Ponce Municipio Autónomo de Ponce
City and municipality
Autonomous Municipality of Ponce
Ponce skyline with the Cordillera Central Castillo Serrallés Teatro La Perla Ponce Cathedral Plaza del Mercado de Ponce Parque de Bombas Museo de Arte de Ponce 25 de Enero Street La Guancha Hacienda Buena Vista
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  "La Perla del Sur", "Ciudad Señorial", "Ciudad de los Leones", "Ciudad de las Quenepas"
Motto:  Ponce es Ponce[1][2]
Anthem: "La Perla del Sur"[3][4]
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Ponce Municipality
Coordinates: 18°0′39.132″N 66°36′50.1474″W / 18.01087000°N 66.613929833°W / 18.01087000; -66.613929833[5]
Sovereign state	United States
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Settled	c.1500 BC (Non-Europeans)[6][7][8]
Re-settled	1582 (Europeans)[9][10][11]
Sitio	1646 (Dispersed settlement)[12][13][14]
Partido	1670 (Hamlet)[15][16][a]
Founded	August 12, 1692 (Village)[17][18][19][20]
† Villa	July 29, 1848
† Ciudad	August 13, 1877[21]
Named for	Juan Ponce de Leon y Loayza
Barrios	31 barrios Anón Bucaná Canas Canas Urbano Capitanejo Cerrillos Coto Laurel Cuarto Guaraguao Machuelo Abajo Machuelo Arriba Magueyes Magueyes Urbano Maragüez Marueño Montes Llanos Playa Portugués Rural Portugués Urbano Primero Quebrada Limón Quinto Real Sabanetas San Antón San Patricio Segundo Sexto Tercero Tibes Vayas
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	De jure Vacant since February 28, 2024. (De Facto PPD)
• Council	Asamblea Municipal de Ponce
Area
• City and municipality	193.6 sq mi (501 km2)
• Land	114.8 sq mi (297 km2)
• Water	78.8 sq mi (204 km2)
Elevation [22]	52 ft (16 m)
Population  (2020)[23]
• City and municipality	137,491
• Rank	4th in Puerto Rico
• Density	710/sq mi (270/km2)
• Metro	224,142 (MSA)
• CSA	365,233
Demonym	Ponceños
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Codes	00715, 00716, 00717, 00728, 00730, 00731, 00732, 00733, 00734, 00780
Area code	787/939
Major routes
GNIS feature ID	1611718[22]
Website	http://visitponce.com/
† = Date of the Villa and Ciudad charters

Ponce (US: /ˈpɔːnseɪ, ˈpoʊn-/, UK: /ˈpɒnseɪ/, Spanish pronunciation: [ˈponse] ^ⓘ) is a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico.^[25] The most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on August 12, 1692^{[note 1][26][20][27][17]} and is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza,^[28] the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León.^{[note 2]} Ponce is often referred to as La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South), La Ciudad Señorial^[b] (The Manorial City^[c]), and La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City).

The city serves as the governmental seat of the autonomous municipality as well as the regional hub for various Government of Puerto Rico entities, such as the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various U.S. Federal Government agencies. Ponce is a principal city of both the Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Ponce-Yauco-Coamo Combined Statistical Area.

The municipality of Ponce, officially the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, is located in the southern coastal plain region of the island, south of Adjuntas, Utuado, and Jayuya; east of Peñuelas; west of Juana Díaz; and bordered on the south by the Caribbean Sea. The municipality has 31 barrios, including 19 outside the city's urban area and 12 in the urban area of the city. It is the second largest in Puerto Rico by land area, and it was the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its autonomy, becoming the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce in 1992.

