Splish Splashing in Playa de Ponce

The beaches in Puerto Rico aren't usually known for their peace and quiet, but Playa de Ponce is a little bit further from the crowds, making it an ideal spot for travelers seeking a beach away from the tourist crowds. Playa de Ponce is a beautiful beach to visit if you are looking for a place to swim because of its calm waters and easy tides or you can just relax on the warm sandy beaches. If you get hungry while at the beach, no worries, they are many food vendors that set up shop near the beach. When it gets dark or if you just get tired of the beach for the day they are also museums, theatres, parks and many other attractions local close to Playa de Ponce.

 

Also, you can’t go to the beach without getting a bite to eat. Playa de Ponce has many regional favorites from American, Asian to international Spanish. One of the closest restaurants is Cold Stone Creamery Ponce which is just about .6 mi from Playa de Ponce. Here is just a few facts and interest about Playa de Ponce.

 

 

   With a population of 194,636, Ponce is Puerto Rico's second largest city (San juan is the first and Mayaguez is the third). Ponce is commonly known by several names: "La Perla del Sur" (Pearl of the South), "La Ciudad de los Leones" (City of Lions), or "La Ciudad de las Quenepas" (Genip City). Ponce is also known as the "Ciudad Señorial" (Majestic or Noble City), because of its many beautiful neoclassical buildings and facades.

Ponce was founded in 1692 by Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson - Loíza Ponce de León. Ponce was Spain's capital of the southern region until it fell to the U.S. in 1898. The annual precipitation is approximately 36 inches on the coast and 48 inches in the interior and the average temperature is 75°F.

   Flag
The flag consist of a rectangular cloth divided by a diagonal line, creating two equal isosceles triangles, starting from the top left hand corner and ending on the lower right hand corner. The top triangle is red; the bottom triangle is black. In the center of the flag sits the shield of the municipality. Under this shield is the number 1877, the year of the founding of the city, and above the shield is the word Ponce

 Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the municipality is based on the design of the official mayoral seal that was adopted in 1844 under the administration of mayor Salvador de Vives.^[218]

Coat of arms of Ponce.

The coat of arms of Ponce consists of an escutcheon (shield) in the Spanish tradition. This shield has a field with a party per bend division. The division runs from top left to bottom right. The field is red and black, bordered with a fine golden line. In the center of the shield is the figure of an erect lion standing on a bridge. The top of the bridge is a golden, the middle is red bricks, and the base foundation is gray rocks. Under the bridge there are gray wavy lines. Over the shield rests a five-tower golden stone wall with openings in the form of red windows. To the left of the shield is a coffee tree branch with its fruit, and to the right of the shield is a sugar cane stalk. The symbols of the shield are as follows: The field represents the flag of the municipality of Ponce, divided diagonally in the traditional city colors: red and black. The lion over the bridge alludes to the last name of the conqueror and first governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de Leon. The waves under the bridge allude to the Rio Portugues, on the banks of which the city was born. The coronet in the form of a five-tower mural crown above the shield allude to the Spanish crown, through which the settlement obtained its city charter. The coffee tree branch and the sugar cane stalk represent the main agricultural basis of the economy of the young municipality.