.
  19. Book: Pasaporte: Voy Turisteando . Compañia de Turismo de Puerto Rico . 2021. es.
  20. Web site: Las 1,200 playas de Puerto Rico [The 1200 beaches of Puerto Rico]]. April 14, 2017. Primera Hora. es. December 12, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200804/https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/nota/las1200playasdepuertorico-1216285/. December 12, 2019. live.
  21. Web site: J.D. . Ceiba . Link To Puerto Rico.com . 2006-05-02 . es . 2020-07-18 . July 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200719102626/http://www.proyectosalonhogar.com/link%20p.r/www.linktopr.com/ceiba.html . live .
  22. Web site: Fiestas de Pueblo Ceiba 2013 . sondeaquiprnet . El Gobierno Municipal de Ceiba . 14 August 2023 . April 25, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140425165808/http://sondeaquiprnet.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/600242_472213679536140_66681972_n.jpg . live .
  23. Web site: Ceiba Bridges. National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. 19 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190220181350/http://bridgereports.com/pr/ceiba/. 20 February 2019. live.
  24. http://div1.ceepur.org/REYDI_Escrutinio/index.html#es/default/SENADORES_POR_DISTRITO_CAROLINA_VIII.xml Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General
  25. Web site: Ley Núm. 70 de 2006 -Ley para disponer la oficialidad de la bandera y el escudo de los setenta y ocho (78) municipios. . LexJuris de Puerto Rico . es . 2021-06-15 . January 20, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210120152958/http://www.lexjuris.com/LEXLEX/Leyes2006/lexl2006070.htm . live .
  26. Web site: CEIBA . LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico . 19 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200219001530/http://www.lexjuris.com/pueblos/pueblos_files/CEIBA.html . 19 February 2020 . live . es . 16 September 2020.

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