
Saint Anthony Of Padua Parish has been closed since 2017 due to roof problems.
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In Puerto Rico there are towns that stand out for their history. Others because of their exuberant nature. Others are just magnificent cities. And still others are best to visit on your way to somewhere else. Then there are towns like Ceiba, that bake in the Caribbean sun in a sort of lethargy… a “limbo” state, if you will. It’s a town that once wasn’t, then it was, and now it isn’t. No, this isn’t a play of words. Nor am I trying to be facetious. It’s simply the sad reality of an entire region.
Today we visit the town of Ceiba, in the south easternmost corner of Puerto Rico. And while the town itself counts among its best features —that it’s the place to catch the ferry to Vieques and Culebra— I promise to find something nice to say about this small corner of Puerto Rico.
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Ceiba wasn’t always an independent town. It was actually part of the neighboring town of Fajardo until April 7, 1838. Back them its economy was mainly agricultural in nature. Then in the early 1940’s it became home to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station.
In 1919, just 2 years after Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. Citizenship, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt toured Puerto Rico and the small town of Ceiba. In 1940, then president Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered the creation of a protected anchorage in the sea area between Puerto Rico and Vieques. One year later Congress assigned an initial sum of $50 million (equivalent to $1036 million in today’s money).
The base was actually named Roosevelt Roads by Navy Secretary Frank Knox on 15 May 1941.
Roosevelt Roads wasn’t a run-of-the-mill operation. It was actually the largest U.S. naval base outside the continental United States. So naturally, it had tremendous economic impact on the economies of all the neighbouring towns in the area.
When the base closed, on March 31st, 2004, it sucked the oxygen out of the entire region. You can still see it today as you drive through empty streets peppered with abandoned buildings.
What’s worse, the government of Puerto Rico has done very little with this immense piece of land. Everywhere you look there is overgrown vegetation, abandoned buildings and rusted facilities.
When we got to the Center of Ceiba it was 8:38 in the morning. Our first stop was going to be at the beautiful Saint Anthony of Padua Parish. However, the temple was closed. Later on, after speaking to the Parish priest, we learned that the temple has been closed since 2017, when hurricane María inflicted severe damage to the building’s roof.
The fact that it has taken seven years to fix a roof, and that it still isn’t fixed, is a clear indicator of how dire the economic reality is in this area.
One notable fact about this temple is that its altar points west instead of east. Also the City Hall building sits west of the church and the plaza, named after Felisa Rincón de Gautier, sits east of the temple.
This strange arrangement totally breaks with traditional Spanish Architectural standards, under which the temple was usually on the east side of the square (with the altar pointing east) and City Hall was at the opposite western end.
In case you’re wondering, Felisa Rincón de Gautier was a Ceiba-born woman who was City Manager of the city of San Juan between 1946 and 1968. Many called her “alcaldesa” or “mayoress”, but the fact is that the position didn’t exist under San Juan municipal law. Just a technicality? Yeah, but there’s a piece of trivia for you.
There’s an extensive post on my blog “Puerto Rico By GPS” about “Doña Fela” —as the people of San Juan lovingly called her— and her museum on Clara Lair Street.
After leaving Felisa Rincón de Gautier square our plan was to explore the surrounding attractions that I found on Google Maps. But boy, was I misguided! As it turned out, the best Ceiba had to offer was the pier where you catch the ferry for the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra. And even that was under construction.
The first place we attempted to visit was “El Columpio” beach, which we imagined as tropical slice of paradise, with an idyllic swing, where you could make beautiful seaside pictures. Instead, it turned out to be an old rusty Navy pier.
A little further down the road the government is building the new ferry terminal for the Island municipalities of Vieques and Culebras. The old terminal used to be in the neighbouring town of Fajardo.
With the closing of Roosevelt Roads the government decided to move the terminal to Ceiba because the physical distance to Vieques is shorter. However, the trip Culebra is actually shorter from Fajardo. So, is the move really beneficial? It depends on who you ask.
I don’t know, but what I can say is that my friends on both Islands aren’t very happy with the service. That’s why neither Island is mentioned in my books, videos or blog.
And here’s another question. Why didn’t the government finish the Ceiba terminal before closing the one in Fajardo? That way they wouldn’t have had such a mess. Just “sayin”…
Finally, isn’t it sad for a town to be thought of as “the jumping point” to somewhere else?
Anyway, we drove by the terminal and headed for “Playa Los Machos” on the northeastern corner of town. With a name like that, I was expecting a really treacherous beach . You know, the kind of beach where you really have to be “gung ho” to go. And I wasn’t all wrong.
The government has done a nice job with the place in terms of building gazebos, showers and sanitary facilities. However, there are no buoys or lifeguards and the parking area is merely a sandy lot.
All in all “Playa Los Machos” is what I call a “wild beach”, meaning that it’s mainly like God made it.
As for the water, the surf was choppy and loaded with sargazo weed. If you ask me, I wouldn’t swim there at all. And with all the sargazo it doesn’t qualify as “eye candy” either.
A little further south there’s another beach called “Medio Mundo” beach that would fall inside the perimeter of Roosevelt Roads. But I don’t see how it could be any better since it’s mostly the same beach, just a little more to the south. In any case, we tried to reach it, but were unable to find our way there.
After leaving “Playa Los Machos” we parked under a tree by the road, had a sandwich and soda and headed for San Juan.
And talking about San Juan, if you’re planning to visit the Old City, save yourself the hassle of traditional city tours. They’re expensive and you’ll be herded along with people that won’t necessarily share your interests.
Instead, order The Old San Juan Walking Tour. It’s packed with useful information about all the main attractions, as well as every GPS coordinate and two hours of exclusive online video. That way you’ll be able to —visit before you visit— and hit the ground running when you arrive in the Old City.
See you next time!
©2024,Orlando Mergal, MA
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