The historic Ponce Pueblo district, located in the downtown area of the city, is composed by several of the downtown barrios, and is located approximately three miles (4.8 km) inland from the Caribbean coast. The historic district is characterized for its Neoclásico Isabelino and Ponce Creole architectures.^[29][30]

History

Early settlers

The region of what is now Ponce belonged to the Taíno Guaynia region, which stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico.^[31] Agüeybaná, a cacique who led the region, was among those who greeted Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León when he came to the island in 1508. Archaeological findings have identified four sites within the municipality of Ponce with archaeological significance: Canas, Tibes, Caracoles, and El Bronce.^[32]

During the first years of the colonization, Spanish families started settling around the Jacaguas River, in the south of the island.^[33] For security reasons,^[34] these families moved to the banks of the Rio Portugués, then called Baramaya.^[35][36] Starting around 1646 the whole area from the Rio Portugués to the Bay of Guayanilla was called Ponce.^[37][38] In 1670, a small chapel was raised in the middle of the small settlement and dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.^[39] Among its earliest settlers were Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, and the Portuguese Don Pedro Rodríguez de Guzmán, from nearby San Germán.^[40]

On September 17, 1692, the King of Spain Carlos II issued a Cédula Real (Royal Permit) converting the chapel into a parish, and in so doing officially recognizing the small settlement as a hamlet.^[41] It is believed that Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson, was instrumental in obtaining the royal permit to formalize the founding of the hamlet.^[42] Captains Enrique Salazar and Miguel del Toro were also instrumental.^[43] The city is named after Juan Ponce de León y Loayza,^[44][45] the great-grandson of Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León.^[46]

In the early 18th century Don Antonio Abad Rodriguez Berrios built a small chapel under the name of San Antonio Abad. The area would later receive the name of San Antón, a historically important part of modern Ponce.^[47] In 1712 the village was chartered as El Poblado de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Ponce (The Village of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ponce).^[48]

19th-century immigrants

In the early 19th century, Ponce continued to be one of dozens of hamlets that dotted the Island. Its inhabitants survived by subsistence agriculture, cattle raising, and maritime contraband with foreigners. Mayor José Benítez categorized the jurisdiction into cotos, hatos, criaderos, monterías, and terrenos realengos.^[49] Cotos were lands awarded to residents as reward for their services to the king. They were developed into estancias or lands apt to be cultivated for agricultural use. Hatos were lands not granted to anyone in particular, but available for communal use where cattle could roam at will. Monterías were hilly areas located next to hatos were cattle could be reigned in or gathered together with the help of trained dogs. Criaderos were lands were cows could be herded for milk production. Goats, sheep, pigs, asses, and mares were also herded in criaderos. Terrenos realengos were lands that belonged to the state (to the king).^[50][51]

However, in the 1820s, three events dramatically changed the size of the town. The first of these events was the arrival of a significant number of white Francophones, fleeing the Haitian Revolution of 1791–1804.^[52] The effect of this mass migration was not felt significantly until the 1820s. These French Creole entrepreneurs were attracted to the area because of its large flatlands, and they came with enough capital, slaves, and commercial connections to stimulate Ponce's sugarcane production and sales.^[53]

Secondly, landlords and merchants migrated from various Latin American countries. They had migrated for better conditions, as they were leaving economic decline following the revolutions and disruption of societies as nations gained independence from Spain in the 1810s-1820s.^[52]

Third, the Spanish Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 attracted numerous European immigrants to Puerto Rico. It encouraged any citizen of a country politically friendly to Spain to settle in Puerto Rico as long as they converted to the Catholic faith and agreed to work in the agricultural business. With such mass migrations, not only the size of the town was changed, but the character of its population was changed as well. Europeans, including many Protestants, immigrated from a variety of nations.^[54] On July 29, 1848, and as a result of this explosive growth, the Ponce hamlet was declared a villa (village) by Queen Isabella II,^[55][56] and in 1877 the village obtained its city charter.^[57][58]

Some of these immigrants made considerable fortunes in coffee, corn and sugarcane harvesting, rum production,^[59] banking and finance, the importing of industrial machinery, iron foundries and other enterprises. At the time of the American invasion of the Island in 1898, Ponce was a thriving city,^[60] boasting the Island's main financial center,^[61] the Island's first communications link to another country,^[62] the best capitalized financial institutions, and even its own currency.^[63] It had consular offices for England, Germany, the Netherlands, and other nations.^[64]

Following trends set in Europe and elsewhere, in 1877, Don Miguel Rosich conceived an exposition for Ponce. This was approved in 1880, and the Ponce Fair was held in the city in 1882. It showed several industrial and agricultural advancements.

