Palm Sunday in Jayuya, Puerto Rico

A Jewel, Deep in the
Mountains of Puerto Rico

I never cease to be amazed by what I find when I explore a new place. Yes, Jayuya was on my original itinerary, but complications on that first trip prevented a visit. There is a lot of history here too. Something neglected by most American History books, but I’ll cover that a little later in.

Again, I failed to call ahead and verify dates for the Jayuya Tomato Festival. Being Palm Sunday, I should have known better. This is a time of reverence in PR, the week following Palm Sunday. I won’t make this mistake a third time.

What seemed like a wasted trip turned out to be one of the best.

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PLEASE! If you have good dates for local events, send them to me via the Contact Page and I’ll add them to the Calendar Page. It’s a feature I will be expanding on in the future. The Contact Page is secure, I NEVER SHARE EMAIL ADDRESSES. Nor do I use email for marketing.

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Please think of this post as an Introduction to Jayuya, Part 1 and the Tomato Festival in 2 weeks as Part 2. This is a longish piece since I have so many great shots to share.

We headed out on a beautiful Sunday morning towards Ponce on Hwy 52. At the PONCE letters, We took the exit to Hwy 10 for the trip up into the mountains. Hwy 10 is in pretty good shape. From Hwy 10, we followed Hwys 140, 143 and 144 into Jayuya. This is the highest piece of real estate on the island. Cerro La Punta at 4,390 feet, falls within the jurisdiction of Jayuya. We saw stands of pine, tons of bamboo and tree ferns lining the road.

Something else worth mentioning- All the intersections and cross-roads were well marked. We never got lost or side tracked. That is such a departure from the norm. We almost always have to back-track at some point on every trip we make. The locals know where everything is, right? Which streets are one-way, right?

We pulled into the Plaza at Jayuya about 11AM.

It’s very well maintained with nice open spaces, several large shade trees and benches. At the center of the Plaza was a very large Taino graphic ‘El Sol de Jayuya’ covering the ground. An image repeated all over Jayuya.

A statue dedicated to the poet and politician Nemesio Canales stands close to the magnificent church, also beautifully maintained. He introduced legislation in 1909 that eventually gave women equal rights and the right to vote in PR. His younger sister, Blanca Canales lead the Jayuya Revolt of 1950 against U.S. Colonial Rule. Also referred to as the ‘Jayuya Massacre of 1950’.

Jayuya was founded in 1911, but the history of the area goes back to before the Spaniards showed up. It was also one of the last places where the local indians could hide from Spanish enslavement. The area is very lush, agriculture, cattle and some manufacturing contributes to the local economy. Crops include coffee, tomatoes, beans and an assortment of vegetables. They even had their own ‘Sugar Central’. The only one located in the mountain region. It operated from 1934 until 1948. The red brick sugar mill chimney still stands to this day. I need to go back and shoot it.

From the Plaza, there is a steep, but easy-to-walk set of stairs up to the local museum.

There are several places to pause along the way and sit making it possible to take in the great view of the area. At the top of the stairs is a bust of Cacique Jayuya, the indigenous chief of Jayuya and the tomb of a Taino Indian discovered in an archeological dig. (behind a locked vault). Once at the top of the stairs, it’s an easy walk across the street to the museum, ‘Centro Cultural Jayuya’. It’s free. It is possible to drive up to and park near the museum, but it took a few passes to figure out which one-way street went up to it. No biggy.

The local museum has many Taino Indian artifacts on display, most behind glass. The abstract motifs are very popular with the local artesanos. They also had a nice collection of antique hand-carved wooden figurines (santos) depicting religious themes from the Spanish Colonial Period. One wall was covered, up to the ceiling in original poster art used to promote the annual National Indigenous Festival held in November. As a graphic artist, I was most impressed with the work… all professionally matted and framed. While there, we met Felix, a local who explained some of the history behind the artifacts.

He invited us to see the closed tomb of the Taino Indian, an offer I could not resist. I felt most privileged.

Felix also gave us directions to Centro Arte y Cultura- ‘Maboiti’ which also includes the ‘Cemi Archaeological Museum’ and then back to ‘La Piedra Escrita’.

All places we wanted to check out while in the area.

We retreated to the car and headed out of town to our next stop.

On the way, I saw a ceramic tile mural depicting the Jayuya Independence Revolt of October 30, 1950. I had to stop and get a shot. Another beautifully executed piece of art.

This island-wide rebellion was organized by Pedro Albizu Campos (from Ponce) and lead by Blanca Canales in Jayuya, both members of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement. The revolt was squashed in a battle with the National Guard. The small gray house was the home of Nemesio and Blanco Canales.

It was where they stashed a collection of small-arms used in the insurrection.

During this period, it was illegal to display the flag of Puerto Rico, sing patriotic songs or even discuss independence, much less meet in a group. Things we take for granted today.

