View source for Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

{{short description|City and municipality in Puerto Rico}}
{{Redirect|Mayaguez|the ship|SS Mayaguez|the event that happened during the Vietnam War|Mayaguez incident}}
{{Distinguish|Maragüez}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Mayagüez
| official_name      = Autonomous Municipality of Mayaguez
| native_name        = <small>{{lang|es|Municipio Autónomo de Mayagüez}}</small>
| native_name_lang   = es<!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "es" for Spanish. -->
| other_name         = Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez
| settlement_type    = [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|Municipality]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border      = infobox
| total_width = 300
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow      = 1/3/2
| image1      = Plaza Mayaguez.jpg
| image2      = Teatro Yagüez - Mayagüez Puerto Rico.jpg
| image3      = Mayaguez buildings.jpg
| image4      = Aduana de Mayagüez - Mayagüez Puerto Rico.jpg
| image5      = Pórtico al Parque de los Próceres.jpg
}}
| image_caption      = '''From top, left to right''': [[Plaza Colón|Plaza Colón Square]] and [[Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)|cathedral]]; [[Teatro Yagüez|Yagüez Theater]];  [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo|downtown Mayagüez]]; [[United States Custom House (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)|Old US Custom House]]; entrance portico to [[Parque de los Próceres|Próceres Park]]
| image_flag         = mayaguez-flag.svg
| flag_alt           = 
| image_shield       = Mayagüez_seal.JPG
| shield_alt         = 
| nicknames           = "La Sultana del Oeste", "La Ciudad de las Aguas Puras", "El Pueblo del Mangó"
| motto              = Nuevo Mundo dio Colon a Castilla y Leon
| anthem             = ''"Mi patria es un oasis"''
| image_map          = Locator-map-Puerto-Rico-Mayagüez.svg
| mapsize            = 300px
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Mayagüez Municipality
| coordinates        = {{coord|18|12|04|N|67|08|23|W|region:US-PR|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = [[Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name   = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Commonwealth (United States insular area)|Commonwealth]]
| subdivision_name1  = Puerto Rico
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = September 18, 1760
| founder            = Faustino Martínez de Matos<br>Juan de Silva<br>Juan de Aponte
| parts_type         = [[Barrios of Puerto Rico|Barrios]]
| parts              = 21 barrios
| p1                 = [[Algarrobos]]
| p2                 = [[Bateyes]]
| p3                 = [[Guanajibo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Guanajibo]]
| p4                 = [[Isla de Mona e Islote Monito, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Isla de Mona e Islote Monito]]
| p5                 = [[Juan Alonso, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Juan Alonso]]
| p6                 = [[Leguísamo]]
| p7                 = [[Limón, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Limón]]
| p8                 = [[Malezas]]
| p9                 = [[Mayagüez Arriba]]
| p10                = [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo]]
| p11                = [[Miradero]]
| p12                = [[Montoso, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Montoso]]
| p13                = [[Naranjales, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Naranjales]]
| p14                = [[Quebrada Grande, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Quebrada Grande]]
| p15                = [[Quemado, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Quemado]]
| p16                = [[Río Cañas Abajo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Cañas Abajo]]
| p17                = [[Río Cañas Arriba, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Cañas Arriba]]
| p18                = [[Río Hondo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Hondo]]
| p19                = [[Rosario, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Rosario]]
| p20                = [[Sábalos, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Sábalos]]
| p21                = [[Sabanetas, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Sabanetas]]
| seat_type          = 
| seat               = Casa Alcaldia de Mayaguez
| government_footnotes = 
| leader_party       = [[Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico|PPD]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = <br>Jorge Ramos Ruiz
| leader_title1      = Senatorial&nbsp;dist.
| leader_name1       = Mayagüez
| leader_title2      = Representative&nbsp;dist.
| leader_name2       = 18 and 19
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 709.89
| area_land_km2      = 201.07
| area_water_km2     = 508.82
| area_water_percent = 
| area_note          = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_m    = 480.6
| elevation_max_ft   = 1577
| elevation_min_m    = 0
| elevation_min_ft   = 0
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|title=PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/puerto-rico-population-change-between-census-decade.html |access-date=August 25, 2021|publisher=United States Census Bureau|language=EN-US}}</ref>
| population_total   = 73077
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro   = 97,605 ([[Puerto Rico statistical areas|MSA]])
| population_blank2_title = [[Mayagüez metropolitan area#Combined Statistical Area|CSA]]
| population_blank2  = 222,705
| population_note    = 
| population_demonym = Mayagüezanos
| timezone1          = [[Atlantic Standard Time|AST]]
| utc_offset1        = −4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Codes]]
| postal_code        = 00680, 00681, 00682
| area_code          = [[Telephone numbers in Puerto Rico|787/939]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 72-52431<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website}}{{US government sources}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1611495<ref>
{{cite web
| url = {{gnis3|1611495}}
| title = Mayagüez – Populated Place
| work = [[Geographic Names Information System]]
| publisher = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]]
| access-date = May 14, 2008 }}{{USGS}}</ref>
| blank_name_sec1    = [[List of highways in Puerto Rico|Major routes]]
| blank_info_sec1    = [[File:PR primary 2.svg|25px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 2]] [[File:PR urban primary 63.svg|25px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 63]] [[File:PR urban primary 65.svg|25px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 65]] [[File:PR urban primary 102.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 102]] [[File:PR urban primary 105.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 105]] [[File:PR urban primary 106.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 106]] [[File:PR urban primary 108.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 108]] [[File:PR urban primary 114.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 114]] [[File:PR urban primary 239.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 239]] [[File:PR secondary 119.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 119]] [[File:Ellipse sign 64.svg|25px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 64]] [[File:Ellipse sign 104.svg|31px|link=Puerto Rico Highway 104]]
| footnotes          = 
| population_rank    = [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|9th]] in Puerto Rico
| named_for          = Originally [[Virgin of Candelaria]] then local indigenous name variant.
| government_type    = [[Mayor-council government]]
}}

'''Mayagüez''' ({{IPA|es|maʝaˈɣwes}}, {{IPA|es|maʝaˈweʔ|local}}) is the ninth-largest<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Puerto Rico – Municipio |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US72&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-2|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 24, 2006|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212034645/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US72&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-2|archive-date=February 12, 2020|url-status=dead}}{{US government sources}}</ref> [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|municipality]] in [[Puerto Rico]]. It was founded as '''Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez''' (Township of [[Virgin of Candelaria|Our Lady of Candelaria]]), and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Puras'' (City of Pure Waters), or ''Ciudad del Mangó'' (Mango City). On April 6, 1894, the [[Monarchy of Spain|Spanish Crown]] granted it the formal title of ''Excelente Ciudad de Mayagüez'' (Excellent City of Mayagüez).<ref>{{cite book | last= Aguilo Ramos | first=Silvia | year=1984 | title=Mayagüez: Notas para su Historia | publisher=Model Offset Printing | location=San Juan, Puerto Rico | page=46 }}</ref><ref>Loida Figueroa, "Escudo de Mayagüez" ''Anuario de las Fiestas Patronales'', 1977</ref> Mayagüez is located in the center of the western coast on the island of Puerto Rico. It has a population of 73,077, and it is the principal city of the [[Mayagüez metropolitan area|Mayagüez Metropolitan Statistical Area]] (pop. 213,831) and the [[Mayagüez metropolitan area#Combined Statistical Area|Mayagüez–Aguadilla, PR Combined Statistical Area]] (pop. 467,599).<ref name=":0" />

==History==
{{Main|History of Mayagüez|Timeline of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico}}
The [[Mayagüez metropolitan area|Mayagüez Metro Area]] (and part of [[Añasco]]) lies today on two former [[Taíno]] [[chiefdom|Cacicazgos (chiefdoms)]]: Yaguex and Yagüeca, a region noted for its record of colonial resistance (i.e., [[Urayoán]] and [[Legend of Diego Salcedo]]). The Tainos constituted the majority of the island's inhabitants at the time of contact with Europeans in 1493 and called it [[Puerto Rico#Etymology|Borikén or Borinquen]]. Today, this appellation and its variations continue to designate the Island of Puerto Rico and its people. The Taínos came from South American branches of [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan speakers]], more specifically from modern-day [[Venezuela]], and lived in small villages, organized their society in clans and named their chiefs [[Cacique]]. They were farmers who domesticated crops as [[pineapple]]s, [[cassava]], and [[sweet potato]]es supplemented by [[Fishing|fish]] and seafood.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

[[File:Plaza Colón and Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria c1898 - Mayagüez Puerto Rico.jpg|thumb|left|Mayagüez's [[Plaza Colón]] and [[Cathedral of Mayagüez|Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria church]] (later cathedral), 1898]]
Mayagüez was founded on September 18, 1760, by a group led by brothers Faustino and Lorenzo Martínez de Matos, Juan de Silva and Juan de Aponte, at a hill located about one kilometer inland from [[Mayagüez Bay]] and the outlet of the [[Yagüez River]]. The [[Spanish Crown]] granted the founders the right to self-government in 1763, formally separating the town from the larger ''Partido de [[San Germán, Puerto Rico|San Germán]]''. The settlement was named '''Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez''' (''Our Lady of Candelaria of Mayagüez'') to evoke an apparition of the Virgin Mary on the island of [[Tenerife]], one of the [[Canary Islands]]. Most of the town's [[Canary Islanders|settlers, including its founders]], migrated from the archipelago, whose [[patron saint]] is the [[Virgin of Candelaria]].

