Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico

Sabana Grande (Spanish pronunciation: [saˈβana ˈɣɾande]) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Lajas and Guánica; south of Maricao; east of San Germán; and west of Yauco. Sabana Grande is spread over seven barrios and Sabana Grande Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Germán-Cabo Rojo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Sabana Grande
Municipio de Sabana Grande
Town and Municipality
The historic Berta Sepúlveda House in Sabana Grande
The historic Berta Sepúlveda House in Sabana Grande
Flag of Sabana Grande
Flag
Nicknames: 
"La Ciudad de los Petateros", "El Pueblo de los Prodigios" ("Town of Prodigies")
Anthem: "Sabana Grande, ciudad petatera"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Sabana Grande Municipality
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Sabana Grande Municipality
Coordinates: 18°4′47″N 66°57′39″W
Commonwealth Puerto Rico
Founded1813
Barrios
8 barrios
Government
 • MayorMarcos Valentin (PPD)
 • Senatorial dist.5 - Ponce
 • Representative dist.21
Area
 • Total37.1 sq mi (96 km2)
 • Land37.1 sq mi (96 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Population
 (2020)[1]
 • Total22,729
 • Rank55th in Puerto Rico
 • Density610/sq mi (240/km2)
DemonymSabaneños
Time zoneUTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code
00637
Area code787/939
Major routes

History

The municipality's name comes from the extensive plain that occupies the southern part of the municipality which extends towards the west to San German and Hormigueros, better known as the Sabana Grande Valley (Spanish for the big savanna valley; the word sabana and the English savanna both come from the Taino word for plains). According to historian Mario Villar Roces, before 1808 there was a community with its own church on the land today known as Sabana Grande Arriba (literally upper great savanna). Evidence of this is the oldest baptismal registry preserved from the area, as Sabana Grande was originally a sector of the municipality of San Germán.

Because the community was so far from the center of San Germán, residents felt a need to build a church, which was established as an auxiliary to the San Germán parish. The church was built and was devoted to San Isidro Labrador and Santa María de la Cabeza.

During Spanish rule, in order for a town to be established, the following had to take place: A group of vecinos ("neighbors" or residents) that wanted to found a town had to grant a power of attorney to one or more other vecinos to represent them before the governor and viceroy. This person could authorize the founding of the town and the establishment of a parish. The grantors of the power of attorney had to be a majority in the given territory and more than ten in number. Once the case had been made, the governor appointed a "capitán poblador" or settlement official to represent the vecinos and one or more delegates, who usually lived in nearby aldeas, or hamlets. Proof was required that the settlement was so far from a church that it was very difficult for the settlers to partake of sacraments and municipal services. In general, proof was provided of the absence or bad condition of roads and bridges. If the petition was approved, it was required that the vecinos mark off the new municipality and build public works such as a church, a parish house, a government house (Casa del Rey), a slaughterhouse, and a cemetery, and to set aside land for the town square or plaza and the commons (ejidos). The vecinos were expected to cover the cost of building these works by levying special assessments. Usually one of the land owners donated some land for the founding. Once the requirements had been met, the governor authorized the founding of the town and the parish, and he appointed a Lieutenant at War who usually was the same capitán poblador.

There is some debate as to when Sabana Grande was founded. Some say that it was established in 1808, while others say it was established in 1813, a year after the town was politically established in 1812. Historian Villar Roces posits that although the exact date of the founding of the town is not found in any document in the municipal archives, 1813 should be considered the year it was legally founded because it coincides with the date of the first registry document. In entry number 23 in the third book of marriages, dated July 1, 1813, the priest is identified as "Priest Ecónomo of the Sabana Grande Parish Church," while previous entries were called "Attending Priests" or "Coadjutants of the Villa of San Germán."

Sabana Grande became an independent parish, under its own jurisdiction, in June 1813, with the first parish priest of the San Isidro Labrador y Santa María de la Cabeza Church being Martín Antonio Borreli.

