Mayaguez is located off the western coast of Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean. It was first discovered by Columbus in 1493. It is part of the Puerto Rico archipelago, meaning it is part of many smaller islands, and according to a 2011 estimate is home to 3.7 million people.
On this day July 10th, in 1877, Spain gives a royal charter for Mayaguez. The settlement was founded in 1760, as an agricultural outpost. As the island was pretty small – only 77 miles total – Spain paid little attention to it.
Out of all the islands of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez has the most extreme weather. Summer months get brutally hot, while winter months get bitterly cold. During the summer storms are known to cause tornadoes, floods, and hail. Mayaguez has only 90,000 residents, but made numerous contributions to gastronomy, the scientific study of food, often related to digestion. It also has the highest concentration of Mango trees in Puerto Rico.