On May 7, 1836, the settlement was elevated to the royal status of [[villa (chartered town)|villa]], and Rafael Mangual was named its first mayor. At the time, the villa's principal economic activity was agriculture. The famous patriot, educator, sociologist, philosopher, essayist and novelist [[Eugenio María de Hostos]] was born in Mayagüez in 1839. On July 10, 1877, the villa received its [[Municipal corporation|city charter]] from the Royal Crown of Spain.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the [[Spanish–American War]] under the terms of the [[Treaty of Paris of 1898]] and became a territory of the United States.In 1899, the [[United States Department of War]] conducted a [[census]] of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Mayagüez was 35,700, making it one of the largest towns in Puerto Rico at the time.<ref name="OfficeSanger1900">{{cite book|author1=Joseph Prentiss Sanger|author2=Henry Gannett|author3=Walter Francis Willcox|title=Informe sobre el censo de Puerto Rico, 1899, United States. War Dept. Porto Rico Census Office|url=https://archive.org/details/informesobreelc00joangoog|year=1900|publisher=Imprenta del gobierno|page=[https://archive.org/details/informesobreelc00joangoog/page/n255 164]| language=es}}</ref>

The city's main Roman Catholic church, [[Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria|Our Lady of the Candelaria]], was built in a plot consecrated on August 21, 1760. Its first masonry building was erected in 1780. The current church was built in 1836, and was rebuilt in 1922. The redesign by architect Luis Perocier sought to restore the building to its original splendor. The [[1918 San Fermín earthquake]] had destroyed the temple's ceiling, and a lightning bolt struck and tore down a wedge-shaped corner of one of its two bell towers. However, lack of proper funding and the extent of the damage of the original structure forced the rebuilding to be scaled-down considerably.<ref name="Earthquake 1918">{{cite web|title=Earthquake of 1918|url=http://redsismica.uprm.edu/english/Info/quake1918.php|website=Puerto Rico Seismic Network|publisher=University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez|access-date=February 2, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050210235241/http://redsismica.uprm.edu/english/Info/quake1918.php|archive-date=February 10, 2005|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1911, the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts]] was founded in Mayagüez. Today it is known as the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez]] (UPRM)—the [[Caribbean]]'s leading engineering institution.[[File:Structure in El Maní, Sabanetos, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico destroyed by Hurricane Maria.jpg|thumb|Structure in El Maní, Sabanetos, Mayagüez destroyed by Hurricane Maria]]

Between 1962 and 1998 Mayagüez was a major [[tuna]] canning and processing center. At one time, 80% of all tuna products consumed in the United States were packed in Mayagüez (the biggest employer, [[Charlie the Tuna|StarKist]], had 11,000 employees working three daily shifts in the local plant's heyday). Mayagüez was also a major [[textile industry]] hub; almost a quarter of all drill uniforms used by the [[United States Army]] were sewn in the city. Today, Mayagüez is the fifth-largest city in Puerto Rico and is considered one of the most important cities in the island. The city is centered on the impressive Spanish-style main square [[Plaza Colón]], a tribute to [[Christopher Columbus]], whose statue stands in the middle of the square, surrounded by 16 bronze statues.

Mayagüez has become a major [[college town]] with the establishment of the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|UPRM]], the now closed [[Facultad de Derecho Eugenio Maria de Hostos|Eugenio María de Hostos Law School]]<ref name="Law School">{{Cite news|date=July 1, 2011|title=Se queda sin acreditación la Facultad de Derecho Eugenio María de Hostos|language=es|trans-title=Without Accreditation Hostos Law School|work=Primera Hora|url=https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/notas/se-queda-sin-acreditacion-la-facultad-de-derecho-eugenio-maria-de-hostos/|url-status=live|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-url=https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/notas/se-queda-sinacreditacion-la-facultad-de-derecho-eugenio-maria-de-hostos/|archive-date=September 12, 2020
}}</ref> and the [[Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico]].

On September 20, 2017 [[Hurricane Maria]] struck Puerto Rico. In Mayagüez, losses were described as "catastrophic".<ref>{{cite news | title=María, un nombre que no vamos a olvidar. "Indescriptible", el azote de María en Mayagüez| trans-title=Maria, a name we won't forget. “Indescribable”, scourge of María in Mayagüez|newspaper=El Nuevo Día| date=2019-06-13 | url=https://huracanmaria.elnuevodia.com/2017/municipio/mayaguez/| language=es | access-date=2022-09-12}}</ref> The storm triggered numerous landslides in Mayagüez. In some areas of Mayagüez, there were over 25 landslides per square mile due to the deluge.<ref name="USGS_Maria_Landslides">{{cite web |title=Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico |url=https://landslides.usgs.gov/research/featured/2017/maria-pr/ |website=USGS Landslide Hazards Program |publisher=USGS |access-date=March 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303143147/https://landslides.usgs.gov/research/featured/2017/maria-pr/ |archive-date=March 3, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="USGS_Maria_Landslides map">{{cite web |title=Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico |url=https://landslides.usgs.gov/research/featured/2017/maria-pr/images/PR_Maria_LS_density_map.pdf |website=USGS Landslide Hazards Program |publisher=USGS |access-date=March 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303143147/https://landslides.usgs.gov/research/featured/2017/maria-pr/images/PR_Maria_LS_density_map.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
Mayagüez is located near the geographical center of the west coast of Puerto Rico about two to three hours by automobile from [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]. Its land area is 77.6 square miles (201.06&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&format=CO-2&geo_id=05000US72097|title=American FactFinder – Results|website=factfinder.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200214061627/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&format=CO-2&geo_id=05000US72097|archive-date=February 14, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city's terrain includes; coast plains, river valleys, marshland, hills and mountains. Of its multiple rivers and streams, the two most important are the [[Yagüez River|Río Yagüez]], which flows from the [[Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico|Central Mountain Range]] through downtown until it empties into the [[Mona Passage]]; and the [[Río Guanajibo]], which flows through several neighborhoods in the southern portion of the municipality until it empties in the [[Mona Passage]].<ref name="PR_Ency">{{cite web |url=https://enciclopediapr.org/en/encyclopedia/mayaguez-municipality/|title=Mayagüez Municipality|publisher=Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades (FPH)|website=enciclopediapr.org |access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621041651/https://enciclopediapr.org/en/encyclopedia/mayaguez-municipality/|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===National protected areas===
The [[Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge]] on [[Desecheo Island]] is a protected area.

To the north of the [[El Maní]] community in Mayagüez is the Boquilla Creek Wildlife Reserve (''Reserva Natural del Caño de la Boquilla''), a protected area and the habitat of [[endangered species]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Boquilla Creek Wildlife Reserve informational Brochure| date=July 18, 2011 | url=http://www.drna.gobierno.pr/oficinas/arn/recursosvivientes/costasreservasrefugios/pmzc/publicaciones/folletos/RN%20Cano%20Boquilla.pdf?set_language=es-pr&cl=es-pr | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718212016/http://www.drna.gobierno.pr/oficinas/arn/recursosvivientes/costasreservasrefugios/pmzc/publicaciones/folletos/RN%20Cano%20Boquilla.pdf?set_language=es-pr&cl=es-pr | archive-date=July 18, 2011 | url-status=dead | access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref><ref name="DRNA map">{{cite web |title=Reserva Natural Caño La Boquilla Map |url=https://www.drna.pr.gov/documentos/reserva-natural-cano-la-boquilla/ |website=DRNA |date=July 9, 2015 |access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Reserva Natural Caño la Boquilla | website=Discover Puerto Rico | url=https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/reserva-natural-cano-la-boquilla/7843 | access-date=June 20, 2021}}</ref>

==Climate==
Mayagüez has a [[tropical savanna climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Aw''). The city has the most extreme weather of the island. The high frequency of severe storms in the summer can produce strong winds, [[flood]]s, [[waterspout]]s, and sometimes [[hail]] and even [[tornado]]es. The average annual temperature is {{convert|75|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}. Winter is usually quite dry and warm, with temperatures between {{convert|82|°F|°C|1|disp=or}} and {{convert|55|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}. Summer is usually very hot and humid, with temperatures reaching {{convert|95|°F|°C|disp=or}}, with heat index of up to {{convert|115|°F|°C|1|disp=or}}. From May to October, most evenings experience strong thunderstorms, due to heat, humidity and the topography of the area.

