The town of Utuado was founded October 12, 1739, by
Irishman Sebastian de Morfi (
Sebastian Murphy), on behalf of 60 families from
Arecibo. It was the first town established in the interior, mountainous region of the island known as
Cordillera Central and the 11th oldest established municipality in Puerto Rico, following
San Juan,
San Germán,
Coamo,
Arecibo,
Aguada,
Loiza,
Ponce,
Añasco,
Guayama and
Manatí.
Columbus's arrival At the time of the Spanish initial occupation of the island on November 19, 1493, by
Christopher Columbus, Puerto Rico was inhabited by the
Taíno. The Taínos were a culturally developed society with a universal
language, a developed agricultural system, and a social organization based on
caciques or
chieftains. The Utuado area was ruled over by cacique Guarionex. In
Caguana, the Taínos built a series of courts or
bateyes,
Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site, the most extensive example of Taino engineering in the
West Indies. The site is designated a US National Historic Landmark.
Early history: 16th–18th centuries From 1510 through 1513, the island witnessed a Taíno rebellion as a result of harsh and inhumane treatment by the
Spanish settlers. During the process of pacification many
Spaniards settled in the area now occupied by the municipality of Utuado and set up farms (
haciendas), initially on behalf of the Spanish government (
Hacienda Real Dos), to provide food for the Indian slaves working the
gold mines and the Spanish colonists in the area. One of the first settlers in the Otoao region in 1512 was
Antonio Sedeño, the island's
bookkeeper. His farm's main crop was
yuca. His farm was sold in 1519 to
Blas de Villasante, the island's treasurer, for 525 gold
pesos. Areas in the Utuado region that were exploited for gold include
Salto Arriba barrio, initially, then later in the 1530s
Caguana barrio and
Don Alonso barrio. In the 1530s, landowners in the Don Alonso area petitioned the
Spanish Crown allow for the establishment of a town in the area but it was never granted. Once the gold mining era ended toward the end of the 16th century, very little is known about the Utuado region until the early 18th century. According to the Puerto Rican historian
Fernando Picó, the few documents that exist indicate the area was mostly unpopulated and densely
forested. On the other hand, he states that Utuado is the municipality with the most caves, that most likely served as dwellings for Indians or runaway slaves. '' May 13, 1899 The agreement to establish the town of Utuado by the 60 families of Arecibo states they purchased the
Hato de Otoao for 569
pesos and 5 reales from owners Manuel Natal and Felipa Román. It also states their desire to choose where on the land the town center would be located, which indicates the area was not populated yet. During his visit to the island in 1771,
Fray Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra states the principal economic activity in the Utuado region was
cattle raising,
horses and
mules. He mentions a small amount of agricultural activity existed but the population only produced enough tobacco and coffee for their own consumption. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Utuado's population continued to grow as coffee gained in importance and growers saw the need for high altitudes and mountainous terrain to produce the best
coffee beans. People not only
migrated from the Puerto Rican coastal towns but also from Ireland (founder Sebastian de Morfi was Irish), the
Canary Islands and the
Balearic Islands of
Mallorca and
Menorca, all seeking the riches that coffee had to offer.
Golden era of coffee – "black gold" During the late 19th century Utuado experienced an explosive economic growth centered around the cultivation of coffee, also known at the time as
oro negro or "black gold". By the 1890s Utuado was the largest producer of coffee in Puerto Rico and the second municipality (after
Ponce) with the largest population. It produced a rich social life for many of its citizens and a casino and theatre were established in the town. The progress of the town was so evident that the regent Queen of Spain,
María Cristina, honored the town with the title of
Ciudad (City) on August 20, 1894. In 1896 or 1897 Utuado was the first city in Puerto Rico with a
public electric lighting system powered by a
hydraulic turbine power plant, and in that same year mayor Juan Casellas planned a train system to connect Utuado with Arecibo. By 1899 this golden era ended due to two events: the United States
occupation of the island in 1898, which made sugar the new crop of importance instead of coffee (Utuado's mountainous landscape was not ideal for growing
sugarcane, making it impossible for it to compete in the sugar industry), and
Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899, which destroyed the coffee
haciendas. Utuado was the first municipality to elect officials after Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States.
Massacre One of the most tragic moments in Utuado's history occurred on October 30, 1950, during the
Utuado uprising against United States rule, which culminated in what is known as the
Utuado Massacre. In Utuado, a group of 32 nationalists, led by nationalist leaders Heriberto Castro and Damián Torres, fought against the local police during the independence revolts which occurred in various cities and towns of the island. The group was reduced to 12 men and retreated to Damián Torres' house. Torres' residence was attacked by 50-caliber machine-gun fire from ten American
P-47 Thunderbolt planes. The
National Guard arrived later that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. Once the nationalists surrendered, they were forced to march down Dr. Cueto Street to the main town square where their shoes, belts and personal belongings were removed. The group was then taken behind the police station where they were gunned down. Five of the nationalists died in the act, these were nationalist leader Heriberto Castro, Julio Colón Feliciano, Agustín Quiñones Mercado, Antonio Ramos and Antonio González. González, who was 17 years old, pleaded for water and instead was bayoneted to death.
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Utuado. In many areas of Utuado there were more than 25 landslides per square mile due to the intense rainfall from Hurricane Maria. 171017-F-FH950-0631 (37544301410).jpg|Relief efforts in Utuado 171017-F-FH950-0495 (37544302270).jpg|Residents cross a river after the bridge is washed out 171018-A-PT541-008 (37802495951).jpg|Relief efforts in Utuado on Oct. 18, 2017 171017-F-FH950-0935 (37544297560).jpg|Relief efforts in Utuado on Oct. 12, 2017 171017-F-FH950-0126 (37544307650).jpg|Human chain to move supplies from the helicopter to the residents 171017-F-FH950-0101 (37544308230).jpg|Resident was able to speak to her son three weeks later Infrastructure and homes in Utuado, Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (2017).jpg|Infrastructure and homes 171017-F-FH950-0020 (37544308560).jpg|Bridge destroyed 171011-F-FH950-0331 (37634525876).jpg|Mountain area Hurricane Maria Relief (3854127).jpeg|A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter transports supplies ==Geography==