Humacao
| Humacao, Puerto Rico | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Downtown Humacao from its city hall.
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| Nickname(s): "La Perla del Oriente", "La Ciudad Gris", "Capital del Este" & "Ciudad del sol saliente" | |||
| Anthem: "Humacao, Hijo del Taíno Bravío" | |||
 Location of Humacao in Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates: 18°08′59″N 65°49′39″W / 18.14972°N 65.82750°WCoordinates: 18°08′59″N 65°49′39″W / 18.14972°N 65.82750°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| Territory | Puerto Rico | ||
| Founded | April, 1722 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Marcelo Trujillo Panisse (Partido Popular Democrático) | ||
| • Senatorial dist. | 7 - Humacao | ||
| • Representative dist. | 35 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 55.46 sq mi (143.63 km2) | ||
| • Land | 45 sq mi (117 km2) | ||
| • Water | 10.28 sq mi (26.63 km2) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 58,466 | ||
| • Density | 1,100/sq mi (410/km2) | ||
| • Racial groups (2000 Census) |
69.7% White 12.9% Black 0.4% American Indian/An 0.3% Asian 0.0% Native Hawaiian/Pi 9.7% Some other race 6.9% Two or more races |
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| Demonym(s) | Humacaeños | ||
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | ||
| Zip code | 00791, 00792, 00741 | ||
Humacao (Spanish pronunciation: [umaˈka.o]) is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 10 wards and Humacao Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The region of what is now Humacao belonged to the Taíno region of Jumaca, which covered a portion of the southeast coast of Puerto Rico. The region was led by cacique Jumacao (also referred to as "Macao"). The Taíno settlement was located on the shores of what is called now the Humacao River. It is believed that the Taíno chief Jumacao was the first "cacique" to learn to read and write in Spanish, since he wrote a letter to the King of Spain Charles I complaining about how the Governor of the island wasn't complying with their peace agreement. In the letter, Jumacao argued that their people were virtually prisoners of Spain. It is said that King Charles was so moved by the letter that he ordered the Governor to obey the terms of the treaty.
During the early 16th Century, the region was populated by cattle ranchers. However, since most of them officially resided in San Juan, a settlement was never officially organized. At the beginning of the 18th Century, specifically around 1721–1722, the first official settlement was constituted in the area. Most of the residents at the time were immigrants from the Canary Islands, but due to attacks from Caribs, pirates, and other settlers, some of them moved farther into the island in what is now Las Piedras. Still, some settlers remained and by 1776, historian Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra visited the area and wrote about the population there. By 1793, the church was recognized as parish and the settlement was officially recognized as town.
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