{{Weather box
| location = Mayagüez, Puerto Rico (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1900-present)
| single line = Y
| temperature colour = pastel
| width = auto
| Jan record high F = 99
| Feb record high F = 96
| Mar record high F = 97
| Apr record high F = 98
| May record high F = 98
| Jun record high F = 98
| Jul record high F = 98
| Aug record high F = 99
| Sep record high F = 99
| Oct record high F = 102
| Nov record high F = 98
| Dec record high F = 96
| year record high F = 102
| Jan high F = 85.0
| Feb high F = 85.7
| Mar high F = 86.8
| Apr high F = 87.2
| May high F = 88.5
| Jun high F = 90.2
| Jul high F = 90.0
| Aug high F = 90.2
| Sep high F = 90.1
| Oct high F = 89.8
| Nov high F = 88.2
| Dec high F = 86.1
| year high F = 88.1
| Jan mean F = 76.3
| Feb mean F = 76.3
| Mar mean F = 77.2
| Apr mean F = 78.0
| May mean F = 79.7
| Jun mean F = 80.5
| Jul mean F = 81.3
| Aug mean F = 81.3
| Sep mean F = 81.2
| Oct mean F = 81.2
| Nov mean F = 79.7
| Dec mean F = 77.6
| year mean F = 79.2
| Jan low F = 67.6
| Feb low F = 66.9
| Mar low F = 67.6
| Apr low F = 68.9
| May low F = 71.0
| Jun low F = 70.8
| Jul low F = 72.6
| Aug low F = 72.4
| Sep low F = 72.3
| Oct low F = 72.5
| Nov low F = 71.3
| Dec low F = 69.0
| year low F = 70.2
| Jan record low F = 51
| Feb record low F = 43
| Mar record low F = 50
| Apr record low F = 57
| May record low F = 57
| Jun record low F = 60
| Jul record low F = 58
| Aug record low F = 58
| Sep record low F = 59
| Oct record low F = 61
| Nov record low F = 59
| Dec record low F = 55
| year record low F = 43
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain inch = 1.19
| Feb rain inch = 1.81
| Mar rain inch = 2.08
| Apr rain inch = 3.88
| May rain inch = 6.00
| Jun rain inch = 5.15
| Jul rain inch = 5.81
| Aug rain inch = 6.80
| Sep rain inch = 6.64
| Oct rain inch = 6.49
| Nov rain inch = 3.08
| Dec rain inch = 2.33
| year rain inch = 51.26
| unit rain days = 0.01 in
| Jan rain days = 4.9
| Feb rain days = 6.6
| Mar rain days = 7.5
| Apr rain days = 10.8
| May rain days = 11.0
| Jun rain days = 12.0
| Jul rain days = 13.4
| Aug rain days = 14.8
| Sep rain days = 15.1
| Oct rain days = 13.6
| Nov rain days = 9.0
| Dec rain days = 6.4
| year rain days = 125.1
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA>
{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=sju
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name=NCEI>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=RQC00666073&format=pdf
| title = Station: Mayagüez City, PR PQ
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name=extremes>
{{cite web 
| url = http://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/
| publisher = Applied Climate Information System 
| title = Monthly Highest Max Temperature and Monthly Lowest Min Temperature for Mayagüez City, PR
| access-date = June 18, 2021}}</ref>
| date = June 2012
}}

==Cityscape==
[[File:Mayaguez downtown.jpg|thumb|Downtown seen from the campus of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez]]
[[File:Mayaguez Center view.jpg|thumb|View from the center of Mayagüez]]
[[File:Downtown Mayagüez.jpg|thumb|View of Downtown Mayagüez]]

===Barrios===
The ''[[municipio]]'' has an estimated population of just over 100,000 spread over 21 barrios (''[[Barrios of Puerto Rico|barrios]]'') including ''Mayagüez Pueblo'' (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). One of the barrios is [[Isla de Mona e Islote Monito, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Isla de Mona e Islote Monito]], which consists of the offshore islands of [[Mona, Puerto Rico|Mona Island]] and [[Monito Island]]. This is the largest ward by land area and at the same time the only one without any permanent population. Also, uninhabited [[Desecheo Island]] belongs to the municipality as part of [[Sabanetas, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Sabanetas]] ''barrio''.<ref name="Pico_1969">{{cite book |last1=Picó |first1=Rafael |last2=Buitrago de Santiago |first2=Zayda |last3=Berrios |first3=Hector H. |title=Nueva geografía de Puerto Rico: física, económica, y social, por Rafael Picó. Con la colaboración de Zayda Buitrago de Santiago y Héctor H. Berrios. |year=1969 |url=https://archive.org/details/nuevageografad00pic/page/247 |publisher=San Juan Editorial Universitaria, Universidad de Puerto Rico,1969 |access-date=December 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226171916/https://archive.org/details/nuevageografad00pic/page/247 |archive-date=December 26, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Law2015">{{cite book|author=Gwillim Law|title=Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=nXCeCQAAQBAJ|access-date=December 25, 2018|date=May 20, 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0447-3|page=300}}</ref><ref name= "2010 Census">{{cite book|title=Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf|url=https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo35934/cph-2-53.pdf|year=2010|publisher=U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220183043/https://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo35934/cph-2-53.pdf|archive-date=February 20, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/mayaguez.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324204920/http://welcome.topuertorico.org/maps/mayaguez.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |title=Map of Mayagüez at the Wayback Machine|access-date=December 29, 2018 }}</ref>
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
#[[Algarrobos]]
#[[Bateyes]]
#[[Guanajibo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Guanajibo]]
#[[Isla de Mona e Islote Monito, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Isla de Mona e Islote Monito]]
#[[Juan Alonso, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Juan Alonso]]
#[[Leguísamo]]
#[[Limón, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Limón]]
#[[Malezas]]
#[[Mayagüez Arriba]]
#[[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo]]
#[[Miradero]]
#[[Montoso, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Montoso]]
#[[Naranjales, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Naranjales]]
#[[Quebrada Grande, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Quebrada Grande]]
#[[Quemado, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Quemado]]
#[[Río Cañas Abajo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Cañas Abajo]]
#[[Río Cañas Arriba, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Cañas Arriba]]
#[[Río Hondo, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Hondo]]
#[[Rosario, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Rosario]]
#[[Sábalos, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Sábalos]]
#[[Sabanetas, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Sabanetas]]
{{colend}}

'''Mayagüez Pueblo''' is further subdivided into these barrios:
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* Candelaria
* Cárcel
* Marina Septentrional
* Marina Meridional
* Río
* Salud<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.primerahora.com/videos/enestadocriticoelbarriosaludenmayaguez-221581/ |title=En estado crítico el barrio Salud en Mayagüez |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218031926/https://www.primerahora.com/videos/enestadocriticoelbarriosaludenmayaguez-221581/ |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{colend}}

===Sectors===
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to  [[minor civil divisions]])<ref name="Barrio-Pueblo">{{cite web |title=US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/help/en/barrio.htm |website=factfinder.com |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513190743/https://factfinder.census.gov/help/en/barrio.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> are further subdivided into smaller areas called {{lang|es|sectores}} (''sectors'' in English). The types of ''sectores'' may vary, from normally ''sector'' to ''urbanización'' to ''reparto'' to ''barriada'' to ''residencial'', among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presupuesto.pr.gov/Presupuesto2015-2016/PresupuestosAgencias/229.htm|title=Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconómico y la Autogestión (Proposed 2016 Budget) |website= Puerto Rico Budgets|language=es|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author1=Rivera Quintero, Marcia |title=El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004 |date=2014 |publisher=San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón |edition=1st |isbn=978-0-9820806-1-0}}</ref><ref name="Law 1-2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.lexjuris.com/lexlex/Leyes2001/lex2001001.htm |title=Leyes del 2001|website=Lex Juris Puerto Rico |language=es |access-date=June 24, 2020}}</ref>

The sectors that comprise Mayagüez City are:
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
*Balboa
*Barcelona
*El Seco
*El Liceo
*El Pueblo
*La Mineral
*La Quinta
*París
*Trastalleres
{{colend}}

