Juana Diaz

On January 23, 1695, a free Black woman named Juana Díaz de la Cruz was murdered in her home. A century later, her great-great-grandson Juan Nepomuceno Díaz founded a town bearing her name—a rare case where the commemoration of a woman of African descent preceded the municipality itself. Originally called Jacagua after the Taíno cacique Jacaguax, the settlement combined indigenous, African, and Spanish legacies from its 1798 founding.

The 19th century brought sugarcane. Mills with names like La Luciana, Cristina, and Ponceña processed molasses across the coastal plains and semi-arid hills. When industrialization rendered sugar unprofitable, former plantations transitioned to tropical fruits—mango, avocado—and livestock, demonstrating agricultural adaptability. Today, manufacturing leads local employment with 1,962 workers, followed by retail (1,911) and healthcare (1,764).

Juana Díaz's most distinctive cultural transmission began in 1884 when the Three Kings Festival established the town as Puerto Rico's 'Bethlehem.' Each January 6th, actors depicting the Magi parade through Comercio Street to the plaza's altar. The Three Kings National Caravan—originating here—tours all 78 municipalities, distributing gifts. The 2004 Casa Museo de los Santos Reyes immortalized this tradition in a year-round museum.

Yet economic indicators reveal stress beneath cultural vibrancy. Population declined from 46,333 in 2022 to 46,276 in 2023. The poverty rate of 39.9% exceeds Puerto Rico's already-high 38.2%. Median household income sits at $23,823—less than half the mainland average. For 2026, the question is whether identity tourism around Three Kings heritage and mabi (traditional fermented beverage) can generate enough economic activity to reverse the demographic drain that threatens to leave Bethlehem without shepherds.