"It is important to establish a relationship between the European exhibitions that I have mentioned and the Ponce Fair, as the Fair was meant as a showcase of the advancements of the day: Agriculture, Trade, Industry, and the Arts. Just as with the 1878 World's Fair in Paris, the electric grid of the city of Ponce was inaugurated on the first day of the Ponce Fair. In this occasion the Plaza Las Delicias and various other buildings, including the Mercantile Union Building, the Ponce Casino, and some of Ponce's homes were illuminated with the incandescent light bulb for the first time".^[65]

Ponce in the 20th century

U.S. invasion

At the time of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Spanish–American War, Ponce was the largest city in the island with a population of 22,000. Ponce had the best road in Puerto Rico, running from Ponce to San Juan, which had been built by the Spaniards for military purposes.^[66] The taking of Ponce by American troops "was a critical turning point in the Puerto Rican campaign. For the first time the Americans held a major port to funnel large numbers of men and quantities of war material into the island." Ponce also had underwater telegraph cable connections with Jamaica and the West Indies, putting the U.S. forces on the island in direct communication with Washington, D.C., for the first time since the beginning of the campaign.^[67] Just prior to the United States occupation of the island, Ponce was a flourishing and dynamic city with a significant number of public facilities, a large number of industries and commercial firms, and a great number of exquisite residences that reflected the high standing of its bourgeoisie.^[68]

On July 27, American troops, aboard the Cincinnati, Dixie, Wasp, and Gloucester, disembarked at Playa de Ponce.^[69] General Nelson Miles arrived the next day with reinforcements from Guánica and took possession of the city. There were some minor skirmishes in the city, but no major battle was fought. Three men were killed and 13 wounded on the Spanish side, while the Americans suffered four wounded. The American flag was raised in the town center that same day and most of the Spanish troops retreated into the surrounding mountains. The U.S. Army then established its headquarters in Ponce.^[70]

Period of stagnation

After the U.S. invasion, the Americans chose to centralize the administration of the island in San Juan,^[71] the capital, neglecting the south and thus starting a period of socio-economic stagnation for Ponce.^[72] This was worsened by several factors:

• Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899 had left the region in misery^[73][74]
• The opening of sugar mills in Salinas^[75] and Guánica^[76] drew commercial and agricultural activity away from Ponce^[77]
• The decadence in coffee plantations in the 1920s^[78][79][80]
• The loss of the Spanish and Cuban markets^[81] "The Spanish American War had paralyzed the trade of the Island of Puerto Rico and when Spain surrendered the sovereignty she closed her ports to Puerto Rican products, while the American occupation of Cuba destroyed the only other important market. As a result, the trade in coffee and tobacco was ruined, and nothing was provided by the Americans to take their place."^[82]

At least one author has also blamed the stagnation on "the strife between the U.S. and the local Nationalist Party."^[83]

The 20th century financial stagnation prompted residents to initiate measures to attract economic activity back into the city. Also, a solid manufacturing industry surged that still remains. Examples of this are the Ponce Cement, Puerto Rico Iron Works, Vassallo Industries, and Destilería Serrallés. El Dia was also founded in Ponce in 1911.

