RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the 26th Fiesta Boricua "De Bandera a Bandera" will be held in Chicago's Greater Humboldt Park community, during the Labor Day Weekend (August 31 to September 1, 2019); a family friendly festival which serves as a total immersion into Puerto Rican Cultural expressions especially its music, its dance, its food, its artisanry; and
WHEREAS, for the past 10 years Fiesta Boricua honors one of Puerto Rico's 78 municipalities under the theme "Lo Mejor de Nuestros Pueblos" - this year the honor will go to the island's Southeastern town of Guayama; and
WHEREAS, the municipality of Guayama was founded in 1736 and bears the name of two great Taino leaders, Cacique Guanamani y Cacique Guayama and is popularly known as "El Pueblo de los Brujos" and "La Ciudad "Guanamani"; and
WHEREAS, Guayama is also renowned for its many historical events and cultural contributions, such as being the birthplace of the legendary author of the island's many famous salsa songs, like "Las Caras Lindas", Tite Curet Alonso, as well as the birthplace of Luis Pales Matos, a seminal literary figure of the Afro Puerto Rican tradition; both figures will be honored during Fiesta Boricua; and
WHEREAS, Guayama is also known for its panoramic ecological formations including Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which consists of approximately 2,883 acres of mangrove forest and freshwater wetlands; the Aguirre Forest, which includes mangroves, tidal reefs, bird rookeries, research lakes and large manatee population, and the Caribe Forest, a 6,000 acre nature reserve inhabited by 50 species of birds making this spot a recognized area for birding; and
WHEREAS, the present Mayor of Guayama, Eduardo E. Cintron Suarez, will head a delegation of nearly 50 people from Guayama, which includes various cultural groups such as, Nora Cruz's folkloric groups "Verso y Tambo", and "La Liga de Los Poetas del Sur de Puerto Rico", as well as the masters of salsa music, the band "Salsa con Clave"; and
Alderman Roberto Maldonado, Ward 26 .
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, proclaim Saturday August 31st and Sunday September 1st, 2019, as "Guayama Days" in Chicago.
