l Sur (The Pearl of the South) and La Ciudad Se�orial (The Noble or Lordly City). The city is also known as La Ciudad de las Quenepas (Genip City), from the abundant amount of this fruit that grows within its borders.
The city is the governmental seat of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, and the regional hub for various commonwealth entities. For example, it serves as the southern hub for the Judiciary of Puerto Rico. It is also the regional center for various other commonwealth and federal government agencies.
On October 27, 1992, the municipality of Ponce became the first in Puerto Rico to obtain its autonomy under a new law (The Autonomous Municipalities Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) enacted by the Puerto Rican legislature.
Ponce's mayor for 15 years (since 1989), Rafael Cordero Santiago, died in office on the morning of January 17, 2004, after suffering three consecutive strokes. Vice-mayor Delis Castillo Rivera de Santiago finished his term. Cordero was succeeded by Francisco Zayas Seijo. In the 2008 general elections Mar�a "Mayita" Mel�ndez was elected mayor of the city of Ponce.
The complete history of Ponce can be appreciated at the Museo de la Historia de Ponce, which opened in the city in 1992. It depicts the history of the city from its early settlement days until the end of the 20th century
