Camuy, Puerto Rico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Nickname: "Ciudad Romántica", "Ciudad de los Areneros", "Ciudad del Sol Taíno" | ||||||
| Gentilic: "Camuyanos" | ||||||
| Location | ||||||
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| Government | ||||||
| Founded | 1807 | |||||
| Mayor | Hon. Edwin García Feliciano | |||||
| Political party | PNP | |||||
| Senatorial district | 3 - Arecibo | |||||
| Representative district | 15 | |||||
| Geographical characteristics | ||||||
| Area | ||||||
| Total | 135.49 km² | |||||
| Land | 120 km² | |||||
| Water | 15.49 km² | |||||
| Population | ||||||
| Total (2000) | 35,244 | |||||
| Density | 269.7/km² | |||||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | |||||
| Official website: http://www.camuypuertorico.com | ||||||
| Anthem – "Pedazo de Borinquen" | ||||||
Camuy (kahm-WEE) is a municipality in Puerto Rico located on the Valley of Quebradillas, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Lares; east of Quebradillas; and west of Hatillo. Camuy is spread over 12 wards and Camuy Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). The town is getting ready to celebrate it's 200 years of foundation in 2007.
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[edit] History
Camuy founded in 1807 by Petronila Matos, and formerly part of Arecibo. Camuy is located in the northwestern coastal region of Puerto Rico, less than 5 minutes west of Hatillo on PR 2 and PR 119. The name Camuy is known to be derived from the Taíno language, although a number of legends give differing explanations for the origin of the name. One such legend claims the name comes from the Taíno word for "sun", another claims derivation from canuy, Taíno for "beautiful scenery", and still another states that Camuy was the name of a Taíno chief. The "sun" legend is reflected in the coat of arms for the municipality.
In its beginnings Camuy was integrated into the Party of San Antonio de la Tuna. The "parties" were great extensions of land that divided Puerto Rico. This region today is known as Isabela. At the time the party covered the area between Aguadilla and Arecibo, what is known today as the municipalities of Camuy, Hatillo, Quebradillas, Isabela, Utuado, and San Sebastián.
The population of Camuy was 35,244 at the 2000 census, and it has land area of 120.24 km². The municipality is a popular suburb, although it is growing economically more slowly than neighboring Hatillo.
[edit] Flag
The flag is green like the Coat of Arms. A white undulating band runs horizontally across and is interrupted in the middle by the figure of the Camuy sun, in this case represented by the colors yellow and black.
[edit] Coat of Arms
The silver-waving stripe symbolizes the Camuy River. The three tower crown distinguishes Camuy as a municipality.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Barrios (Districts/Wards)
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[edit] Geo/Hydro/Topography
Topography: It belongs to the zone designated as the plateau of the northwest where the terrain is level and known as the Valley of Quebradillas. Towards the interior of the municipality the topography becomes very irregular near Cibao. This strip of land, a zone of wooded hills and depressions, divides Camuy completely into two strips, north and south. The northern strip is known as Lomas de los Puertos.
Hydrography: The Camuy River forms part of the hydrographic system with a length of 24 miles, which at one point becomes a narrow canyon that forms one of the most beautiful cave systems of the world, Rio Camuy Caverns. The Cibao River is also part of the system.
[edit] Anthem
Pedazo de Borinquen By Ramón Jovito Barreto
Canto a este pueblo donde he nacido,
de verdes montes y de azul mar,
de un río travieso
que está escondido
pero que brota cual manantial.
¡Camuy mi pueblo,
Camuy mi campo,
pedazo bello de Borinquen
el sol taíno te da su encanto,
yo no te cambio eres mi edén!
Hoy de tu historia yo siento orgullo
del Grito fuiste mecha inicial.
Por la Estrellada te han conocido
por Las Cavernas por tu central.
¡Camuy mi pueblo,
Camuy mi campo,
pedazo bello de Borinquén,
el sol taíno te da su encanto,
yo no te cambio eres mi edén!
[edit] Economic
[edit] Agriculture
Agriculture (sugarcane and cattle some time ago) and tourism.
[edit] Business
Average Salary: $240.00 weekly (1998)
[edit] Industrial
[edit] Tourism
Camuy is known for its Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy (Camuy River Cave Park), a large network of natural limestone caves and underground waterways shared with nearby municipalities of Hatillo and Lares. The cave system was first documented in the 1973 book Discovery At The Rio Camuy (ISBN 0-517-50594-0) by Russell and Jeanne Gurnee. The park built around the cave system features tours of some of the caves, and is one of the most popular natural attractions in Puerto Rico. The caverns were created by the Río Camuy (Camuy River), one of the few active underground rivers in the Americas, and the third longest underground river in the world.[citation needed] In recognition of this, the Camuy coat of arms includes a symbol for the underground river.
[edit] Landmarks and places of interest
- Hacienda Morell
- Lake Guajataca
- Peñon Brussi Beach
- Rio Camuy Caverns
- Iglesia EL Calvario
[edit] Festivals and events
- Three Kings Reyes Celebration - January
- Camuy Carnival - February
- Patron Festivities San José - May
- Peña Brusi Festival - July
- Cultural Fair - September
The patron saint of Camuy is San José. His day is celebrated on May 1].The patron saint festivities are celebrated every year around the last 2 weeks of the month of May...month of Saint Joseph..patron saint of Camuy..His official liturgical day is May 1.
[edit] Education
Camuy currently has:
- 7 Public Elementary Schools
- 1 Public Intermediate School
- 3 Public High schools
[edit] Religion
Just like the whole island, Camuy is first and foremost Catholic but there are other religions present in the town such as Baptism, Evangelism, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. The main church of the town is the San Jose Parish named after the patron of the town, Saint Joseph. However the other famous church is the protest church named "Iglesia de Piedra" (Church of Stone) because of its design, the whole church is made completely out of stone.
[edit] Sports
The town has many sports (Volleyball, Basketball, Martial Arts, etc...) but most notably are their Baseball teams. Many of them are part of the little league and the intermediate system but at the top the 2 professional Class A and Double AA baseball teams called "Los Arenosos" (Referring to the abundance of sand from the coastline).
[edit] How to arrive
Distance from San Juan: 57 minutes aprox. ETA: 1hr. 20 minutes Directions: San Juan Expressway to road #2 West
[edit] Notable "Camuyanos"
Jose Joaquin (Yiye) Avila - famous Christian evangelist
Rafael Hernandez - famous singer/writer.
[edit] Trivia
Camuy is also known as:
- Ciudad Romántica (Romantic City) - A very famous romantic radio station appeared in the early 80's in the town and listeners from across the northern region tuned in every evening.
- Ciudad de los Areneros (City of the Areneros) - Named after the abundance of sand in the coastline as well as the famous Doble AA baseball team, "Los Arenosos".
- Ciudad del Sol Taíno (City of the Taíno Sun) - Namede after Taino mythology. It is believed that Camuy meant "Sun".
The Camuy River along with the Caverns are the 3rd largest and longest underground system in the world and the river is one of the few remaining active underground rivers in the Americas, stretching for miles.
[edit] References
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] Books about Camuy
[edit] Photo gallery
[edit] External links
