Overview

Bordered to the north by surfing town Rincon, to the south by the red cliffs of Cabo Rojo, and to the east by historic San German and the mountains and rainforests, the charms of Mayaguez may be less concentrated than those in San Juan, but they are no less spectacular. The Taino Indians were the first settlers in what has grown to be Puerto Rico's third largest city. The word "Mayaguez" means "place of many streams" in the Taino language. The town was not officially founded until 1760 but Columbus landed nearby in 1493. The harbor, the second largest in Puerto Rico, has played a key role in the history and development of Mayaguez. It was originally built to maintain control of the Mona Passage when this strait dividing Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic was a major shipping route for the Spanish colonials. Today the harbor helps Mayaguez maintain its status as a major industrial town. Sixty percent of the tuna consumed in the United States was canned in Mayaguez.

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