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26-545: Lajas ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlaxas] ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Lajas Valley in southwestern Puerto Rico , on the southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea , south of San Germán and Sabana Grande ; east of Cabo Rojo ; and west of Guánica . Lajas is spread over 11 barrios plus Lajas Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of

52-559: A barrio called pueblo which contains a central plaza, the municipal buildings (city hall), and a Catholic church. Fiestas patronales (patron saint festivals) are held in the central plaza every year. The central plaza, or square, is a place for official and unofficial recreational events and a place where people can gather and socialize from dusk to dawn. The Laws of the Indies , Spanish law, which regulated life in Puerto Rico in

78-543: 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 Lajas: El Papayo, El Tendal, Sector Sabana Yeguas, La Haya, Las Cuevas, Los Jovillos, Maguayo, Piñalejos, and Tokio. Lajas features a tropical savanna climate ( Aw/As ), common for southwestern Puerto Rico. The record high for

104-742: A dry "winter") and As (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than 60 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation and also less than 100 − ( Total Annual Precipitation (mm) 25 ) {\textstyle 100-\left({\frac {\text{Total Annual Precipitation (mm)}}{25}}\right)} mm of precipitation. This latter fact is in a direct contrast to a tropical monsoon climate , whose driest month sees less than 60 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation but has more than 100 − ( Total Annual Precipitation (mm) 25 ) {\textstyle 100-\left({\frac {\text{Total Annual Precipitation (mm)}}{25}}\right)} of precipitation. In essence,

130-518: A popular tourist destination to see the famous Bahía Fosforescente (Phosphorescent Bay) and its numerous keys and islets. Parador La Parguera was founded by Puerto Rican comedian Henry LaFont (Julio Pancorbo Ortiz). People from the El Combate community in barrio Boquerón are known as mata con hacha ("those who kill with axes") based on folklore about a fight over the salinas , where those from Cabo Rojo fought with axes against people from

156-486: A tropical area while winter precipitation remains sufficient to preclude a hot semi-arid climate ( BSh ) and temperatures in the summer months are warm enough to preclude a Mediterranean climate ( Csa/Csb ) classification. This is the case East Africa (Mombasa, Kenya, Somalia), Sri Lanka ( Trincomalee ) and coastal regions of Northeastern Brazil (from São Luís through Natal to Maceió ), for instance. The difference between "summer" and "winter" in such tropical locations

182-401: A tropical savanna climate tends to either see less overall rainfall than a tropical monsoon climate or have more pronounced dry season(s). It is impossible for a tropical savanna climate to have more than 2,500 mm (98 in) as such would result in a negative value in that equation. In tropical savanna climates, the dry season can become severe, and often drought conditions prevail during

208-769: Is Jayson Martínez, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). Martínez was elected at the 2020 general election . The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V , which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Ramón Ruiz and Martín Vargas Morales , from the Popular Democratic Party , were elected as District Senators. There are 5 bridges in Lajas. Lajas municipio or Municipality has an official flag and coat of arms. The flag consists of three horizontal stripes;

234-781: Is a national protected area located in Lajas. Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Lajas is subdivided into barrios . The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo" . Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions ) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores ( sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial , among others. Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing

260-462: Is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. The festival has featured live performances by well-known artists such as Tito Rojas , and Arcángel . Other festivals and events celebrated in Lajas include: Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico , Lajas is administered by a mayor. The current mayor

286-501: Is usually so slight that a distinction between an As and Aw climate is trivial. In most places that have tropical wet and dry climates, however, the dry season occurs during the time of lower sun and shorter days because of reduction of or lack of convection , which in turn is due to the meridional shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone during the entire course of the year, based on which hemisphere

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312-650: The Guajira , and Coro, western Venezuela, the northernmost peninsulas in South America, which receive <300 mm (11.8 in) total annual precipitation, practically all in two or three months). This condition extends to the Lesser Antilles and Greater Antilles forming the Circumcaribbean dry belt. The length and severity of the dry season diminishes inland (southward); at the latitude of

338-572: The United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Lajas Pueblo was 1,385. This Lajas, Puerto Rico location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories Aw (for

