Plaza Colón

Plaza Colón is the main plaza in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. This plaza and its fountain commemorate the explorer Christopher Columbus, whose name in Spanish was Cristóbal Colón.[3] The plaza presents the traditional urban relationship in Puerto Rico with the church, now Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Cathedral on one end of the plaza and the "Alcaldia" or Mayagüez town hall in the other. Its location was designated in 1760 close to the city founding.[4]

Plaza Publica[lower-alpha 1]
Mayaguez's Plaza Colón and Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria church (later cathedral), 1898
Location of Mayagüez and the plaza in Puerto Rico
LocationCalle Candelaria,
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°12′04″N 67°08′21″W
Built1760
NRHP reference No.85003085
Added to NRHPDecember 3, 1985[2]

The plaza is paved in marble is graced by a group of lampposts in bronze that date over more than one hundred years. Each lamp is held by an oriental odalisque, including characteristic clothes, turbans, and veils.[5] The plaza was designed after the Great Fire of 1841, approximately in 1842; years later, after being paved the plaza had a fountain in the center.[6] The plaza has been remodeled several times including when Benjamin Cole was mayor and under the current mayor José Guillermo Rodríguez.

Statues

Following the theory that Columbus disembarked in Mayagüez; in 1896 a statue of the Admiral was placed in the main plaza in the city, thus it came to be known as Plaza Colón.[7] The statue was made by A. Coll y Pí in Barcelona in 1843.[8][9]

In 1944 a monument to the city founders was constructed in the plaza.[10] In 1944 Regino Cabassa made great efforts to get the creation of a Monuments to the founders of the city in the Plaza Colon. At first there were some obstacles especially since the monument was to be built of bronze and because of World War II that metal was hard to come by. But finally on November 19, 1944 the monument was unveiled before Mayor Don Manuel A. Barreto.[11]

Notes
  1. The name of the Plaza Publica is presented here without the accent on "Pública" in conformance with the usage in the plaza's National Register nomination form[1] and announcement of listing.[2]

References
  1. Colegio de Arquitectos de Puerto Rico (September 1984), National Register of Historic Places Inventory — Nomination Form: Plaza Publica (PDF), retrieved January 26, 2016.
  2. National Park Service (December 13, 1985), Weekly announcement of National Register of Historic Places actions (PDF), p. 180, retrieved January 26, 2016.
  3. Mari, Brenda A. (March 25, 2005). "Something Sweet Like Mango in the Air: A Primer on Mayagüez". PUERTO RICO HERALD. Puerto Rico: PUERTO RICO HERALD. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  4. "Plaza Colón" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  5. Rigau, Jorge (2009). Puerto Rico Then and Now. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press. p. 75.
  6. Aguilo Ramos, Silvia (1984). Mayaguez: Notas para su Historia. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Model Offset Printing. p. 46.
  7. Aguilo Ramos, Silvia (1984). Mayaguez: Notas para su Historia. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Model Offset Printing. p. 46.
  8. Archivo Nacional de Madrid, Ministerio de Ultramar (Legado 5147, Expediente 14)
  9. "Genealogias Biografias e Historia del Mayagüez de Ayer y Hoy y Antologia de Puerto Rico"; by Martin Gaudier (Author); Page: 17; Publisher: Imprenta "El Aguila", San German (1959); Language: Spanish
  10. "Historia de Mayagüez 1760-1960"; by Subcomite de la Historia de Mayaüez (Author); Page: 71; Publisher: Talleres Graficos Interamericanos (1960); Language: Spanish
  11. "Historia de Mayagüez 1760-1960"; by Subcomite de la Historia de Mayaüez (Author); Page: 228-230; Publisher: Talleres Graficos Interamericanos (1960); Language: Spanish
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