Hatillo, Puerto Rico | ||
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Municipality | ||
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Nickname(s): "El Pueblo sin Sopa", "Capital De La Industria Lechera"' "Hatillo Del Corazón De Riego", "Tierra de Campos Verdes", "Los Ganaderos" | ||
Anthem: "De un mar azul en el Atlántico" | ||
Location of Hatillo in Puerto Rico |
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Coordinates: 18°29′11″N 66°49′32″W / 18.48639°N 66.82556°WCoordinates: 18°29′11″N 66°49′32″W / 18.48639°N 66.82556°W | ||
Country | United States | |
Territory | Puerto Rico | |
Founded | June 30, 1823 | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | José A. Rodríguez Cruz (PPD) | |
• Senatorial dist. | 3 - Arecibo | |
• Representative dist. | 15 | |
Area | ||
• Total | 58.73 sq mi (152.10 km2) | |
• Land | 41.78 sq mi (108.22 km2) | |
• Water | 16.94 sq mi (43.88 km2) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 41,953 | |
• Density | 710/sq mi (280/km2) | |
Demonym(s) | Hatillanos | |
Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | |
Zip code | 00659 |
Hatillo (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈtiʎo], Smallherd) is a municipality located on Puerto Rico's north coast, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Lares and Utuado to the south, Camuy to the west, and Arecibo to the east. According to the 2000 US Census Hatillo is spread over 9 wards and Hatillo Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Don Agustín Ruiz Miranda, a Canarian immigrant, founded Hatillo on approximately ten "cuerdas" (a cuerda is 0.97 acre) in 1823. Miranda granted this land on the condition that public buildings be erected and wide streets be built, and that the remaining land be sold or used for homes.
Hatillo, PR
Sunset over La Marina in Hatillo, Puerto Rico
La Marina, Hatillo, PR
Today, Hatillo is the major producer of milk on the island and produces a third of the milk consumed in Puerto Rico.
Plaza del Norte is a shopping mall located in the barrio of Carrizales.
There is a Tradition each year on the 28th of December which is known as the Máscaras (Masks) of Hatillo. This Tradition dates back to 1823, when the town of Hatillo was founded. This Tradition came with settlers from the Canary Islands. The meaning of this tradition is the Holy Innocents, or Santos Inocentes: the first martyrs of Christian faith from Matthew's story in which small children were killed by Herod in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Jesus. It is a very special day with lots of fun and a large meeting of Mascaras: masked men and women of all ages, who wear costumes according to tradition, typically covered from head to toe, and parade through their town and nearby towns all day, making jokes and having fun, followed by a large multiple, and celebrated procession through all the town and nearby town's neighborhoods, and ending at the Hatillo town center. It is a multi-dynamic and wonderful experience for everyone in Hatillo and nearby towns. This special tradition came from the Canary Islands, the main place from Spain where the Hatillo, Camuy, and nearby town's Spanish immigrants arrived, mainly in the 1800s. Many of the native people of Hatillo, Camuy, Arecibo, and several nearby towns are proud to call themselves "Isleños", or people descendant from the Canary Island's immigrants.