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1946 Map of Humacao

Name: 1946 Topographic Map of Humacao
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

Sugar cane production and the infrastructure of the central system dominate the coastal plains of southeastern Puerto Rico in this mid-1940s survey. The landscape is anchored by massive industrial hubs like Central Pasto Viejo and Central Ejemplo, which are connected to the surrounding fields and the coast via the Ferrocarril de Pasto Viejo and Ferrocarril de Humacao. These narrow-gauge rail lines reveal the economic pulse of the era, moving harvested cane from numerous family-named outposts such as Colonia Santa Teresa and Colonia Mayo to the processing mills.

From the busy streets of Humacao and Las Piedras, the terrain rises sharply toward the north into the Caribbean National Forest. In the rugged foothills, the Planta Hidroelectrica de Rio Blanco signals the modernization of the island's utility network. Smaller rural communities like Pueblito del Rio and Pueblito de los Perros provide a detailed look at local settlement patterns before the extensive mid-century highway expansions changed the character of the Rio Humacao valley.