Mayaguez History, Puerto Rico

Mayagüez History- Beginnings

It was the month of September, 1760, when the foundation for Mayagüez was actually laid around 1 km away from the nearby bay which was later on called as Mayagüez Bay. Other nearby settlements are Ponce and Aguadilla. People that were responsible for the planning of Mayagüez were the trio namely Juan de Silva, Faustino Martínez de Matos, and Juan de Aponte. The area was under the control of the Spanish Army during those historical years but they permitted the founders of this city to control the land all by themselves. This control was given somewhere in the year of 1763.

In 1836 this settlement was tagged a villa and this became Mayagüez’s first step towards success. During those days, Rafael Mangual was appointed the very first governor of this newly formed villa. The economy used to depend on agricultural business.

Later on, in 1877 this villa was upgraded officially to the status of a city. This status was given by the Spanish rulers.

Mayagüez History- Education

In 1911, the first high level educational institute was started in this city. This institute was named College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. As of today, the name of this historical institute has been changed to University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez Campus (which is also famous by the abbreviation UPRM). This university is the best engineering and science institute in the Caribbean.

Mayagüez History- Econommy

Between 1962 and 1998, many tuna processing and canning industries were booming in this city. These industries had somehow become the backbone of the local economy. As per one estimate, around 80 percent of the total tuna being using in America during those years was being brought in from the city of Mayagüez. Slowly the city of Mayagüez also entered textile business. After 1998 most of the tuna and textile industries were shut down and the economy of Mayagüez suffered a huge setback. Somehow, after serious efforts by the local government the economy of Mayagüez has again come into good profits.