| Patillas | |
| Native Name: | Spanish; Castilian: Municipio Autónomo de Patillas |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Town and Municipality |
| Flag Alt: | Flag of Patillas |
| Nicknames: | "La Esmeralda del Sur", "Los Leones" |
| Anthem: | "Patillenses" |
| Mapsize: | 300px |
| Coordinates: | 18.0064°N -66.0158°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Sovereign state |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | Commonwealth |
| Subdivision Name1: |  Puerto Rico |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1760 |
| Parts Type: | Barrios |
| Parts: | 16 barrios |
| P1: | Apeadero |
| P2: | Bajo |
| P3: | Cacao Alto |
| P4: | Cacao Bajo |
| P5: | Egozcue |
| P6: | Guardarraya |
| P7: | Jacaboa |
| P8: | Jagual |
| P9: | Mamey |
| P10: | Marín |
| P11: | Mulas |
| P12: | Muñoz Rivera |
| P13: | Patillas barrio-pueblo |
| P14: | Pollos |
| P15: | Quebrada Arriba |
| P16: | Ríos |
| Leader Party: | PNP |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Maritza Sánchez Neris |
| Leader Title1: | Senatorial dist. |
| Leader Name1: | 7 - Humacao |
| Leader Title2: | Representative dist. |
| Leader Name2: | 34 |
| Area Total Km2: | 153.62 |
| Area Land Km2: | 125 |
| Area Water Km2: | 28.62 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 59.3 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 48.3 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 11.1 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 15,985 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Patillenses |
| Timezone1: | AST |
| Utc Offset1: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 00723 |
| Area Code: | 787/939 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Major routes |
| Population Rank: | 66th in Puerto Rico |
Patillas (pronounced as /es/, pronounced as /es/) is a beach town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southeastern coast, south of San Lorenzo; west of Yabucoa and Maunabo; and east of Guayama and Arroyo. It is spread over 15 barrios and Patillas Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the Guayama Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Europeans had settled the area as early as 1760. There was, however, no permanent settlement until the town was officially founded in 1811. In 1841 a fire in Patillas killed a great many people.[2]
Patillas is located along the southeastern coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. There was an establishment of a sugar cane mill which took advantage of the agricultural potential the coastal valley provided. As this establishment provided a good source of income for the neighbors it also was the main reason for the town's foundation in 1811. Doña Adelina Cintrón, owner of "La Finca Patillas", donated almost 8acres of land for the foundation. Most of the neighbors then relocated to the west side of the proposed site called Cacao Bajo.
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 Patillas was 11,163.
On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Patillas, power was out and 341 homes were completely destroyed. Wind and rain triggered numerous landslides making roads inaccessible.[3] [4] [5]
Patillas is located on the southeastern coast. Despite being located in the region known as the Coast Valley of the South, a part of the town is mountainous. The Sierra de Cayey borders the town's territory through the northern region, and the Sierra de Guardarraya through the east.[6]
Coordinates: 18.0064° N, 66.0158° WZip Code: 00723Driving Distance from San Juan: 59.6 milesDriving Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes
Puerto Rico Highway 53 and Puerto Rico Highway 3 provide access to Patillas from the nearby city of Ponce. Patillas lies at about 1.25 hours from San Juan.
There was an airport, Patillas Airport, but it did not have any commercial air service when it was closed. The nearest commercial airport with international air service (to the United States mainland) is Mercedita Airport in Ponce. The nearest commercial airport with major commercial air service is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina.
There are 32 bridges in Patillas.[7]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Patillas 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".[8] [9] [10]
Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions)[11] and subbarrios,[12] are further subdivided into smaller areas called Spanish; Castilian: sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.[13] [14]
See main article: 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 Patillas: Sector Barro Blanco in Bajos, Sector Higüero in Jacaboa, Sector Recio in Guardarraya, and Quebrada Arriba.
