Guayanilla was founded by Puerto Rican criollos. The original name was Guadianilla in memory of a river of the same name in Spain. However, it was changed to Guayanilla to resemble a native word in the Taíno dialect. The name Guayanilla is derived from a combination of Guaynia and Santa Maria de Guadianilla. The first Europeans settled in this area in 1511. In 1756, Yauco was founded as a town. Then Guayanilla was a borough of Yauco. Due to the very fertile lands and access to the local port where most of the local commerce occurred, Guayanilla became an important agricultural center where sugar cane was cultivated. Guayanilla grew quickly and was established as a separate municipality on February 27, 1833 by GovernorMiguel de la Torre.
Hurricane Maria
, with its significant rainfall, triggered numerous landslides in Guayanilla on September 20, 2017.
2019 - 2020 Earthquakes
On January 6, 2020 a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in Guayanilla and several structures and cars were destroyed. A family of eight escaped a home that was destroyed by the earthquake. On January 7, 2020 a 6.4 magnitude earthquake destroyed the Catholic church in Guayanilla barrio-pueblo.
Geography
Guayanilla is located on the southern coast. The coastline forms the Guayanilla Bay, one of the best natural harbors in Puerto Rico, to the south, also. The nearest city is Ponce, which is to the east. The northern regions are bordered by mountains that reach. In the central regions, the terrain descends where it does not exceed 1,410 feet. Finally in the coastal plain, the elevations do not exceed. The Yauco, Guayanilla, and Macaná rivers all run through the municipality. The Yauco River briefly runs through the Boca borough, where its exit into the Caribbean Sea and accompanying marshlands are located.
Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Guayanilla is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.
Barrios in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.
Special Communities
Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods are in Guayanilla: Magas Abajo, Villa del Carmen in Playa barrio, Piedras Blancas, Playita, and San Pedro.
Tourism
There are 17 beaches in Guayanilla.
Places to visit: Mario Mercado Castle, Chorro de Oro Waterfall, Cuevas del Convento, Guilarte Forest, Emajagua Beach, La Ventana Beach, Tamarindo Beach, Central Rufina Ruins. El Castillo del Niño amusement park.
Festivals: Town Carnival, Student Festival, Beach Festival, Cross Festivities, Fishing Festival, Seafood Festival, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival, Ladies' Marathon, Immaculate Conception Festivities
Economy
Industry
The main industries in Guayanilla are the manufacturing of petrochemicals and the production of electricity by thermoelectrical plants. Guayanilla produces over half of Puerto Rico's electricity. The breakdown of occupations are as follows:
6.4% : Transportation and warehousing, and utilities
5.3% : Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services
4.5% : Other services
3.6% : Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services
2.9% : Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining
2.3% : Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing
1.8% : Wholesale trade
1.2% : Information
Demographics
According to the Census in 2000, 99.2% Hispanic of any race. 65.5% white, 11.1% black, 19.3% mixed, 5.1% other. There were 7,209 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% were non-families. 15.2% live alone, and 7.1% live alone and were over 65 years of age. The average household size was 3.19, and the average family size was 3.55. The age distribution of the population was 30.0% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% over 65. The median age was 31 years. The median income for a household was $11,361, and the median income for a family was $13,187. The per capita income for the city was $5,954. 57.0% of the population and 54.9% of the families were below the poverty line.
Culture
Festivals and events
Guayanilla celebrates its patron saint festival in December. The Fiestas Patronales Inmaculada Concepcion de Maria is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events celebrated in Guayanilla include:
The following schools are located in Guayanilla and students from both schools have participated in the Rose Parade in California on several occasions:
Escuela Arístides Cales Quirós
Asunción Rodríguez de Sala
Transportation
There are 35 bridges in Guayanilla.
Symbols
The Nazario Collection, a set of inscribed stones discovered by Catholic priest and amateur archeologist José M. Nazario, has become a cultural symbol for the municipality. The statuettes serve as the center piece of Guayanilla's Father Nazario Museum of Lithic Epigraphy.