Other notable neighborhoods or sectors:
*[[El Maní]]—community in Sabanetas
*Mayagüez Terrace—development in Algarrobo, near the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|UPRM]] Campus
*Alturas de Mayagüez—development in Algarrobo, near the [[Holiday Inn|Holiday Inn Hotel]] and the Regional Distribution Center
* El Cerro de las Mesas—known for being the home of "[[Residential Center of Educative Opportunities of Mayagüez|CROEM]]" and for its picture perfect views of the city from Camino Berrios.
*Buena Vista—a hilltop picturesque community next to the [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo|downtown area]].
*Colombia—a famous former slum, alongside a Government Center.
*Columbus Landing—the second oldest public housing project (''caserio'') in Puerto Rico.
*Dulces Labios—a picturesque community alongside [[Puerto Rico Highway 2|PR-2]] famous for its history and its musical activities.
*Ensanche Martínez (La Bosque)—student area, near the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|UPRM]] Campus.
*Ensanche Ramírez—a hilltop high class development, near the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|UPRM]] Campus.
*Ensanche Vivaldi—student area, near the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|UPRM]] Campus.
*La Riviera—student area.
*Ponce de León—development in [[Mayagüez Arriba]] next to Luis Muñoz Rivera Park (eastern outskirts).
*Santurce—community next to the Old Municipal Cemetery.
*Vadi-Cristy—community alongside [[Puerto Rico Highway 2|PR-2]] and the [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo|downtown area]].

===Special Communities===
{{main|Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development}}
{{lang|es|Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico}} (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of [[social exclusion]]. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Mayagüez: Balboa, Barrio Salud, Buena Vista, Central Igualdad, Dulces Labios, El Maní, El Quemado, Felices Días, La Chorra, La Quinta, Leguízamo, Mayagüez Arriba, Parcelas Rolón, Polvorín, Quebrada Grande, Río Cañas, Río Hondo, Rosario, and Trastalleres.<ref>{{Citation|author1=Rivera Quintero, Marcia|title=El vuelo de la esperanza:Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004|date=2014| publisher=San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón| edition=1st|page=273|isbn=978-0-9820806-1-0}}</ref><ref name="wordpress.com">{{cite web|url=https://cpprbib.wordpress.com/biblioteca-virtual/guias-tematicas/comunidades-especiales/comunidades-especiales-de-puerto-rico/|title=Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico|date=August 8, 2011|language=es|access-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624004414/https://cpprbib.wordpress.com/biblioteca-virtual/guias-tematicas/comunidades-especiales/comunidades-especiales-de-puerto-rico/|archive-date=June 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations|type=USA
| 1772<ref>"Historia de Mayagüez 1760–1960"; by Subcomite de la Historia de Mayaüez (Author); Page: 61; Publisher: Talleres Graficos Interamericanos (1960); Language: Spanish</ref>|1800
| 1782<ref>Eugenio Fernández Méndez,"Noticias de la Historia Geográfica, Civil y Politica de Puerto Rico, por Fray Iñigo Abad y Lasierra", 1782</ref>|1791
| 1797<ref>Eugenio Fernández Méndez, "Relación del Viaje a la Isla de Puerto Rico del Naturista Pierre Ledrú, 1797", '''Crónicas de Puerto Rico''' (España, 1969) p.337</ref>|2210
| 1828<ref name="GENE">"Genealogias Biografias e Historia del Mayagüez de Ayer y Hoy y Antologia de Puerto Rico"; by Martin Gaudier (Author); Page: 47; Publisher: Imprenta "El Aguila", San German (1959); Language: Spanish</ref>|18267
| 1836<ref>Documentos Históricos de Mayagüez, 1836, Vol. 3.</ref>|19356
| 1877<ref>"Historia de Mayagüez 1760–1960"; by Subcomite de la Historia de Mayaüez (Author); Page: 68; Publisher: Talleres Graficos Interamericanos (1960); Language: Spanish</ref>|26446
| 1899<ref>{{cite web|title=Census PR |url=http://www.gobierno.pr/NR/rdonlyres/D758B733-4F3C-4EF3-BDE1-D68777C5C4D4/0/Poblacion_Total_Municipios_18992000.xls |access-date=August 10, 2009 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007180225/http://www.gobierno.pr/NR/rdonlyres/D758B733-4F3C-4EF3-BDE1-D68777C5C4D4/0/Poblacion_Total_Municipios_18992000.xls |archive-date=October 7, 2009 }}</ref>|38915
| 1910|42429
| 1920|41612
| 1930|58270
| 1940|76487
| 1950|87307
| 1960|83850
| 1970|85857
| 1980|96193
| 1990|100371
| 2000|98434
| 2010|89080
|2020|73077}}

According to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there were 92,156 people (down from 98,434 in 2000) in 38,469 housing units residing in Mayagüez. The population density was {{convert|1187|PD/sqmi}}.<ref name="2009USCENSUS">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IdentifyResultServlet?_mapX=181&_mapY=211&_latitude=&_longitude=&_pageX=342&_pageY=549&_dBy=050&_jsessionId=00038u-GPxT4ywlhE0TxTGClXf6:134a7lbrs:134a7ldqj |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121021110403/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IdentifyResultServlet?_mapX=181&_mapY=211&_latitude=&_longitude=&_pageX=342&_pageY=549&_dBy=050&_jsessionId=00038u-GPxT4ywlhE0TxTGClXf6:134a7lbrs:134a7ldqj |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |title=American Factfinder: Persons per Square Mile |access-date=June 10, 2011 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name="2009USCENSUSFACTSheet">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=05000US72097&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US72%7C05000US72097&_street=&_county=Mayag%FCez&_cityTown=Mayag%FCez&_state=04000US72&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= |title=Mayagüez Municipio, Puerto Rico |access-date=June 10, 2011 |publisher=United States Census Bureau|archive-date=September 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912135852/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmk |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city has a considerable "college population" adding approximately 10,000 people to the year round population of Mayagüez. People of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] origin, who may be of any race, composed 98.9% of the population.

Of the 31,877 households in 2007 in Mayagüez, 38.6% were married couples living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households 27.8% were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.41.

In Mayagüez, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. Mayagüez had more women, with 88.4 males for every 100 females.

As of 2000, speakers of [[English language|English]] as a first language accounted for 15.14% of the population.<ref>[https://apps.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results ''MLA Data Center Results for Mayagüez, Puerto Rico''] [[Modern Language Association]]. Retrieved 29 February 2024.</ref>

{| class="wikitable floatleft"
|-
!colspan=3|Mayagüez 2020 census<ref name="Bureau 2021">{{cite web |title=PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census |website=Census.gov |date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/puerto-rico-population-change-between-census-decade.html}}</ref>
|-
! Race
! Population
! % 
|-
| [[White Puerto Ricans|White]]||14,372||19.7
|-
| [[Afro–Puerto Ricans|Black]]||3,331||4.6
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]]||306||0.4
|-
| [[Asian people|Asian]]||102||0.1
|-
| [[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]]/[[Pacific Islander]]||24||0.0
|-
| Some other race||16,878||23.1
|-
| [[Multiracial people|Two or more races]]||38,064||52.1
|}
{{clear}}

==Economy==
The city has had several natural disasters. It faced a major economic downturn due to the closure of its textile factories and tuna industry, which were the principal industries of the city for the greater part of the 20th century. Over 11,000 permanent jobs in these two industries were lost in the city during the 1990s, and because of this, Mayagüez became the jurisdiction of the United States with the second most industrial job losses during the time, second only to [[Flint, Michigan]]. Once the third city in population and importance in Puerto Rico, population numbers for it have been relatively stagnant, and it has lost population.

Mayagüez has a floating population due to its universities, principally the [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez|University of Puerto Rico- Mayagüez Campus]] of about 15,000–20,000 which contributes considerably to its economy.

In 2005 Winston-Salem Industries for The Blind was the first industry to move into the city's industrial park in many years. In July 2007 [[Honeywell]] opened a customer support service center for its aerospace and information technology divisions in the city.