On December 21, 1814, the first captain general of Sabana Grande, Pedro de Acosta, took office. Some local historians assert that he donated seventy cuerdas of land where the Kings House, priests house, a plaza, a butcher shop and a cemetery were established. Others say that this land was donated by Joaquín P. Rodríguez de la Seda y Almodóvar. Villar Roces adds that Juan Francisco de Acosta, brother of the mayor and parish priest of Sabana Grande, donated his house to the town so it could be used as the Kings House or council house.

The first families of Sabana Grande were the Vélez Borrero, García Almodóvar, Nazario de Figueroa, Acosta, Sanabria, Lugo, Rivera, Sepúlveda, del Toro, Montalvo, Irizarry, Borreli, Ramírez, Torres, Matos, Pabón-Dávila, Quiñones, Rodríguez de la Renta, Soltero, Segarra, Ortiz de la Renta, Ortiz de Peña, Saavedra and others. Also, Catalan families with the surnames of Busigó, Malaret and Serra, and a group of Greek immigrants with the surname Soto, all settled in the town from the time of its founding.[2][3]

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Sabana Grande with the significant amount of rainfall.[4][5]

Geography
Lajas Valley, November 2006

Sabana Grande is on the south west side of Puerto Rico, in the Lajas Valley. There are a number of rivers there: Río Guanajibo and its tributaries, Coco River, Flores River, and Río Grande.[6]

Barrios
Subdivisions of Sabana Grande.

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Sabana Grande is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".[7][8][9]

  1. Machuchal
  2. Rayo
  3. Rincón
  4. Sabana Grande barrio-pueblo[10]
  5. Santana
  6. Susúa
  7. Tabonuco
  8. Torre

Sectors

Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions)[10] and subbarrios,[11] 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.[12][13][14]

Special Communities
Main article: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development

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 Sabana Grande: Santana, Cerro Gordo, El Burén, Molinas and Susúa.[15]

Economy

Agriculture

Fruits, sugar and cattle on a small scale.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
190010,560—
191011,5239.1%
192012,3056.8%
193011,881−3.4%
194014,14619.1%
195016,09713.8%
196015,910−1.2%
197016,3432.7%
198020,20723.6%
199022,84313.0%
200025,93513.5%
201025,265−2.6%
202022,729−10.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
1899 (shown as 1900)[17] 1910-1930[18]
1930-1950[19] 1960-2000[20] 2010[8] 2020[21]

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

The following are some of the well-known places of interest in Sabana Grande:[22]

  • San Francisco Estate, in Spanish: Hacienda San Francisco, also known as Hacienda Quilinchini, is a historic sugar mill complex with an hacienda house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Museum of Art, within City Hall
  • The Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary of the Well, El Pozo de la Virgen, a Catholic mission with millions of members in twenty countries[23]
  • Susúa State Forest
  • Barco House Casa Barco
  • Orlando López Recreational Center
  • Igualdad Lodge #23
  • Masonic Cemetery, Cementerio Masónico de Ia Resp. Logia Igualdad Num. 23 de Sabana Grande, is of countrywide significance under Criterion A in the area of Social History as the property is associated with a very important pattern of social and political events that took place during the nineteenth century in Puerto Rico. The construction of the cemetery came out as a result of the struggles among the Spanish political establishment and its ideological partner, the Roman Catholic Church, against the presence of the philosophical brotherhood commonly known as the Freemasons.[24]
  • Placita de la Recordación

Culture

Festivals and events

Sabana Grande celebrates its patron saint festival in May. The Fiestas Patronales de San Isidro Labrador is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[6][25]

Other festivals and events celebrated in Sabana Grande include:

  • Virgen del Pozo Marathon – May
  • Inter-organizational Carnival – April
  • Soberao Jazz Festival – April
  • Petate Festival – December
  • Burén Corn Fritter Festival – December
  • Troubadour Festival – December
  • Three Kings Festival – January
  • Grand Petate Festival – February

Government
Main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico

Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Sabana Grande is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Marcos Gilberto Valentin, from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected at the 2020 general election.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Ramón Ruiz and Martín Vargas Morales, from the Popular Democratic Party, were elected as District Senators.[26]