Ponce massacre

On March 21, 1937, a peaceful march was organized by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and protest the incarceration of their leader, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos, in a federal prison on charges of sedition.^[84]

The march turned into a bloody event when the Insular Police, a force somewhat resembling the National Guard of the typical U.S. state and which answered to U.S.-appointed governor Blanton Winship, opened fire on unarmed and defenseless members of the Cadets of the Republic and bystanders.^[84][85]

When the shooting stopped, nineteen civilians had been killed or mortally wounded.^[86] Over two hundred others were badly wounded.^[87] Many were shot in their backs while running away, including a seven-year-old girl named Georgina Maldonado who was "killed through the back while running to a nearby church."^[88][89]

The US commissioned an independent investigation headed by Arthur Garfield Hays, general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, together with prominent citizens of Puerto Rico. The members concluded in their report that the event was a massacre, with the police acting as a mob. They harshly criticized Winship's actions as governor and said he had numerous abuses of civil rights.^[90] The event has since been known as the Ponce massacre.^[90] It was the largest massacre in Puerto Rican history.^[91] As a result of this report and other charges against Winship, he was dismissed from his position in 1937 and replaced as governor.^[90]

The history of this event can be viewed at the Ponce Massacre Museum on Marina Street. An open-air park in the city, the Pedro Albizu Campos Park, is dedicated to the memory of the president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. As a result of this event, Ponce has been identified as "the birthplace of Puerto Rican national identity."^[92] Ponce history in general is expressed at the Ponce History Museum, on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets in the historic downtown area.

Hub for political and economic activity

Ponce has continued to be a hub of political activity on the island, and is the founding site of several major political parties. It has also been the birthplace of several important political figures of the island, including Luis A. Ferré and Rafael Hernández Colón, both former governors of Puerto Rico, as well as the childhood town of governor Roberto Sanchez Vilella.

Statistics taken from the 2010 census show that 82.0% of Ponceños are white and 9.0% are African-American, with Taínos, Asians, people of mixed race and others making up the rest.^[93] At 82.0% vs. 76.2% for the island as a whole, Ponce has the highest concentration of white population of any municipality in Puerto Rico.^[94] However, the US Census Bureau changed the definitions of its racial makeup categories for the 2020 Census^[95] resulting in 19.0% of Ponceños being classified as white and 13.3% as Black/Afro Puerto Rican', 0.3% as Asian, and people of mixed race making up the rest.

1970s economic decline

The 1970s brought significant commercial, industrial and banking changes to Ponce that dramatically altered its financial stability and outlook of the city, the municipality and, to an extent, the entire southern Puerto Rico region. After Luis A. Ferre concluded his term as governor of Puerto Rico on January 1, 1973, he closed the Puerto Rico Iron Works foundry on Avenida Hostos, and transferred the offices of Ponce's island-wide El Dia newspaper that he owned, as well as the headquarters of his Empresas Ferré, to San Juan. In 1976, CORCO—southern Puerto Rico's main source of economic vitality—shut down its industrial operations in Guayanilla leaving thousands of area residents without work; its impact on indirect sources of employment was even greater. Also, the sugar cane industry, also suffered a major downturn. Sugar cane had until 1976 been grown and refined at Ponce's Central Mercedita, but in that year agricultural production of sugar cane was halted in the lands of the municipality of Ponce and adjacent towns. Also, the headquarters of Banco de Ponce and Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño were moved to San Juan. Unemployment of Ponce jumped to 25% as a result of these changes.^[96]

The Mameyes landslide

On October 7, 1985, Ponce was the scene of a major tragedy, when at least 129 people lost their lives to a mudslide in a sector of Barrio Portugués Urbano^[97] called Mameyes. International help was needed to rescue people and recover corpses. The United States and many other countries, including Mexico, France, and Venezuela, sent economic, human, and machinery relief. The commonwealth government, subsequently, relocated hundreds of people to a new community built on stable ground.^[98] In 2005, the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the United States reported that the Mameyes landslide held the record for having inflicted "the greatest loss of life by a single landslide" up to that year.^[99]

Recent history

The municipality of Ponce became the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its autonomy^[100] on October 27, 1992, under a new law (The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico^[101]) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature. Ponce's mayor for 15 years, Rafael Cordero Santiago ("Churumba"), credited for leading the municipal government to that accomplishment, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three consecutive strokes. Vice-mayor Delis Castillo Rivera de Santiago finished his term. Cordero was succeeded by Francisco Zayas Seijo. In the 2008 general elections María "Mayita" Meléndez was elected mayor of the city of Ponce and served three terms.^[102] The current (2021) mayor is Luis Irizarry Pabón who became the first mayoral candidate in the modern history of Ponce to win with more than 60% of votes cast.^[103]

