Overview

Puerto Rico's second largest city lies nestled on the island's southern coast a ninety-minute drive from capital city San Juan. First settled by the Spanish in 1580, the city is named for Loiza Ponce de Leon � not his more famous great-grandfather. The latter 1800s were Ponce's golden years. Money flowed in from trade in Ponce's deepwater port, and the local coffee and sugar plantations were thriving. Poncenos sank their money into civic buildings and the arts, and the city became one of Puerto Rico's cultural centers. Fortunes turned and Ponce declined in the mid 1900s but the Puerto Rican government has come to the rescue in recent years. More than 600 of Ponce's 1,000 historical buildings have been renovated and the city is full of architectural gems. Wander the streets around Plaza Las Delicias and you are likely to see examples of Spanish Colonial, neoclassical and Moorish architecture, with a heavy emphasis on wrought iron balconies. Ponce's rich history and beautiful surroundings have rightly earned her the nickname of "La Perla del Sur" � the Pearl of the South.

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