364-624: The Amazon river—which flows eastward, just south of the equatorial line—the climate is Af. East from the Andes, between the arid Caribbean and the ever-wet Amazon, are the Orinoco river Llanos or savannas , from where this climate takes its name. Sometimes As is used in place of Aw if the dry season occurs during the time of higher sun and longer days. This is typically due to a rain shadow effect that cuts off ITCZ-triggered summer precipitation in

390-407: The adjacent town of Lajas. Because the people from Lajas apparently fought back by throwing stones they are known as tira piedras ("those who throw stones"). On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. In Lajas, over 270 residences lost their roofs. The hurricane destroyed Lajas' pineapple industry. Lajas is located on the southern coast. Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge

416-519: The bottom, outside the shield, a banner with the inscription "Ciudad Cardenalicia" (Cardinal City). This, for Cardinal Luis Aponte Martínez, born in Lajas, who was the first and only Cardinal of the Catholic Church from Puerto Rico. The banner and the inscription appear in black. Scenes around Lajas: Lajas barrio-pueblo As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has

442-739: The city). It is part of the San Germán-Cabo Rojo Metropolitan Statistical Area . Located in the Lajas Valley , the town was founded in 1883 by the Xueta Teodoro Jácome Pagán . Xuetes ( Chuetas ) were Majorcan Jews ( Sephardic Catalan Jews). Some families changed their names from Jácome to the Castilian form Santiago . Jácome is the Mallorquin form of James (Ia'akov). Catalan Jews from Majorca were part of

468-421: The course of the year. Tropical savanna climates often feature tree-studded grasslands due to its dryness, rather than thick jungle. It is this widespread occurrence of tall, coarse grass (called savanna) which has led to Aw and As climates often being referred to as the tropical savanna. However, there is some doubt whether tropical grasslands are climatically induced. Additionally, pure savannas, without trees, are

494-423: The early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for "the parties" (celebrations, festivities) ( Spanish : a propósito para las fiestas ), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors ( Spanish : grandeza proporcionada al número de vecinos ). These Spanish regulations also stated that the streets nearby should be comfortable portals for passersby, protecting them from

520-575: The early settlers in the south of Borikén (Puerto Rico). 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 colony of the United States . In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Lajas was 8,789. The village of La Parguera is

546-562: The elements: sun and rain. Located across the central plaza in Lajas barrio-pueblo is the Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria , a Roman Catholic church. Lajas barrio-pueblo was in Spain's gazetteers until 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 an unincorporated territory of the United States . In 1899,

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572-613: The exception rather than the rule. There are generally four types of tropical savanna climates: Tropical savanna climates are most commonly found in Africa , Asia , Central America , and South America . The climate is also prevalent in sections of northern Australia , the Pacific Islands, in extreme southern North America in south Florida , and some islands in the Caribbean . Most places that have this climate are found at

598-780: The outer margins of the tropical zone , but occasionally an inner-tropical location (e.g., San Marcos , Antioquia , Colombia ) also qualifies. Similarly, the Caribbean coast, eastward from the Gulf of Urabá on the Colombia – Panamá border to the Orinoco river delta , on the Atlantic Ocean (ca. 4,000 km (2,485 mi)), have long dry periods (the extreme is the BSh climate (see below), characterized by very low, unreliable precipitation, present, for instance, in extensive areas in

624-413: The top one is green, the center one is white and the bottom one is light yellow. A vertical white stripe down the left makes a white cross. In the center of the cross is a ripe yellow pineapple. The cross is surrounded by eleven gold stars; five in the top part and six in the lower part of the cross, in the form of a circle. It is gold with a green band crossing it diagonally right to left; gold stands for

650-573: The town is 103 °F (39 °C). Lajas is famous for its main touristic attraction, Bahía Fosforescente (La Parguera), a place where bioluminescent dinoflagellates of different colors appear when the water moves. The origin of the colored lights is the object of many legends. Lajas is also a fishing town. There are five beaches in Lajas. Some of the main attractions of Lajas are: Lajas celebrates its patron saint festival in February. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria

676-406: The wealth of the land and green for the beauty of the valley, which is a gift from mother nature to Lajas. The band is adorned, at each end, with a pineapple bordered in gold and black. In the center of the band, also in gold, a marine shell. In the top left there is a red cardinal's hat and in the bottom a red anchor with green; the shield has a 3 tower castle, each one with two windows and a door. On

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