Versión español

Indian mounument

Canóvanas is located on the northeast area of Puerto Rico and has an area of 85.0 square kilometers (32.8 square miles). The name of the municipality evokes the name of the taino cacique Canovanax. It is known as the "brave towntown, founding: A group of vecinos 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 cabildos vecinos to receive the necessary documentation. 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." an allusion to the feat of the cacique Yuira who lost her own life defending Spaniards against the tainos. It is also known as the "race town" where Camarero horse-racing track, Puerto Rico's only racetrack, is located, and "the town of the Chupacabras." According to the 2000 census, there are 43,335 canovanenses, living in six wards: Canóvanas barrio, Canóvanas Pueblo, Cubuy, Hatohato: Land used for cattle raising, and to a lesser degree, for raising horses, mules, and pigs. Hatos were granted by the Spanish Crown to people who had rendered special service to the King. The development of hatos substituted mining in the Puerto Rican economy and many other countries in the Americas. The land of the hato was not fenced off, and the division of the hatos among heirs and other owners brought with it the creation of smaller units, hatillos, the origin of many of the wards that exist today. Puerco, Lomas, and Torrecilla Alta. The patron of the municipality is Our Lady of the Pillar.

Canóvanas is known for its achievements in sports, especially basketball and volleyball. One of the nicknames of the town, "the Indians town," refers to the name of the basketball team, which won the island-wide championship in 1983 and 1984. The women's volleyball team, "Las Indias," has also has won several championships.

There are several factories in the municipality which produce shoes, clothing, electrical and electronic products, chemicals, and food. Agricultural production includes coffee, fruit, vegetables, dairy farming, and fowl. Canóvanas has grown steadily in terms of population and construction as a consequence of its economic development and proximity to the metropolitan area of San Juan.

Geography

The municipality is bordered on the north by Loíza, on the south by Juncos and Las Piedras, on the east by Río Grande and Loíza, and on the west by Carolina and Gurabo. It is located on the northern coastal plain, and the northern and central areas of the municipality are largely flat. The highest elevation of the Santa Inés ridge is in the northeast side, and rises to 100 meters (328 feet). The Asomante ridge runs along the South, with elevations betweens 656 and 2,296 feet (200 and 700 meters). The foothills of the Luquillo range rise up in Cubuy ward to elevations such as Mount El Negro at 2,592 feet (790 meters), from which there is a panoramic view of the San Juan metropolitan area and the town of Río Grande. Mount La Peregrina, at 1,903 feet (580 meters) and Mount Pitahaya, at 951 feet (290 meters) above sea level are located in Hato Puerco ward. The Río Grande de Loíza crosses the northeast area of the municipality. Other water bodies include the Canóvanas, Cubuy, Herrera, and Canovanillas rivers, and several brooks, notably the Bocaforma brook.