As of 2023, [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] data revealed that the Mayagüez metropolitan area had the worst-paid lawyers in the United States, with an annual average salary of only $62,380.<ref name="ABA_Wages">{{cite web |title=Wages |url=https://www.abalegalprofile.com/wages.html |website=ABA Profile of the Legal Profession 2024 |publisher=American Bar Association |access-date=December 18, 2024 |date=November 18, 2024}}</ref>

==Culture==
===Contributions to Puerto Rican gastronomy===
Mayagüez's contributions to [[Puerto Rican cuisine|Puerto Rican gastronomy]] have been many, and a few of these are known outside Puerto Rico. Besides being host to one of the largest concentrations of [[mango]] trees in the island, the city has been a host to various food enterprises whose products are popular in Puerto Rico (and  elsewhere):
*{{Lang|es|[[Brazo gitano]]}} – literally "[[Romani people|gypsy]] arm", is the locally produced [[Swiss roll|Swiss or jelly roll]], originally from Spain. E. Franco & Co., a bakery, food importer, and restaurant established in the late 1850s, is the best-known provider of {{Lang|es|brazos gitanos}} in town. Another (more recent) provider is Ricomini Bakery, whose central store in [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo|downtown Mayagüez]] has been open for over 100 years.
*''Sangría de Fido'' – the heirs of Wilfrido Aponte still bottle "Sangría de Fido", a powerful concoction inspired by [[sangria]], but made with fruit juices, [[Bacardi 151]] [[rum]] and [[burgundy wine]] (technically not from [[Burgundy (French region)|Bourgogne]], but produced by [[E & J Gallo Winery]] in [[Modesto, California]]). It had been bottled by hand by the bartender since the mid-1970s. ''"Sangría de Fido"'' has a sizeable reputation outside Puerto Rico, and can claim tasters from as far away as California and Spain. [[E & J Gallo Winery|E & J Gallo]] once awarded Aponte with a "Customer of the Year" award and flew him to their headquarters. Aponte was reportedly offered $250,000 by [[Bacardi]] to sell his original recipe once, to which he refused.
*Bolo's Sorullitos – a now-defunct operation that originated at Bolo's Restaurant, a seaside eatery next to [[Mayagüez Bay]], which produced sorullitos, or fried cornsticks, along with [[Fry sauce|mayo-ketchup]], a dip made of [[mayonnaise]], [[ketchup]], and garlic extract. The restaurant was popular in Puerto Rico between the late 1970s and mid-1980s (its custom-made building now houses [[WORA-TV]], one of the local television stations). For a while the frozen cornsticks were sold commercially in stores.
*Flan-Es-Cedó' – Elmec Industries, Inc. has been the local [[Crème caramel|flan]] producer for over thirty years
*India / [[Cervecería India|Medalla beer]] – the only remaining mass-produced [[Puerto Rican beer]] is brewed by "[[Cervecería India]]", one of the largest employers in town. ''Mayagüezanos'' are queued into morning rush hour, lunch and afternoon rush hour by the company's whistle, which rings at 7:00&nbsp;am, 8:00&nbsp;am, 12:00&nbsp;pm, 1:00&nbsp;p.m. and 5:00&nbsp;p.m. (all times [[Atlantic Standard Time Zone|AST]])
*[[Rex Cream's Ice Cream]] – established in the mid-1960s by [[Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico|Chinese migrants]] who came to Puerto Rico by the way of [[Costa Rica]], Rex Cream is a chain of ice cream parlors that had its heyday in the late 1970s. The two flagship stores in Mayagüez, however, are still popular (particularly on [[Good Friday]], since one of the stores is the endpoint for a Good Friday religious procession) for producing alternative ice cream flavors, particularly a [[Maize|corn]] [[Sherbet (U.S.)|sherbet]].
*[[Tuna|Tuna fish]] – At one time, [[Charlie the Tuna|StarKist]], [[Chicken of the Sea]], and [[Bumble Bee (brand)|Bumble Bee]] produced 80% of their collective production for consumption in the United States in Mayagüez. The last remaining tuna fish cannery closed in 2012 when Bumble Bee shuttered their operation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kantrow |first=Michelle |url=http://newsismybusiness.com/bumble-bee-closing-mayaguez-plant-after-40-years-leaving-200-jobless/ |title=Bumble Bee closing Mayagüez plant after 50 years, leaving 260 jobless |date=May 1, 2012 |access-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608204344/http://newsismybusiness.com/bumble-bee-closing-mayaguez-plant-after-40-years-leaving-200-jobless/ |archive-date=June 8, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*A new distillery was founded in Mayagüez in 2009, Destilería Coquí. Its production is limited to 100 bottles a day, their main product is artisan [[rum]] called [[pitorro]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vocero.com/noticia-29557-pitorro_de_mayagez.html |author=Carlos Antonio Otero |website=el Vocero |date=24 August 2009 |title=Bajante: La producción será de 100 botellas diarias a un precio de $20 |trans-title=Downstream: Production will be 100 bottles per day at a price of $20 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827111544/http://www.vocero.com/noticia-29557-pitorro_de_mayagez.html|archive-date=August 27, 2009}}</ref>

A defunct [[cola]] bottling operation in town produced "Vita Cola", a popular soft drink in Puerto Rico between the late 1940s and early 1960s.

Mayagüez was a major rum producing city in Puerto Rico between the 1930s and 1970s {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}. Several brands were produced by the city's three rum distillers. The most successful rum producing operation at the time was José González Clemente y Co., the bottlers of Ron Superior Puerto Rico, an award-winning [[dark rum]] that was bottled between 1909 and the late-1970s.
{{See also|List of Puerto Rican rums}}

===Festivals and events===
Mayagüez celebrates its [[Fiestas patronales in Puerto Rico|patron saint]] festival in late January / early February. The {{lang|es|Fiestas Patronales Virgen de la Candelaria}} is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.<ref name="PR_Ency" /><ref name="J.D. 2006">{{cite web | author=J.D. | title=Mayagüez | website=Link To Puerto Rico.com | date=May 2, 2006 | url=http://www.proyectosalonhogar.com/link%20p.r/www.linktopr.com/Mayaguez.html# | language=es | access-date=July 18, 2020}}</ref>

Other festivals and events celebrated in Mayagüez include:
* [[Epiphany (holiday)|Three Kings Day]] Festival – January
* ''Romance on the Boulevard'' – February
* Bomba and plena festival – February/March
* [[Mother's Day (United States)|Mothers Day]] concert – May
* [[Father's Day|Fathers Day]] concert – June
* Mayagüez [[Carnival]] – May
* Danza Festival – May
* Celebration of the founding of Mayagüez – September
* Crafts fair – November
* Christmas festivities – December
* Anniversary of the [[Flag of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican flag]] – December
* Pedestrian Mayagüez at [[Plaza Colón|Plaza Colon]] – third Sunday of the month

===Sports===
[[File:Natatorium at UPRM.jpg|thumb|Natatorium built for the 2010 games at the UPR Mayagüez Campus]]
Mayagüez hosted the [[2010 Central American and Caribbean Games]] for which the local and commonwealth governments have provided an investment of $250&nbsp;million<ref>{{Citation| title = Recreación & Deportes| url = http://www.afi.gobierno.pr/| access-date = July 21, 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100724170134/http://www.afi.gobierno.pr/| archive-date = July 24, 2010| url-status = dead}}</ref> for, among other things, building two new stadiums (the first a re-built [[Isidoro García Baseball Stadium]] the second next to it a [[Mayagüez Athletics Stadium|track and field and soccer stadium]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gerencia y Construcción |url=http://www.afi.gobierno.pr/proy_estadio_mayaguez_desc.htm |trans-title=Management and Construction |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121195716/http://www.afi.gobierno.pr/proy_estadio_mayaguez_desc.htm|archive-date=November 21, 2009}}</ref> Mayagüez also hosted the [[2011 Caribbean Series]].<ref>[http://www.periodicolaestrella.com/deportes.asp?ID=1426 Confirmada la sede del 2011] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929133845/http://www.periodicolaestrella.com/deportes.asp?ID=1426 |date=September 29, 2011 }}</ref>

Mayagüez's National Superior Basketball League ([[Baloncesto Superior Nacional|BSN]]) professional basketball team, the [[Indios de Mayagüez (basketball)|Indios de Mayagüez]], are named in honor of the city's Indian heritage. Its baseball winter league team ([[Puerto Rico Baseball League|LBPPR]]), the [[Indios de Mayagüez]], honor{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} their Indian heritage and the home town's [[Cervecería India]] brewery. The professional soccer club [[Puerto Rico Sol]], plays locally at local ''[[Mayagüez Athletics Stadium]]''.
The professional [[volleyball]] team [[Indias de Mayagüez]] from [[Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino]], plays locally at local ''[[Palacio de Recreación y Deportes]]''.

The "Justas" or inter-university games of the [[Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico]], were held in Mayagüez in 2010 in preparation for the [[2010 Central American and Caribbean Games|Central American and Caribbean Games]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.primerahora.com/diario/noticia/otros_accion/acciondeportiva/inician_las_reuniones_para_las_justas_en_mayaguez/343982 |title=Primerahora.com |publisher=Primerahora.com |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809101045/http://www.primerahora.com/diario/noticia/otros_accion/acciondeportiva/inician_las_reuniones_para_las_justas_en_mayaguez/343982 |archive-date=August 9, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Also they were held in 2016 and they are to be held in 2017.

