1960 Map of Aguadilla

About this map

The coastal landscape of northwest Puerto Rico is defined here by the massive footprint of Ramey Air Force Base, which occupies the expansive plateau of Maleza Baja and Borinquen. Along the shoreline of the Bahia de Aguadilla, the dense urban center of Aguadilla stretches between the sea and the steep slopes of the Cordillera de Jaicoa. Evidence of the island’s industrial transit history is visible in the Antigua Via del Ferrocarril, an old railroad right-of-way that skirts the coast through Tamarindo and Santa Barbara. Further south, the map captures the fertile valley floor where the Rio Culebrinas meanders toward the Mona Passage. This transition from the military installation at Punta Borinquen to the agricultural and residential districts of Aguada and Coloso illustrates the varied mid-century land use of the region, from the limestone quarries of Canteras Aguadilla to the established neighborhoods of Victoria and Higuey.