Transportation

There are 27 bridges in Sabana Grande.[27]

The main highways in Sabana Grande are PR-2, PR-120, PR-121, PR-102 and PR-117. In 2020, a section of PR-368, from downtown Sabana Grande to Yauco, was named Fidel Vélez Vélez.[28]

Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[29]

Flag

The flag of Sabana Grande has four squares, two green and two yellow, alternating. In the center is the municipal coat of arms. The meaning of the flag comes from the coat of arms.[30]

Coat of arms

The municipality's coat of arms contains the elements that represent the town's patron saints. The shovel and rake allude to San Isidro Labrador. It is believed this representation arose from the faith of the workers in the Sabana Grande countryside. When a bad drought came, they made promises in the hopes that their patron saint would save their crops. The urn represents the domestic tasks of Santa María de la Cabeza, the wife of San Isidro.[30]

In the center is the leaf of the petate palm as an icon of a traditional industry of Sabana Grande. Above is the crown wall which, as a symbol of solidarity, civic unity and common defense, is a heraldic tribute that is part of the coat of arms of towns. The motto on the coat of arms is "Town of the Prodigies."[2][30]

Education

Sabana Grande boasts several public and private schools within its territory. Public education is handled by the Puerto Rico Department of Education.

Some of the local schools are:

  • Jose A. Castillo Elementary
  • Jose Celso Barbosa Elementary
  • Rosendo Matienzo Cintron Elementary
  • Francisco Vazquez Puello Elementary
  • David Antorgiorgi Cordova Elementary and Middle School
  • Juan I. Vega Elementary and Middle School
  • Blanca Malaret Middle School
  • Luis Negron Lopez High School
  • Jose R Gaztambide elementary

Private:

  • The Academy of Saint Agustin and the Holy Spirit
  • Santa Ana Bilingual School
  • Christian Academy
  • Baptist Academy
  • Seventh-Day Adventist Academy

Notable Sabaneños

See also

References
  1. Bureau, US Census. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  2. "Municipalities: Sabana Grande". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  3. "Sabana Grande Municipality - Foundation and History". Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular -San Juan, Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico". USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS. Archived from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  5. "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico" (PDF). USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  6. "Sabana Grande Municipality". enciclopediapr.org. Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH). Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  7. Gwillim Law (May 20, 2015). Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. McFarland. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4766-0447-3. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  8. Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf (PDF). U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  9. "Map of Sabana Grande" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
  10. "US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition". factfinder.com. US Census. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  11. "P.L. 94-171 VTD/SLD Reference Map (2010 Census): Sabana Grande Municipio, PR" (PDF). www2.census.gov. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  12. "Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconómico y la Autogestión (Proposed 2016 Budget)". Puerto Rico Budgets (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  13. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (first ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
  14. "Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  15. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza:Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997-2004 (Primera edición ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
  16. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  17. "Report of the Census of Porto Rico 1899". War Department Office Director Census of Porto Rico. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  18. "Table 3-Population of Municipalities: 1930 1920 and 1910" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  19. "Table 4-Area and Population of Municipalities Urban and Rural: 1930 to 1950" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 30, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  20. "Table 2 Population and Housing Units: 1960 to 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  21. Bureau, US Census. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  22. "Sabana Grande Municipality - Municipalities - EnciclopediaPR". Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  23. "Resurge el lío con la Misión Nuestra Señora del Pozo". Primera Hora. May 7, 2014. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  24. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 20, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. J.D. (May 2, 2006). "Sabana Grande". Link To Puerto Rico.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  26. Elecciones Generales 2012: Escrutinio General Archived 2013-01-15 at the Wayback Machine on CEEPUR
  27. "Sabana Grande Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  28. "Planificación y Fomento Público :: Parte I - Planificacion Publica :: Capítulo 18 - Zonas, Edificios y Monumentos Históricos. :: § 229x. Tramo de Fidel Vélez Vélez". Justia Law. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  29. "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 (in Spanish). Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  30. "SABANA GRANDE". LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
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