The city is also the governmental seat of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, and the regional hub for various commonwealth entities. For example, it serves as the southern hub for the Judiciary of Puerto Rico.^{[104][105][106]} It is also the regional center for various other commonwealth and federal government agencies.^[107]

Ponce has improved its economy in the last years. In recent years, Ponce has solidified its position as the second most important city of Puerto Rico based on its economic progress and increasing population.^[108] Today, the city of Ponce is the second largest in Puerto Rico outside of the San Juan metropolitan area.^[109] Its nicknames include: La Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South)^[110] and La Ciudad Señorial (The Noble or Lordly City).^[111] The city is also known as La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City),^[112][113] from the abundant amount of this fruit that grows within its borders. The complete history of Ponce can be appreciated at the Museo de la Historia de Ponce, which opened in the city in 1992. It depicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the end of the 20th century.^[114]

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Ponce, $1,000 million in damages were the initial estimates. An estimated 3,500 homes were completely or partially destroyed.^[115] The hurricane triggered numerous landslides in Ponce.^[116][117]

Geography

The Municipality of Ponce sits on the Southern Coastal Plain region of the Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by the municipalities of Adjuntas, Utuado, Jayuya, Peñuelas, and Juana Díaz.^[118] Ponce is a large municipality, with only Arecibo larger in land area in Puerto Rico.^[119] In terms of physical features, the municipality occupies a roughly rectangular area in south-central portion of the Island of approximately 10 miles (16 km) wide (east-to-west) by 13 miles (21 km) long (north-to-south).^[120] It has a surface area of 116.0 square miles (300 km²).^[121] The main physiographic features of the municipality of Ponce are: (1) the mountainous interior containing the headwaters of the main river systems, (2) an upper plain, (3) a range of predominantly east-west trending limestone hills, (4) a coastal plain, and (5) a coastal flat.^[122] The northern two-thirds of the municipality consists of the mountainous interior, with the southern third divided between hills, coastal plains, and the coastal flat.^[123]

Ponce's municipal territory reaches the central mountain range to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Geographically speaking, the southern area of the territory is part of the Ponce-Patillas alluvial plain subsector and the southern coastal plain, which were created by the consolidation of the valleys of the southern side of the central mountain range and the Cayey mountain range. The central area of the municipality is part of the semi-arid southern hills. These two regions are classified as being the driest on the island. The northern part of the municipality is considered to be within the rainy western mountains.^[124] Barrio Anón is home to Cerro Maravilla, a peak that at 4,085 feet (1,245 m) is Puerto Rico's fourth highest peak.^[125]

Nineteen barrios^[126] comprise the rural areas of the municipality, and the topology of their lands varies from flatlands to hills to steep mountain slopes. The hilly barrios of the municipality (moving clockwise around the outskirts of the city) are these seven: Quebrada Limón, Marueño, Magueyes, Tibes, Portugués Rural, Machuelo Arriba, and Cerrillos. The barrios of Canas, Coto Laurel, Capitanejo, Sabanetas, Vayas, and Bucaná also surround the outskirts of the city but these are mostly flat. The remaining six other barrios are further away from the city and their topology is rugged mountain terrain. These are (clockwise): Guaraguao, San Patricio, Monte Llano, Maragüez, Anón, and Real. The ruggedness of these barrios is because through these areas of the municipality runs the Central Mountain Range of the Island.^[127] The remaining barrios are part of the urban zone of the city.^[128][129] There are six barrios in the core urban zone of the municipality named Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto. They are delimetered by streets, rivers, or major highways. For example, Barrio Tercero is bounded in the north by Isabel Street, in the east by the Rio Portugués, in the south by Comercio Street, and the west by Plaza Las Delicias.^[130] Barrio Tercero includes much of what is called the historic district.