The rebels held the town for 3 days before they were literally ‘bombed from the air’ and then blasted by a squad of P-47 Thunderbolts armed with 50 cal machine guns AND shelled with artillery from the ground by the National Guard.

A good portion of the town was destroyed in the process.

The news of this ‘action’ never left Puerto Rico. It was billed as a ‘local incident’.

YEP! The US government has used military might against it’s own citizens, on it’s own soil and hushed it up. Albeit a territory of the US, but Puerto Ricans ARE citizens of the US. Though they were armed, the revolutionaries were not military combatants (like the Japanese on Attu in Alaska during WW2). The Feds carried out this military action without a formal Declaration of War.

After surrendering, the 9 surviving members of the insurrection were marched up the main street barefoot to behind the police station and summarily executed by firing-squad. Without trial. Did I mention this took place in 1950?

Bet you never read THAT
in a US history book.

Blanca Canales was captured a little later and sentenced for ‘Seditious Acts’. She served prison time until her full pardon in 1967. A true patriot of Puerto Rico.

Mr. Albizu Campos was subsequently arrested and prosecuted in a ‘bogus’ trial.

He also served time for ‘Seditious Acts’ both in the US and in Puerto Rico. He is also considered a hero by many Puerto Ricans. An attorney who practiced labor law, he studied at Harvard before finally getting his law degree. He traveled all over the Caribbean and Central/South America in an effort to build support for Puerto Rican Independence. An eloquent orator nick-named ‘The Teacher’. He even served in the US military during World War 1 as part of the Home Guard in Ponce gaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

These events were a major surprise to me.

I had no idea any of this took place until I started researching for my first trip. Puerto Ricans have shed blood for their homeland, on their homeland. I have nothing but respect for anyone who will stand up for what they believe in. OK.. I’ll get down from my soap-box now, thanks.

The Grounds of Centro Arte y Cultura, ‘Maboiti’

The grounds are home to a replica of Casa Canales built on it’s original foundation. It now serves as a museum. Being Palm Sunday, it was not open to the public. Nor was the cool looking ‘Cemi Archaeological Museum’ open. The site is also the home of a dedicated Artesano community. There was one shop open so we ducked in to check it out. Most of the work featured petroglyph designs. No imported junk here, just the good stuff, all hand made and all at very reasonable prices.

Another plus, there were well maintained restrooms on the grounds. However, I was not familiar with ‘Ellas’ (hers) or ‘Ellos’ (his) signs on the doors. Fortunately me First Mate set me straight. I ask that you add symbols for those of us still learning Spanish or visiting from the mainland. OK?

This was a large park with an open lawn, large old growth trees and flower beds near the main buildings.  In addition to everything mentioned, there is a Police Station here too.

La Piedra Escrita, The Inscribed Rock- a ‘Must See’

This site would have been worth the trip, all by itself.

There is a formal board walk (on the right, off the parking lot) that gradually works its way down to the lower observation deck near river level. Along the way are a couple of very large, covered observation towers.

The over-view of El Rio Grande de Jayuya valley is phenomenal.

It is one of the few wheel-chair capable venues on the island, but you might want some help for the trip back to the top. I would estimate it’s a good 1/4 mile to the bottom. You can see the Indian Glyphs on the huge rock from the lower deck.

There is a shorter, more direct route to the El Rio Grande de Jayuya river below, via a set of concrete steps. They are very steep, very old and the hand rail is missing in places. It is off the parking lot to the left. We used it to get down and then took the boardwalk back up. I do not recommend using the stairs.

There is this unique collection of trees down by the concrete stairs that had flowers resembling flurescent red bristle brushes. Bees were busy working them over. I have no clue what it’s called. If someone reads this and can identify it, please email me with the name. I collected some seeds off the ground so I’ll see if I can get them to sprout.

Down by the ‘Rock’ is very popular with the locals.

Teens were using it to jump off into the water and generally horsing around. Sunbathers lined the shore and families were camped out with friends. I saw a steady stream of picnic stuff being taken down to the river via the steep steps. A truly local ‘vibe’.

Bamboo, stands of pine and tall grasses stood down by the river bed. I really think some of it was sugar cane. It was a stunning view. The light was perfect. You could easily make out the big Rock’s glyphs.

I should also mention there is a full concession selling food and drink from the parking lot area. The ‘Rock’ has been a popular place to hang out well before the Spanish came and still is.

It was after 4PM by the time we got back to the parking lot.

From there, we headed home taking the Panoramic Route, instead of the highway.

A great day, all in all.

The plan is to come back and cover the Tomato Festival in a couple of weeks.

There is also an event at El Morro in Old San Juan I intend to cover.

A special ‘thanks’ goes out to Felix for his help.. ARRG!

Hard info for this post was collected from Wikipedia and the Puerto Rican Encyclopedia Web site as well as other sources.  (Ed. Note- the PR Encyclopedia site is some times off-line.  Keep trying, you will eventually get in)