==Tourism==
There are 13 beaches in Mayagüez.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/nota/las1200playasdepuertorico-1216285/|title=Las 1,200 playas de Puerto Rico [The 1200 beaches of Puerto Rico]|date=April 14, 2017|website=Primera Hora|language=es|access-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200804/https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/puerto-rico/nota/las1200playasdepuertorico-1216285/|archive-date=December 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Landmarks and places of interest===
*''[[Centro Cultural Baudilio Vega Berríos]]'' (Municipal Cultural Center)
*[[Mayagüez City Hall|Casa Consistorial De Mayagüez]] (City Hall & City Council Chambers)
*Casa Grande Museum
*[[Gomez Residencia (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico)|Gomez Residence]]
*[[Cervecería India|India Brewery]]
*[[Plaza Colón]]
*[[U.S. Custom House (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico)|Customs House]] ([[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]])
*[[Parque del Litoral]] [[Shorty Castro|Israel "Shorty" Castro]]
*Saint Andrew's [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] Church
*[[Eugenio María de Hostos]] Monument
*Central Presbyterian Church ([[Presbyterian Church (USA)]]
*Hostos Museum at [[Río Cañas Arriba, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Río Cañas Arriba barrio]]
*[[José de Diego]] Park
*[[Mayagüez Children's Library]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bibliotecajuvenil.org/ |title=bibliotecajuvenil.org |access-date=January 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506220736/http://bibliotecajuvenil.org/ |archive-date=May 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Mayagüez Mall]]
*[[Mayagüez Resort & Casino]]
*''[[Parque de los Próceres]]'' (Notable's Park)
*''Parque Infantil del Milenio'' (Millennium Child Park)
*Public Library (at Municipal Cultural Center)
*Tropical Agricultural Research Station([[USDA]] [[Agricultural Research Service|ARS]] Station)
*''[[Teatro Yagüez]]'' (Yaguez Theater/Municipal Theater)
*[[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez]] (El Colegio)
*[[Urayoán Monument]]
*[[RUM Planetarium]]
*[[RUM General Library]]
*Teatro Balboa. (Second Municipal Theater)
*[[Tienda-Almacén Siempreviva]]

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
Mayaguez Customs House.jpg|Customs House in Marina sector. Register of Historic Places
Casa Pilar Defilló Museum House.jpg|Museum House of Pilar Defilló (mother of Pablo Casals)
Entrada de la casa museo de Pilar Defilló (madre de Pablo Casals).jpg|Entrance to the House Museum of Pilar Defilló
Museo Casa Grande.jpg|Casa Grande museum at Mendez Vigo Street
Litoral Park.jpg|Parque del Litoral
plazamayaguez.jpg|Plaza Colón with City Hall on background, Christmas 2006
nuestrasenoracandelariamayaguez.jpg|Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Cathedral, Christmas 2006
UPRM Portal s.jpg|University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez – Portico
</gallery>

==Government==
[[File:MayaguezCityHall.jpg|thumb|Alcaldía de Mayagüez (Mayagüez City Hall), 2005]]

As one of Puerto Rico's 78 [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|municipalities]], Mayagüez's government has two executive and legislative branches. Those citizens eligible to vote, directly elect a mayor and the municipal assembly for four-year terms. The municipal government is housed in [[Mayagüez City Hall]] or ''Casa Alcaldia'', which faces the south side of the Plaza de Colon.

A popularly elected mayor heads the executive branch, currently deputy mayor Jorge Luis Ramos Ruiz, serves in the position as Interim Mayor after the suspension of [[José Guillermo Rodríguez]] from the post pending an investigation. In addition to running the city's day-to-day operations and supervising associated departments, the mayor is also responsible for appointing a secretary-auditor and a treasurer.

In the [[Puerto Rican general election, 2024|2024 general elections]], Ramos Ruiz was elected to serve a full, four-year term.

Mayagüez's Municipal Assembly comprises sixteen elected officials, as defined in the Puerto Rico Law of Autonomous Municipalities of 1991.

The city belongs to the [[Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV]], which is represented by two Senators. In [[Puerto Rican general election, 2024|2024]], Jeison Rosa and Karen Michelle Román Rodríguez, both from the [[New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico|New Progressive Party]] (PNP), were elected as District Senators.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_121/index.html#es/default/SENADORES_POR_DISTRITO_Mayaguez_IV.xml |title=Senatorial District Results Mayagüez IV |website=ceepur.org |date=December 31, 2024 |access-date=January 3, 2025 }}</ref>

{{See also|Mayors of Mayagüez}}

===Public services===
Law enforcement in Mayagüez is the joint responsibility of the Mayagüez Municipal Police Department and the [[Puerto Rico Police Department]]. The first fire fighters corps in the city was created in 1876.<ref name="HIST"/>

The city has three [[Puerto Rico Police]] (State Police) facilities and one Municipal Police station, it also has the regional office of the State Emergency Management Bureau(NMEAD) as well as the offices of the Puerto Rico Seismic Network(Red Sismica de Puerto Rico) and the Caribbean Tsunami Warning Program who share facilities in the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus.

It has numerous private ambulance service organizations which covered wide parts of the western coast of Puerto Rico and choose Mayagüez for its central location to the region.

There are small volunteer organizations dedicated to aiding police and emergency services as requested by such.

==Symbols==
The {{lang|es|municipio}} has an official flag and coat of arms.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ley Núm. 70 de 2006 -Ley para disponer la oficialidad de la bandera y el escudo de los setenta y ocho (78) municipios. | website=LexJuris de Puerto Rico | url=https://www.lexjuris.com/LEXLEX/Leyes2006/lexl2006070.htm | language=es | access-date=June 15, 2021}}</ref>

===Flag===
The wide cross represents Christianity brought to the [[Americas|New World]] by [[Christopher Columbus]],<ref name="prfrogui.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.prfrogui.com/home/mayaguez.htm |title=Mayagüez-municipio de Puerto Rico-datos y fotos |publisher=Prfrogui.com |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309092207/http://www.prfrogui.com/home/mayaguez.htm |archive-date=March 9, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> who signed his documents with the phrase and the motto ''Christ Ferens'', which means: "He who has Christ." The blue and white waves between the third and fourth quarters recall the coat of arms granted to Columbus by kings [[Catholic Monarchs of Spain|Ferdinand and Isabella]]. The waves represent the ocean (and particularly the [[Mona Passage]]) through which he sailed to bring the gospel to these new lands. The blue and white waves symbolize the [[Yagüez River]] and evokes the nickname ''City of Pure Waters''. The red and white flames on the flag symbolize the traditional [[bonfire]]s of [[Virgin of Candelaria|Day of Our Lady of Candelaria]] ("Día de La Candelaria"), ignited in honor of the city's [[patron saint]] (a tradition started for [[Canary Islanders|Spanish settlers]] from the [[Canary Islands]]).<ref name="prfrogui.com"/> The flag was officially adopted with the signing of City Ordinance 38, signed December 3, 1996.<ref name="prfrogui.com"/>

===Coat of arms===
According to the Puerto Rican historian Federico Cedó Alzamora, the original version of the [[coat of arms]] of Mayagüez was given to the city December 19, 1894, by the Queen Regent of Spain [[Maria Christina of Austria]].<ref name="HIST">"Historia de Mayagüez 1760–1960"; by Subcomite de la Historia de Mayaüez (Author); Page: 92; Publisher: Talleres Graficos Interamericanos (1960); Language: Spanish</ref> The upper half of the coat of arms shows the columbine coat of arms recalls and commemorates the discovery of the Island of Borinquén (Puerto Rico) by Columbus in his second trip to the New World in 1493. The lower half of the coat of arms shows a stylized version of Columbus's landing on Puerto Rico. The explorer's crew disembarked at the western coast of the island,<ref name="HIST"/> where several rivers spill their waters in the Mona Passage, among them the Yagüez, from which the name of Mayagüez is derived. The present version was reinterpreted by heraldist Roberto Biascochea Lota.

