Ponce Facts

En Español

Ponce is the second city of the island of Puerto Rico. Its metroplex area comprises a group of 14 Southern municipalities also known as Porta Caribe, which translates to Doorway to the Caribbean.

One day isn’t enough to explore all the beauties this gem of a city has to offer. The pleasures of Ponce extend beyond the historic district and include some of Puerto Rico's most engaging attractions.

Here you can learn more interesting Ponce facts and discover why it is such a special destination...

Museums:

• Ponce Art Museum
• Hacienda Buena Vista Nature Reserve
• Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center
• Serralles Castle
• Parque de Bombas
• Museum of Ponce History
• Museum of Ponce Architecture - Casa Wiechers Villaronga
• Ponce Massacre Museum
• Puerto Rican Music Museum
• Casa Paoli - Centro Investigaciones Folkloricas
• Francisco Pancho Coimbre Museum

Parks and Monuments:

• The Ponce Letters Monument
• La Ceiba de Ponce
• Tercentennial Park
• Dora Colón Clavell Urban Park
• Julio Enrique Monagas Park
• Pedro Albizu Campos Park and Monument
• Lake Cerrillos Dam
• Luis A. Wito Morales Park
• Parque del Retiro
• Graciela Rivera Park

Tourist Attractions:

• La Guancha Boardwalk
• Coffin Island - Caja de Muertos
• National Pantheon Roman Baldorioty de Castro
• Ponce Cathedral - Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Cruceta del Vigia
• Casa Armstrong Poventud
• La Perla Theater

Characters, Traditions and Events:

• Los Coches de Ponce
• Las Mañanitas de Ponce
• Ponce Carnival
• Ponce Municipal Band
• Juan Ponce de León
• Luis (Tite) Arroyo
• El Chivo Pepe
• Lupita the Mail Dog

Other Points of Interest:

• Ponce City Hall - Casa Alcaldía
• Plaza del Mercado Isabel II
• Juan Morel Campos Music Institute
• Centro Cultural Carmen Solá de Pereira
• Municipal Library Mariana Suárez de Longo
• Bolera Caribe

General Information:

• Official Name : Autonomous Municipality of Ponce (pōn´sā)
• Location: Puerto Rico ’s Southern Coastal Plain
• Area: 300 sq km
• Population: 186,475 (2000 Census)
• Climate: Tropical, warm and dry with an annual average temperature of 29 degrees (Celsius) and 697 mm rainfall
• Patron: Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12)
• Known as: Pearl of the South, Noble City, City of the Genips
• Ponce Tourism Information Center: 787-841-8044

Official Symbols:

• Flower – Oak tree flower, "Flor de Roble"
• Tree – Silk cotton tree, "Ceiba"
• Fruit – Genip, "Quenepa"
• Bird – Gray kingbird, "Pitirre" & Puerto Rican spindalis, "Reina Mora"
• Candy – Coconut crème candy, "Cremita de Coco"
• Drink – Sugar cane juice, "Güarapo de Caña"
• Gem – Pearl
• Animal – Lion
• Traditional dish – Crabmeat stew with dumplings, "Salmorejo de Jueyes con Domplines"

Ponce Mayors (1941-2012):

• 1941-1956 – Andrés Grillasca Salas (PPD)
• 1956-1960 – Carlos Juan Cintrón (PPD)
• 1960-1964 – Juan Luis Boscio (PPD)
• 1964-1968 – Eduardo Ruberté Bisó (PPD)
• 1968-1972 – Juan H. Cintrón (PNP)
• 1972-1976 – Luis A. Morales (PPD)
• 1976-1980 – Joselyn Tormos Vega (PNP)
• 1984-1984 – José Dapena Thompson (PNP)
• 1987-1988 – Iván Ayala Cádiz (PNP)
• 1988-2004 – Rafael Cordero Santiago - "El León Mayor" (PPD)
• 2004-2004 – Delis Castillo de Santiago (PPD)
• 2004-2008 – Francisco Zayas Seijo (PPD)
• 2008-2012 – María E. Meléndez Altieri (PNP)

Common plants:

• Coconut palm, "Palma de coco"
• Adonidia palm, "Palma adonidia"
• Dwarf date palm, "Palma dátil enana"
• Bougainvillea, "Trinitaria"
• Bauhinia tree, "Árbol de orquídea"
• Carnation, "Clavelina"
• Pascua flower, "Flor de Pascua"
• Hibiscus, "Amapola"
• Ixora, "Cruz de Marta"
• Plumbago capensis, "Isabel Segunda"
• Vinca rosea, "Playera"
• Orange jasmine, "Café de India"
• Nerium oleander, "Alelí"
• Beach grape flower, "Uva playera"
• Bucida buceras, "Húcar"
• Royal palm, "Palma Real"
• Allamanda cathartica, "Canarias"
• Areca palm tree, "Palma areca"