 c.1897 | |
  Location of Central San Vicente | |
| Country |  Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| City |  Vega Baja |
| Coordinates | 18°26′40″N66°23′16″W / 18.444388°N 66.387672°W |
| Refinery details | |
| Owner(s) | L. Igaravidez (1873-1878) José Gallart (1878-1896) Rubert Hermanos (1896) Corp. Azucarera (1972) |
| Commissioned | 1873 |
| Decommissioned | 1967 |
Central San Vicente was the first sugarcane refinery in Puerto Rico, established in 1873 by Leonardo Igaravidez at Vega Baja.
In 1850, Manuel Lopez Landron founded the Hacienda San Vicente. After his death, his widow married Leonardo Igaravidez Maldonado (Vega Alta, 1830–1888), marquis of Cabo Caribe, who bought the neighboring plantations of Felicidad, Santa Inés, Fe and Rosario. He bought French machinery that allowed integration of the sugarcane fabrication process into a fully mechanized production flow. [1] [2] On January 30, 1872, a railroad opened for cane transport from the plantations to the Central.
In 1878, after its bankruptcy for a debt of more than 1 million pesos, the plant was bought by José Gallart. In 1880 four more Centrales operated in Puerto Rico: Luisa, San Francisco, Coloso and Canóvanas. In 1896, Gallart sold it to Rubert Hermanos, [3] who owned four additional plants with the Compañía Fabián, changing its name to Central San Vicente, Inc. In 1935 it had a grinding capacity of 1.500 tons daily, growing to 5,600 tons at 1958. In 1952 it achieve its greatest production, grinding 71.280 tons.
San Vicente closed in 1967, [4] after it was sold to La Corporación Azucarera in 1972 who sold it off in pieces. Some of the machinery was sold to el ingenio la Grecia in Choluteca, Honduras.
The chimney was rebuilt in 1952. Its ruins include two fireplaces, part of an oven, a crane, brick and walls, tanks and parts of a "Farrel" steam engine. It is located in the carr. 688, of the Cabo Caribe neighborhood, Vega Baja. [5]
Vega Baja is a town and municipality located on the coast of north central Puerto Rico. It is north of Morovis, east of Manatí, and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 14 barrios. The population of the municipality was 54,414 at the 2020 census. It is part of the San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan statistical area.
Dr. Rebekah Colberg Cabrera, was a Puerto Rican athlete, who was known as "The Mother of Women's Sports in Puerto Rico". Colberg participated in various athletic competitions in the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games celebrated in Panama where she won the gold medals in Discus and Javelin throw.
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Juan Cortada y Quintana was a Puerto Rican politician, businessman, and landowner. He served as Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, from 27 September 1872 to 4 February 1874.
Juan de Dios Conde was mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1836 and again in 1839.
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José Gualberto Padilla, also known as El Caribe, was a physician, poet, journalist, politician, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence. He suffered imprisonment and constant persecution by the Spanish Crown in Puerto Rico because his patriotic verses, social criticism and political ideals were considered a threat to Spanish Colonial rule of the island.
Cabo Caribe is a barrio in the municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,989.
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Cibuco Swamp is a swamp located in northern Puerto Rico in the municipality of Vega Baja. The swamp is found at the mouth of the Cibuco River, in the barrios Cabo Caribe, Cibuco and Puerto Nuevo. The swamp is protected by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) as the Cibuco Swamp Nature Reserve, and it is home to a large number of species of plants and animals. The nature reserve is open to visitors who are allowed to hike and bike, and the area is also popular for birdwatching.
The Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones is a Puerto Rican government program adopted by the state Planning Board for use by both private and public entities to evaluate, register, revitalize, develop or protect the built historic and cultural heritage of Puerto Rico in the context and for economic planning and land use zoning.
Media related to Central San Vicente at Wikimedia Commons