Descalabrado

Descalabrado is a barrio in the municipality of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 4,138.^[3][4][5]

Descalabrado
Barrio
House near where Central Cortada was
Location of Descalabrado within the municipality of Santa Isabel shown in red
Descalabrado Location of Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 17°59′52″N 66°25′24″W[1]
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Municipality	Santa Isabel
Area [1]
• Total	10.11 sq mi (26.2 km2)
• Land	7.19 sq mi (18.6 km2)
• Water	2.92 sq mi (7.6 km2)
Elevation [2]	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,138
• Density	575.5/sq mi (222.2/km2)
	Source: 2010 Census
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)

History

Central Cortada, also known as the Cortada Sugarcane Refinery, was a sugarcane plantation and refinery located in Descalabrado. The area where the refinery is located had been used for the growth and processing of sugarcane since the 18th century.^[6]

Descalabrado was in Spain's gazetteers^[7] until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became an unincorporated territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the combined population of Descalabrado and Boca Velázquez barrios was 1,083.^[8]

In 1905, via an act of the US Congress, authorization was received to use water from the Descalabrado River to water the crops at the Central Cortada sugar plantation.^[6]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	1,196		—
1920	1,230		2.8%
1930	1,817		47.7%
1940	2,102		15.7%
1950	2,726		29.7%
1960	3,588		31.6%
1970	3,988		11.1%
1980	4,318		8.3%
1990	3,791		−12.2%
2000	3,918		3.4%
2010	4,138		5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1900 (N/A)[9] 1910-1930[10] 1930-1950[11] 1980-2000[12] 2010[13]

Gallery

Scenes around Descalabrado:

• 
  Ruins of the Central Cortada sugarcane mill

See also

• Puerto Rico portal

• List of communities in Puerto Rico