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1941 Map of Rincon

Name: 1941 Topographic Map of Rincon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

Sugar production and rail transport define the coastal landscape of western Puerto Rico on the eve of World War II. The American Railroad of Puerto Rico winds along the shoreline, connecting the port area of Rincon to industrial processing centers like Central Igualdad and Central Eureka. This transportation network supported a vast system of agricultural estates, or colonias, such as Colonia Trinidad, Colonia Pagan, and Colonia Josefa, which dominate the fertile lowlands surrounding Añasco.

The terrain rises sharply from the Mona Passage into the Cerros de San Francisco, reaching peaks like Pico Atalaya and Cerro Vigia. These steep interior hills are carved by numerous streams, including Quebrada Calvache and Quebrada Grande, which feed into the meandering Rio Grande de Añasco. The map documents a specific agrarian era where dedicated railroad sidings, such as Desvio Eugenia and Desvio Bianchi, served individual plantations before the mid-century shift toward modern infrastructure.