===Anthem===
The city's anthem was written by pianist and former music teacher [[Luciano Quiñones]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salonhogar.com/est_soc/pr/pueblos/mayaguez/index.htm |title=Mayaguez |publisher=Salonhogar.com |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415085533/http://www.salonhogar.com/est_soc/pr/pueblos/mayaguez/index.htm |archive-date=April 15, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> a long-time resident and now "adopted son" of the city. Until this song's adoption, the [[plena]] "''A Mayagüez''", written by [[César Concepción]], was used by many as an unofficial city song. Quiñones' composition was the winner of a contest sponsored by the city's municipality in 2003.<ref name="Cedó">{{Citation|first=Federico |last=Cedó Alzamora |title=El Himno de Mayagüez |series=Publicación Oficial No. 010 |publisher=Oficina del Historiador de Mayagüez. |url=http://www.mayaguez.pr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=106&lang=es |access-date=July 21, 2010 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810064742/http://www.mayaguez.pr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=106&lang=es |archive-date=August 10, 2011 }}</ref>

Mayor José Guillermo Rodríguez and the Municipal Legislature entrusted the Advisory Board of Art and Culture of Mayagüez to hold a contest to select an anthem for the city.<ref name="Cedó"/> The selected composition was a [[danza]] by Mr Luciano Quiñones, who has a bachelor's degree in music, a piano professor the Escuela Libre de Música de Mayagüez, he is a music composer already winning nineteen abarrios in competitions held by the Institute of Puerto Rican culture, and the Circulo de Recreo de San Germán.<ref name="Cedó"/> The lyrics alludes to the emblematic symbols of Mayagüez; its nicknames, to its [[Virgin of Candelaria|Patron Saint]], its taste of [[mango]], to its sunsets in the [[Mayagüez Bay|bay]], to the [[Taíno people|Taíno]], to [[Eugenio María de Hostos]], their role as cultural cradle, the sympathy of the ladies and the dream of its valleys and its mountains.<ref name="Cedó"/>

The anthem was presented to the people in a memorable concert held in commemoration of the 239 anniversary of the founding of the city on the night of September 18, 1999, interpreted by tenor, Mayagüez adopted son, Rafael José Díaz, Mayagüezana lyric soprano, Hilda Ramos, accompanied by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra conducted by its Associate Director, Mayagüezana Roselyn Pabón, in the same place where such Symphony Orchestra offered his first concert forty years earlier: the [[Plaza Colón]].<ref name="Cedó"/> This danza was recognized as the official anthem of Mayagüez through the Municipal Ordinance number 58, series 1999–2000, adopted on December 20, 1999, by the City Council, which was signed by the Mayor, Honorable José Guillermo Rodríguez on December 24, 1999.<ref name="Cedó"/>

MIDI and recorded versions of the anthem can be listened to here.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ladanza.com/mayahimn.htm |title=Himno a Mayagüez |publisher=Ladanza.com |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013155709/http://ladanza.com/mayahimn.htm |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:UPRM Administration s.JPG|thumb|UPRM Central Administration Building]]

===Public schools===
The [[Residential Center of Educative Opportunities of Mayagüez|Residential Center for Educative Opportunities of Mayagüez]], ([[Residential Center of Educative Opportunities of Mayagüez|CROEM]]) is one of only two public boarding schools in Puerto Rico. The largest public high school in town is Eugenio María de Hostos High School. The other public high school in Mayagüez is Dr. Pedro Perea Fajardo Vocational High School. The former José De Diego High School was finally closed in 2009.

===Private schools===
The non-profit [[Southwestern Educational Society]] (SESO) maintains the Southwestern Community School, an English language college preparatory school. Other private schools include: [[Colegio San Benito]], (CSB) ([[Benedict of Nursia|Saint Benedict]] College), the [[Academia de la Inmaculada Concepción]] (Academy of the Immaculate Conception), Colegio De La Milagrosa (College of Our Lady of Miracles), the Academia Adventista del Oeste (Western [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Adventist]] Academy) and Academia Adventista de Bella Vista (Bella Vista Adventist Academy), Theopolis Christian Academy (TCA)

===Colleges and universities===
Mayagüez has become a major [[college town]], due in part to various higher learning institutions in the city.
* [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez]]
* [[Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez]]
* [[Antillean Adventist University]]
* [[Carlos Albizu University]]

There are also a number of junior colleges in the city:
* [[Instituto Comercial de Puerto Rico Junior College]]
* [[Instituto de Banca y Comercio]]
* [[NUC University]]
* [[Escuela Hotelera de San Juan - Recinto de Mayagüez]]

===Health care and hospitals===
* [[Mayagüez Medical Center]]
* [[Hospital Perea]]
* [[Mayagüez Medical Center: San Antonio]]
* [[Hospital Bella Vista]]
* [[Clinica Yaguez]]
* [[Policlinica Bella Vista]]

==Transportation==
 [[File:Trasportando para los (sic) alturas, Mayagüez.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Across the mountains, 1908]]

===Roads and highways===
The dominant mode of transportation in Puerto Rico is the automobile. Mayagüez is served by two highways linking it to other parts of the island.

[[Puerto Rico Highway 2]] existing as an arterial road is a primary route between [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]] to the south-east and [[Aguadilla, Puerto Rico|Aguadilla]] and [[Arecibo, Puerto Rico|Arecibo]] to the north and north-east respectively. PR-2 is undergoing a conversion to a freeway between Ponce and Mayagüez.<ref name="freeway">
{{cite web|title=Conversion a expreso de Carr PR-2, Ponce a Mayagüez|url=http://www.drna.pr.gov/deslindes-zmt/aviso-deslindes-zmt/conversion-a-expreso-de-carr-pr-2-ponce/|website=Aviso Deslindes ZMT|date=May 22, 2009 |publisher=PR State Dept. of Environmental and Natural Resources|access-date=September 12, 2020}}</ref>

Another important route in Mayagüez is [[Puerto Rico Highway 102|PR-102]]. It begins at an intersection with PR-2, about 2 miles north of [[Mayagüez barrio-pueblo|Mayagüez Pueblo]] at the Mar y Sol development and runs along Mayagüez's coastal industrial areas to [[Joyuda]], where it then turns east and terminates in [[Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico|Sabana Grande]].

The portion of the highway adjacent to the [[Isidoro García Stadium|''Estadio Isidoro Garcia'']] was upgraded from a two-lane road into an urban boulevard in anticipation of the [[2010 Central American and Caribbean Games|2010 Centro-American and Caribbean Games]] celebrated in Mayagüez. In addition to this upgrade, an elevated by-pass was constructed from the coastal park site over the [[Yagüez River]] ending at the Concordia Housing Project.

There are 41 bridges in Mayagüez.<ref name="bridge">{{cite web|title=Mayagüez Bridges|url=http://bridgereports.com/pr/mayaguez/|website=National Bridge Inventory Data|publisher=US Dept. of Transportation|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042036/http://bridgereports.com/pr/mayaguez/|archive-date=February 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Public transportation===
[[File:TranviaMayaguez3.jpg|thumb|left|Horse-driven tram, Mayagüez]]
Transportation in Mayagüez is limited to a trolley service, various private taxi companies and an occasional daytime syndicated ''público'' service named Mayagüez Urbano (Urban Mayagüez) that provide transportation between the main points of the city at a cost of $2.00 per route. Passenger transportation between Mayagüez and [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] is operated by the Linea Sultana, another syndicated service.<ref>{{cite web|title=Línea Sultana|url=http://mayaguezsabeamango.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194:linea-sultana&catid=51:historias&Itemid=78=mayaguezsabeamango.com|access-date=March 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714052628/http://mayaguezsabeamango.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194:linea-sultana&catid=51:historias&Itemid=78=mayaguezsabeamango.com|archive-date=July 14, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city operates three trolleys, free of charge, which run as shuttles between the downtown area and the [[Palacio de Recreación y Deportes]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Trolly/Transportacion/Mayagüez |url=http://www.mayaguezpr.gov/mayaguez_evoluciona/transportacion/trolly.htm |access-date=July 31, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070521020415/http://www.mayaguezpr.gov/mayaguez_evoluciona/transportacion/trolly.htm |archive-date=May 21, 2007}}</ref>

The [[University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez]] (UPRM) also runs an internal network of trolleys to carry its students inside campus and between UPRM's Mayagüez Terrace development and Palacio de Recreación y Deportes,<ref>{{cite web|title=Rutas del Trolley|url=http://www.uprm.edu/cvida/trolley.html|access-date=March 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522152053/http://www.uprm.edu/cvida/trolley.html|archive-date=May 22, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> linking here with the city's trolley service. There are some proposals to expand the municipal trolley service to serve inside the UPRM.<ref>{{cite web|title=Confirman vínculos de colaboración|url=http://www.uprm.edu/news/articles/as2010161.html|access-date=March 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221233345/http://www.uprm.edu/news/articles/as2010161.html|archive-date=December 21, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Parada Escuela Eugenio María de Hostos.jpg|thumb|Trolley passing through the university (CAAM)]]
For the [[2010 Central American and Caribbean Games]] the [[Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works|Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works]] released an [[Express bus service|express public bus system]] operated with [[Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses]] (San Juan's Metropolitan Bus Authority) buses specially assigned to serve the city of Mayagüez. During the [[2010 Central American and Caribbean Games|Mayagüez 2010 Games]], this bus network was carrying passengers in a corridor along Highway 2 and some main roads. The UPRM trolleybus network was integrated into this service too. Although suspended after the Mayagüez 2010 Games ended, the system is expected to be re-established shortly.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transportation secretary to lend a hand at games|url=http://www.prdailysun.com/index.php?page=news.article&id=127934502|work=Puerto Rico Daily Sun|access-date=July 17, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Seaport===
{{Main|Port of Mayagüez}}
[[File:Mayaguez port.jpg|thumb|View of Mayagüez port from Ferry terminal to silos pier]]

