Adventure in PR

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Today we drove to Salinas. Visited with Julio and Joy for awhile. On the way there we stopped for lunch at La Lechonera, for fish that was out this world, and cheap.
After visiting for awhile, the 4 of us decided it was time to explore a bit more.
We climbed aboard their minivan, and off we went to another adventure.
This time we headed East on #3. We went to Guayana, where across from the Cathedral, San Antonio de Padua, who happens to be Maribel's Saint.
Guayama is known as "La Ciudad Bruja" (witch city) or "Pueblo de los Brujos" (city of witches). Guayama was founded in 1736 by Matías de Abadía.
There are 2 museums in this town. One is Museo Casa de Cautino (n has the line on top). This house was built originally in 1887 for a wedding gift to Genaro Cautino Vazquez. Decendants of Portuguese. The house was lived in for 3 generations, then the house was vacant for 10 years. The family did not have the $ to repair or upkeep, so they gave it to the government to make a museum.
The other one is the Museo de Bellas Artes. We didn't make it because it was late, but going back. All free entrance.
Then we headed to Puerto Patillas, saw the Museum of Aduanas. Ended up at Palmas del Mar, a very swanky subdivision. Prices atrt in the mid $500's, yuck. The funny thing, there's an old Pescaderia, they have not been able to get rid off.
Guayama (gwah-YAH-mah) is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in January 29, 1736 and located on the Southern Coastal Valley region, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Cayey; east of Salinas; and west of Patillas and Arroyo. Guayama is spread over 9 wards and Guayama Pueblo.
The town was founded in January 29, 1736 as San Antonio de Padua de Guayama by Matías de Abadía, although there is knowledge of it being populated by native Indians as early as 1567. Guayama took its name from an Indian leader, or cacique who governed the Southeastern region of the Island, the Guamaní cacique and the Guayama cacique. The meaning of the Indian name is “Great Place” (in Spanish Sitio Grande). It was Governor Don Tomás de Abadía who officially declared Guayama a “pueblo” (town) with the name of San Antonio de Padua de Guayama. That same year the Catholic Church in town, San Antonio de Padua, was declared a Parish. In 1776 Guayama had 200 houses, the church and a central plaza. In the 1828 the construction of the King’s House (Casa del Rey) was completed. In 1881 Guayama is declared a Villa (First Order Municipality).

During the Spanish-American War, American forces under General Nelson A. Miles landed at Guanica near Ponce on July 26, 1898. The landing surprised the United States War Department no less than the Spanish, as Miles had been instructed to land near San Juan (the War Department learned of the landing through an Associate Press release.) However, en route to Puerto Rico Miles concluded that a San Juan landing was vulnerable to attack by small boats, and so changed plans. Ponce, said at the time to be the largest city in Puerto Rico, was connected with San Juan by a 70 mile military road, well defended by the Spanish at Coamo and Aibonito. In order to flank this position, American Major General John R. Brooke landed at Arroyo, just east of Guayama, intending to move on Cayey, which is northwest of Guayama, along the road from Ponce to San Juan. General Brooke occupied Guayama August 5, 1898, after slight opposition, in the Battle of Guayama. On August 9, the Battle of Guamani took place north of Guayama. A more significant battle, the Battle of Abonito Pass, was halted on the morning of August 13 upon notification of the armistice between the United states and Spain.
The flag of Guayama is made up of three stripes of different colors; From top to Bottom; Black, Yellow and Red. The black stands for the African slaves of Puerto Rico's past. The yellow represents sugar cane industry in Puerto Rico. The red symbolizes the blood shed by Taíno indians in their fight against the Spanish/European colonizers. To the left of the top stripe we can see the Old Mill, which today is known as the Molino de Vives.

The shield is divided in four parts and in two of them part of a chessboard appears. The chessboard pattern represents the center of the city, which resembles a chessboard. It has two old mill towers. The laurel trees constitute a representation of the beautiful Recreation Plaza very well known for its trimmed trees. The three silver flowers symbolize San Antonio de Padua, patron of Guayama. The crown represents Cacique Guayama, name of the town. The big crown has four towers.

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