There are 28 beaches in Patillas.[15] [16] Inches Beach in Patillas is considered a dangerous beach.[17]
Some places of interest in Patillas include:[18]
Patillas celebrates its patron saint festival in August. The Spanish; Castilian: Fiestas Patronales de San Benito Abad is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[19]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Patillas include:
Río de Apeadero, Río Chico, Río Grande de Patillas, Río Jacaboa, and Río Marín (rivers) and a number of creeks flow through Patillas. There is also the Patillas Reservoir called Spanish; Castilian: Lago Patillas which was built in 1914. The Patillas and Marín Rivers flow into the reservoir which is also used for fishing.
In 2021 the Leader of the Association of Plantain Producers in Puerto Rico indicated the town was one of the main areas of production of plantains.[20]
According to the 2000 census, Patillas had a population of 20,152 with a population density is 426.0 people per square mile (163.9/km2). There was a decline in the population during the 1960s and the 1990s and most recently in the 2010 and 2020 census.
Puerto Rico is primarily made up of a mix of ancestors from Indigenous, European or African descent. Statistics from the 2000 census shows that 67.7% of Patillenses self-identify as European or white origin; only 12.3% self-identify as Afro Puerto Rican and 0.5% self-identify as Amerindian.
| Race - Patillas, Puerto Rico - 2000 Census[21] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Population | % of Total | |
| White | 13,633 | 67.7% | |
| Black/African American | 2,482 | 12.3% | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 95 | 0.5% | |
| Asian | 23 | 0.1% | |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 7 | 0.0% | |
| Some other race | 1,452 | 7.2% | |
| Two or more races | 2,460 | 12.2% | |
See main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico. Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Patillas is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Maritza Sánchez Neriz, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). Sanchez was elected at the 2020 general election.[22]
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Jorge Suárez and José Luis Dalmau were elected as District Senators.[23]
Patillas has several public and private schools distributed through several regions. Public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.
The Spanish; Castilian: municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[24]
The flag of Patillas has four green rectangles on the corners that symbolize the valleys and mountains of the town. These rectangles are separated by a golden cross symbolizing the fidelity to the town's religious patron "El Santo Cristo de la Salud". Superimposed in the middle of the golden cross is an emerald, thus the nickname "La Esmeralda del Sur".[25]
The art design of the flag was a creation of Pedro de Pedro in 1977. Each symbol on the flag was defined by Pedro J. Rivera Arbolay. The legal assessor was the attorney Roberto Beascochea Lota.
The coat of arms features a crow with a piece of bread in its beak, which represents the bird that saved the life to San Benito Abad, patron of the town, from being poisoned with a piece of bread. The castle with three windows symbolizes the captivity of Santa Barbara, matron of Patillas in the first years of the foundation and the devotion to the Holy Trinity. The cross represents Santo Cristo de la Salud. The two crossed machetes underneath the cross represent the peasants' struggle in the sugar cane plantations and the origins of economic development. The three towers in the superior part mean that Patillas is categorized as a town. The watermelon leaf, fruit that abounded in the west of Patillas, is the reason for the name of the town. The motto "Ora et Labora", means "Pray and Work"; motto of the religious order of San Benito Abad.
The name Patillas is originally an indigenous name for a native type of watermelon. The large abundance of this fruit in the area, along with the land donation from the original owner, lead to the town's name.
Although it is both a mountain town and a beach town, Patillas is known as the "Emerald of the South" for its majestic green color that stands out from the mountains with the reflection of the sun. This town has natural resources that invite the disconnection of the bustle of the city, such as beaches, forests, and the Patillas Lake. The coastal waters and the lake are used by many for recreational fishing.
By Andrés Plaud Soto
"Patillenses, ¡Veis la luz, de la antorcha y su esplendor, que ilumina en noble gesta de amor... la ruta que recorrió, el que por ti ayer luchó, en las lides de los campos del honor!
No olvidéis otras proezas en las Artes del Saber, producto de otros hermanos, que este pueblo vio nacer. Sus conquistas celebramos con solemne admiración: ¡Hosana mis compueblanos... Les brindo mi corazón!"