The [[Port of Mayagüez]] is the third busiest port in Puerto Rico.<ref>[http://www.mayaguezpr.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156&Itemid=142]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> It was base for several years to several tuna and fish companies who made the port a considerable busy one. It was normal to see 3 to 4 ships docked at any given day but due to the Section 936 termination the industries started to leave until 2000 approximately when only the ferry and the ''Federacion de Industria Agropecuaria'' silos pier were left. It is located northwest of the central business district along Puerto Rico routes 64, 341, and 3341, and stretches for {{convert|3.8|mi}} along the coast. Its main canal is {{convert|0.4|mi|km}} wide and its depth ranges from {{convert|47|to|120|ft}}, the water's depth along the piers ranges between {{convert|28|and|29|ft}}. The port is protected from rough seas by reefs which run along its northern and western sections.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071105210821/http://mayaguezpr.gov/mayaguez_evoluciona/transportacion/puerto.htm Puerto de Mayagüez, Puerto Rico], Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, July 31, 2007</ref>

On March 16, 2011, a new ferry service to the [[Dominican Republic]] was launched by [[America Cruise Ferries]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Casiano Communications |url=http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=53162&ct_id=1 |title=DR ferry from Mayagüez, SJ to launch in March |publisher=Caribbeanbusinesspr.com |date=January 20, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310044636/http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=53162&ct_id=1 |archive-date=March 10, 2012 }}</ref>
Late 2016 the municipal administration awarded an administration contract to a private company after years of legal disputes and non-complying groups involved. The municipal administration had plans of development for the port back to 2004 when they received a portion of port area from the central government (the ferry pier and terminal) but 12 years later the port has seen little to no progress.

===Airport===
{{Main|Eugenio María de Hostos Airport}}
Mayagüez's airport, [[Eugenio María de Hostos Airport]], also known as [[El Maní]] Airport, has had regular airline services for more than thirty years.<ref>[http://www.mayaguezpr.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155&Itemid=141]{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> It is located {{convert|4|mi|km}} north of the central business district in the [[Sabanetas, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico|Sabanetas]] barrio. Before being inaugurated in 1955, the airport served as a military base. In the 1970s it had domestic service from [[Prinair]], then from [[American Eagle Airlines|American Eagle]] and [[Eastern Air Lines]]'s regional carrier ''Eastern Metro Express'' in the 1980s. After Eastern went bankrupt in 1991, American Eagle remained the only airline serving the airport until it ended service to the city on April 30, 2005, due to poor loads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/1816017/ |title=American Eagle To End Service To Mayagüez Civil Aviation Forum |publisher=Airliners.net |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629150049/http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/1816017/ |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> For a while, [[Fina Air]] served flights to the Dominican Republic before the airline went bankrupt. [[Cape Air]] currently serves the airport with five daily flights to [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]] during the high season and three daily flights during the low season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cape Air |url=http://res.flycapeair.com/travel/air/index.rvlx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726020303/http://res.flycapeair.com/travel/air/index.rvlx|archive-date=July 26, 2011}}{{verify source|date=April 2024}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main category|People from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico}}
[[File:J. Serrano official portrait (3x4).jpg|thumb|upright |Congressman José Serrano]]
*[[Wilkins (singer)|Wilkins]] – Is a Puerto Rican pop music singer and composer. 
*[[Maria Arrillaga]] – is a Puerto Rican poet who has been a professor at the University of Puerto Rico.
*[[María Luisa Arcelay]]
*[[J. J. Barea]] – former professional basketball player for the [[Dallas Mavericks]] and [[Minnesota Timberwolves]]
*[[Lucy Boscana]] – actress and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television industry.
*[[Baudilio Vega Berríos]]
*[[Antonio Duvergé]] – was a Dominican general of French origin who served in the Dominican War of Independence.
*[[Carlos Vargas Ferrer]]
*[[Eugenio María de Hostos]] – a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, novelist, and Puerto Rican independence advocate.
*[[Keylla Hernández]]
*[[Gina Lynn]] – Hall of fame Puerto Rican former pornographic actress, model, and stripper.
*[[Alicia Moreda]] – a soap opera actress, comedian, and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television industry.
*[[Olga A. Méndez]]
*[[Hernán Padilla]]
*[[Frankie Ruiz]] – was an American salsa singer and songwriter. He was a major figure in the salsa romántica era of 80's, 90's.
*[[Noemí Ruiz]] 
*[[Roberto Roena]]
*[[Roberto Sanchez Vilella]]
*[[José E. Serrano]], U.S. Congressman, 1990 to 2021
*[[Kobbo Santarrosa]]
*[[Martín Travieso]]
*[[Rawy Torres]] – Puerto Rican singer, composer, and guitarist, who was a member of the boy band [[Menudo (group)|Menudo]]
*[[Madeline Willemsen]]

==International relations==
Mayagüez serves as a host city for two foreign consulates with business in Puerto Rico:
* Dominican Republic<ref>{{cite web | title=Travel Documents Dominican Republic | url=http://www.traveldocs.com/do/embassy.htm | access-date=May 1, 2008 | language=es | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418081919/http://www.traveldocs.com/do/embassy.htm | archive-date=April 18, 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* Hungary (Honorary Consulate)<ref>{{cite web | title=gopuertorico.org | url=http://welcome.topuertorico.org/reference/consulates.shtml | access-date=May 1, 2008 | language=es | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218085835/http://welcome.topuertorico.org/reference/consulates.shtml | archive-date=February 18, 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sister cities===
* {{flagdeco|Mexico}} [[Quiroga, Michoacán|Quiroga]], Michoacán, Mexico
* {{flagdeco|Colombia}} [[Cartagena, Colombia]]

==Book==
* Gaudier, Martín, ''Genealogías, Biografías e Historia del Mayagüez de Ayer y Hoy y Antología de Puerto Rico'', 1957.

==See also==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico|Geography}}
*[[Timeline of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico]]
*[[Territories of the United States]]
*[[List of Puerto Ricans]]
*[[History of Puerto Rico]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico]]
*[[Portal:Puerto Rico/Did you know/Archive|Did you know-Puerto Rico?]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://islandsofpuertorico.com/mayaguez/ Mayaguez, Puerto Rico]
* {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20050209225159/http://www.mayaguez2010.com/ Mayaguez 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games]}}
* {{LOC-general|url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/gmd:@field(SUBJ+@band(Puerto+Rico--Mayaguez+))|article=1888 Map of Mayaguez}}
* {{LOC-general|url=http://rs6.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbpr:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbpr28615div14))|article=Karl Stephen Hermann's memoir of the occupation of the city by United States troops, written in 1907}}
* Current weather in Mayagüez from: [http://www.wunderground.com/US/PR/Mayaguez.html Weather Underground]
* Peter van der Krogt's [http://www.vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=CO&record=pr009 page about the Columbus monument at Mayagüez's ''Plaza de Colón'']
* {{NPS|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/prvi/|article=Historic Places in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary}}
* [http://pr.gov/Directorios//Pages/InfoMunicipio.aspx?PRIFA=M097 Puerto Rico Government Directory – Mayaquez]

{{Adjacent communities
|Centre    = Mayagüez
|North     = [[Añasco, Puerto Rico|Añasco]]
|Northeast = [[Las Marías, Puerto Rico|Las Marías]]
|East      = [[Maricao, Puerto Rico|Maricao]]
|Southeast = [[San Germán, Puerto Rico|San Germán]] 
[[Maricao, Puerto Rico|Maricao]]
|South     = [[Hormigueros, Puerto Rico|Hormigueros]]
|Southwest = [[Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico|Cabo Rojo]]
|West      = [[Mona Passage]]
|Northwest =[[Añasco, Puerto Rico|Añasco]] 
}}
{{Mayagüez}}
{{Porta del Sol}}
{{Puerto Rico subdivisions}}
{{American Capital of Culture}}
{{Subject bar|auto=y|s=1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Mayaguez|d=y}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayaguez, Puerto Rico}}
[[Category:Mayagüez, Puerto Rico| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Mayagüez metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1760]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Puerto Rico]]