1946 Map of Humacao

About this map

The agricultural and industrial rhythm of eastern Puerto Rico is centered on the sugar economy in this mid-1940s survey. The landscape is dominated by the Central Pasto Viejo and Central Ejemplo sugar mills, which served as the economic anchors for the surrounding colonias. A dense network of narrow-gauge tracks, including the Ferrocarril de Pasto Viejo and the Ferrocarriles de Humacao, snakes through the valley of the Rio Humacao to transport cane from fields like Colonia Santa Teresa and Colonia Mayo. To the north, the terrain rises into the Caribbean National Forest, where the Planta Hidroelectrica de Rio Blanco stands near the confluence of mountain streams. This map documents a period when local life revolved around these industrial centers and settlements such as Las Piedras and the labor-oriented Pueblito de los Perros.