Beatriz, Caguas, Puerto Rico


Beatriz is a barrio in the municipality of Caguas, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,353.

Geography

Beatriz is located at the coordinates. According to the United States Census Bureau, Beatriz has a total area of 15.89 km², of which 15.89 km² is land and 0.01 km² is water. Beatriz is located in the Sierra de Cayey, an extension of Cordillera Central mountain range.

Demographics

According to the 2010 Census, there were 4,353 people residing in Beatriz. The population density was 27,391 inhabitants per km². Of 4,353 inhabitants, Beatriz was composed of 68.76% Whites, 13% were Black, 0.62% were American Indian, 0.05% were Asian, 0.02% were Pacific Islanders, 12.27% were of other races and 5.28% belonged to two or more races. In all, the population was 99.47% Hispanic or Latino.

History

The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Beatriz barrio was 868.
The area was mostly made up of subsistence farms in the 19th century. Botanist William Edwin Safford visited Beatriz in 1898 to document the local plant life.
The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane devastated Beatriz, and many farmers began working for the newly established military government of the United States of America building roads. At the time, a store owned by wealthy landowner Don Ramón Álvarez was the center of economic life in Beatriz. In 1900, one of the store's cashiers Don Demetrio López was elected alcalde and comisario of Beatriz.
Beatriz barrio was hit by Hurricane Maria on 20 September 2017 and many residents still did not have electricity as of March 2018, six months later.