Another Week With a Car: Ponce

On the way to Ponce on Route 52, we travel up and over the central mountain range (the Cordillera Central). The north side is lush and green, while the semi-arid southern hills are dry and scrubby with cactus. This is the driest part of the island.

We stopped at the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey to visit its Museo de Arte, which is dedicated to preserving the artistic and historical legacy of painter Ramón Frade (1875-1954). His realistic paintings are reminiscent of a simpler time. His masterwork below, Our Daily Bread, shows a "jibaro" farmer carrying plantains. In this painting, Frade depicts an old, barefooted man, who is poor, but proud, serious, dignified, and clean.

El Pan Nuestro (Our Daily Bread)

South of Cayey along the highway is a monument: Monumento Jibaro Puertorriqueño that honors the Puerto Rican Jibaro. Jibaro is the Puerto Rican Spanish term for poor country-folk. Farmers, wood craftsman, hunters, and hardworking pioneers are hardly ever honored for their contribution to a nation. This monument is to remind the people of Puerto Rico that these poor country-folk, who lived simple lives, worked the land, and cared for their families with what little they had, were the backbone of their society.

Monumento Jibaro Puertorriqueño

Plaza Las Delicious is the main plaza of Ponce. There are fountains and various monuments. The historic firehouse building, Parque de Bombas, is located here. It is now a museum, but was the city's main fire station for many years and the first fire station in Puerto Rico.