Arecibo

Near the river the Indians called Abacoa, the area of Arecibo was originally an Indian village ruled by a chieftain named Arasibo or Arecibo.
In 1515, Sancho Velazquez, who had come to the island as a residence judge appointed by the Secretary of the King and was in charge of affairs of the Indies, entrusted chief Arasibo and 200 Indians to Lope de Conchillo.  In fact they gave themselves to him, since he managed the assets of the area.  He was apparently hired to perform public works.

Many Indians were killed in a very short time so that the bank of the Abacoa was depopulated.  By mid-century, several residents devoted to fishing and turtle breeding settled in the area.  Founded in 1556, Arecibo was the third Spanish settlement on the island.  The Crown officially founded it as a city in 1616.

Population of Arecibo

It is said that in 1582 about ten residents, under Malgarejo, dwelled in the area.  They were poor people that stole the French corsairs.  The population continued to grow at a good pace, having 80 residents by 1616.  On May 1 of that year, Governor Felipe de Beaumont y Navarre gave Malgarejo the title of town, and built the church of San Felipe Arecibo.

Captain Melgarejo sent King Felipe II the following description of the Island of San Juan:
“… Further west, about five miles from the mouth of the river, leaving another very mighty river, which is said Arecibo, which in Indian language is said “Abacoa.”  In the mouth are gathered up some neighbors as ten probe, have a seat by the governor tyniente desta island … ”

(San Juan was the name of the Island and Puerto Rico was known as the Capital at the time).
Salvador Brau made the following description:

“Here for the years 1533 to 1556 began to increase the low margins in the vicinities of Rio Abacoa and Ribera del Arecibo, where the farming of cows and pigs have helped with the fishing of turtles.”
By 1616, Captain Felipe de Beaumont y Navarre was governor of the island where the village of Ribera del Arecibo was.  It had 80 families and neighbors, was officially elevated to the category of city, and given the name of St. Philip the Apostle.

Arecibo is also known as La Villa Del Captain Correa, in honor of the Puerto Rican hero Antonio de los Reyes Correa, who, as a member of the Navy, defended Arecibo from British attack on August 5, 1702.
In 1702, Spain was at war with England.  On August 5 of this year, due to Aricebo’s sparse population, two British ships landed two watercrafts, sending forty men for the purpose of taking the population, which was then protected by only about 30 militiamen on horseback.

The deputy chief of the war and militia, Antonio de los Reyes Correa, called his forces and ambushed the English who had landed, and thus denied the attack, chasing the attackers into the sea. Twenty-two Englishmen died in the combat. Only one defender died and three wounded.  The defenders took a boat and numerous weapons. The brave De los Reyes Correa was awarded the Medal of the Royal Effigy and promoted to captain of infantry.

On January 14 1778, by royal charter, the city was granted the title of Villa, although it was not until 1802 that it was integrated as such.  Inside the Villa de San Felipe Apostol (Arecibo) were areas called Manati (Manatee), Utuao (Utuado) and Atun (Tuna).

Atun was later subdivided into the municipalities of Camuy, Quebradillas, and San Antonio (Isabela). The current town of Hatillo continued as part of the municipality of Arecibo. Existing municipalities in the region of Barceloneta and Florida comprised the municipality of Manati.  By 1850, Arecibo, by Royal Decree, was granted the title of Most Leal.

Neighborhoods
On June 19, 1831, seven departments were formed in which Puerto Rico Arecibo became head of the department that consisted of the second town of Arecibo, Manati, Ciales, Adjuntas, Barros (Orocovis), Utuado, Camuy, Hatillo and Quebradillas.  To this date, Hatillo was a separate municipality, however the current municipalities of Barceloneta and Florida were then part of Manati.  Jayuya pertains to the municipal region of Utuado.
According to Don Pedro Tomas de Cordoba, Arecibo was composed, by that date, of the Pueblo neighborhoods, Hato Grande or Camuy, Cuatro Calles (Tanamo), Hato Viejo, Factor, Santana, Alza-Rabo (Cambalache), and Burr (Islet).

But before that date to 1804, Arecibo was made up of these districts in addition to Sunday Ruiz, Miraflores and Jagual. The latter three were missing by 1831. Later the district of Camuy Hato Grande was subdivided into the neighborhoods Hato Arriba and Hato Abajo, and the town of Hatillo.
Ubeda and Delgado, in their book entitled History of Puerto Rico, said that by 1878 the town was divided into the districts of Arecibo Pueblo, Tanamo Hato Viejo, Rio Arriba, Arenalejos, Factor, Santana, Cambalache, Hato Arriba, and Hato Abajo.

The neighborhoods Sunday and Ruiz Santana re-emerged, and the neighborhoods Sabana Hoyos, Carreras, Dominguito and Garrochales were added.  After a few years Dominguito became the neighborhood district of Hope.
In 1899, as evidenced by the census taken that year, the political organization of Arecibo was virtually the same as it was in 1878, with only the addition of the neighborhood Paddy Field.  It continued until 1937 until the districts of Tanamo Miramar and San Luis were added to Arecibo Pueblo.
In 1948, the urban area of the Municipality of Arecibo, Arecibo Pueblo, was expanded by adding the Jareales neighborhoods, which was formed from parts of the Rural District of islets of Cambalache and El Vigia.

On this date, the urban area of Arecibo was composed as follows: Arecibo Pueblo, the neighborhoods La Monserrate, San Felipe, De la Cruz, Del Rosario (created before 1778), Miramar, San Luis (additions in 1937), Jariales, and El Vigia (added in 1948).

It seems that the industry or urban neighborhood of Tanamo Four Streets was renamed Buenos Aires.
Arecibo is located on the north coast about 80 km west of San Juan. There is an astronomical observatory in the vicinity of Arecibo that has the largest radio telescope in the world.