Lajas, Puerto Rico

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lajas, Puerto Rico

Flag

Nickname: La Ciudad Cardenalicia", "Los Tira Piedras

Lajas, Puerto Rico

Location within the island of Puerto Rico

Coordinates: 18°03′07″N 67°03′35″W / 18.05194, -67.05972

Founded

1883

Government

- Mayor

Hon. Marcos "Turín" Irizarry (PPD)

- Senatorial dist.

5 - Ponce

- Representative dist.

Area

- Total

76.8 sq mi (199.04 km²)

- Land

61 sq mi (158 km²)

- Water

15.8 sq mi (41.04 km²)

Population (2000)

- Total

27,009

- Density

434.6/sq mi (167.8/km²)

- Gentilic

Lajeños

Time zone

AST (UTC-4)

Anthem – "Nuestro Lajas, pueblito querido"

Lajas is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southwestern region, south of San Germán and Sabana Grande; east of Cabo Rojo; and west of Guánica. Lajas is spread over 11 wards and Lajas Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city).

1 History
- 1.1 Flag
- 1.2 Coat of Arms
2 Barrios
3 National protected area
4 Anthem
- 4.1 Tourism
  - 4.1.1 Landmarks and places of interest
  - 4.1.2 Festivals and events
5 Notable "Lajeños"
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Located at the Lajas valley, the town was founded in 1883 by the Xueta Teodoro Jacome Pagan. Xuetes (Chuetas) were Mallorcan Jews (Sephardi Catalan Jews). Some families changed their names from Jacome to the Castilian form Santiago (Saint James the greater). Jacome is the Mallorquin form of James (Ia'akov). Catalonian Jews from Mallorca were part of the early settlers in the South of (Boriken) Puerto Rico.The village of La Parguera ( founded in 1940 by fishermen from Guánica and Cabo Rojo ) is a popular tourist destination to see the famous Bahía Fosforescente ( Phosphoresent Bay ) and its keys and islet's.

[edit] Flag

The flag consists of three (3) horizontal stripes; the superior one green, the center white and the bottom one yellow. A fourth stripe, of equal width forms a cross. In the center of that cross we have two arms united with a ripe yellow pineapple. The cross is surrounded by eleven gold stars; five in the superior (north) part and six in the inferior (south) part of the cross forming a circle.

[edit] Coat of Arms

The body is gold with a green band crossing it diagonally right to left; the color gold stands for the wealth of the land and green stands for the beauty of the valley which is a gift from mother nature to Lajas. The band is adorned, at each end, with a pineapple bordered in gold and black. In the center of the band, also in gold, a marine shell. In the left superior side there is a red cardinal's hat and in the inferior a red anchor with a green; the shield has 3 tower castle, each one with two windows and one door. On the bottom, outside the shield, a banner with the inscription "Cardenalicia City" (Cardinality City). The banner and the inscription appear in black.

[edit] Barrios

Lajas is divided into the following barrios (wards/districts)^[1]^[2]:

Candelaria
Costa
Lajas Arriba
Lajas Pueblo
Llanos
Palmarejos
Paris
Parguera
Plata
Sábana Yeguas
Santa Rosa

[edit] National protected area

Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge

[edit] Anthem

By Hernán Ortiz Noriega (Rola)

Nuestro Lajas, pueblito querido
En mi pecho tienes un altar,
Orgulloso estoy de haber nacido
En tus campos que no he de olvidar.

Faro y luz serás de Puerto Rico
Con tu Estación Experimental,
Con el riego en tu Valle bendito,
La Parguera que no hay otra igual.

Yo te añoro en mi ausencia y suspiro
Por tus piñas de fama mundial....
Y en mis noches de ensueño deliro
con tus montes, tu valle y tu mar.

[edit] Tourism

Lajas is famous for its main touristic attraction, Phosphorescent Bay (La Parguera) , a place where luminescent dinoflagellates of different colors appear when the water moves. The origin of the colored lights is the object of many legends. Lajas is also a fishing town.

[edit] Landmarks and places of interest

Cartagena Lagoon
Indian Museum
Old Train Station
Old Silver Mines
La Parguera

Mangrove Isles, La Pargüera, 2006

Mangroves, La Pargüera, 2006

Houses on the water, La Pargüera, 2006

Lajeño soldier Monument
Isla Magueyes
Isla Mata la Gata
Pineapple Processing Plant Ruins
Rosada Beach or Playita Rosada

[edit] Festivals and events

Matron Festivities - February
International Kite Festival - February
Agro Fair- March
Pineapple Festival - March
E. Ramírez Marathon - March
Kite Festival - June
Fish Festival - July
Cock Fight Festival - October

[edit] Notable "Lajeños"

Bonoció Tió - Reporter & poet
Jacobo Morales Ortiz, actor, writer and film director
Jaime Frank Paganacc - Lawyer, judge, writer & athlete
José "Purro" Basora - Boxer
Luis Aponte Martinez, archbishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico and first Puerto Rican Cardinal.
Juan Cancio Ortiz de la Renta y Lugo - Philanthropist, humanist & farmer
Teodoro Jácome Pagán - Founder of the town
Mons. Ulises Casiano Vargas, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mayagüez
Johnathan Quinones- Filmmaker