There is a seismic detector that the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, has placed in Barrio Cerrillos.^[131]

Land features

Elevations include Cerro de Punta at 4,390 feet (1,340 m), the highest in Puerto Rico, located in Barrio Anón in the territory of the municipality of Ponce.^[132][133] Mount Jayuya, at 4,314 feet (1,315 m) is located on the boundary between Barrio Anón and Barrio Saliente in Jayuya. Cerro Maravilla, at nearly 3,970 feet (1,210 m) above sea level, is located to the east of Barrio Anón. There are many other mountains at lower elevations in the municipality, such as the Montes Llanos ridge and Mount Diablo, at 2,231 feet (680 m) and Mount Marueño, at 2,100 feet (640 m), and Pinto Peak, among others. Part of the Toro Negro Forest is located in Barrio Anón. Coastal promontories include Cuchara, Peñoncillo, Carnero, and Cabullón points.^[134] Fifty-six percent of the municipality consists of slopes 10 degrees or greater.^[135]

Water features

The 14 rivers comprising the hydrographic system of Ponce are Matilde, Inabón, Bucaná, Jacaguas, Portugués, Cañas, Pastillo, Cerrillos, Chiquito, Bayagan, Blanco, Prieto, Anón and San Patricio^[136] The Jacaguas River runs for a brief stretch on the southeast area of the municipality. The Inabón River springs from Anón ward and runs through the municipality for some 18 mi (29.0 km); the tributaries of the Inabón are the Anón and Guayo rivers and the Emajagua Brook. The Bucaná River springs from Machuelo Arriba ward and runs for 18.5 mi (29.8 km) into the Caribbean Sea. The tributaries of the Bucaná are the San Patricio, Bayagán, and Prieto Rivers and Ausubo brook. The Portugués River springs from the ward of that name in Adjuntas, and runs for 17.3 mi (27.8 km) into the Caribbean sea at Ponce Playa ward. The Matilde River, also known as the Pastillo River, runs for 12 mi (19 km); its tributaries are the Cañas River and the Limón and del Agua brooks. Lakes in Ponce include Bronce and Ponceña as well as lakes bearing numbers: Uno, Dos, Tres, and Cinco; and the Salinas Lagoon, which is considered a restricted lagoon.^[137] Other water bodies are the springs at Quintana and the La Guancha and El Tuque beaches.^[138] There is also a beach at Caja de Muertos Island. Lake Cerrillos is located within the limits of the municipality,^[139] as will be the future lake resulting from the Portugués Dam. The Cerrillos State Forest is also located in the municipality of Ponce.

Coastal geographic features in Ponce include Bahía de Ponce, Caleta de Cabullones (Cabullones Cove), and five cays: Jueyes, Ratones,^[140] Cardona, Gatas, and Isla del Frio.^[141] Caja de Muertos Island and Morrillito islet are located at the boundary between Ponce and Juana Díaz. There is a mangrove covering an area of approximately 100 acres (40 ha) at Cabullón promontory and Isla del Frio. The Salinas Lagoon, part of Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas, has a mangrove that expands about 37 acres (15 ha). The lagoon itself consists of 698 cuerdas (678 acres; 274 ha).^[142] The Rita cave is located in Barrio Cerrillos.^[143]

Climate

Ponce features a tropical savanna climate (Koppen Aw/As). Ponce has summer highs averaging 92 °F (33 °C)^[144] and winter highs, 87 °F (31 °C).^[145] It has lows averaging 67 °F (19 °C) in the winter^[145] and 74 °F (23 °C) in the summer.^[146] It has a record high of 100 °F (38 °C), which occurred on 21 August 2003,^[147] and a record low of 51 °F (11 °C) which occurred on 28 February 2004, tying the record low of 51 °F (11 °C) from 25 January 1993.^[148] The mean annual temperature in the municipality is 79 °F (26 °C).^[149]