largest producer of coffee in Puerto Rico and the second municipality (after Ponce) with the largest population. It produced a rich social lifestyle for many of its citizens and a casino and theatre were established in the town. The progress of the town was so evident that the regent Queen of Spain, Mar�a Cristina, honored the town with the title of Ciudad (City) on August 20, 1894. In 1896 or 1897 Utuado was the first city in Puerto Rico with a public electric lighting system powered by a hydraulic turbine power plant, and in that same year mayor Juan Casellas was planning a train system to unite Utuado with Arecibo. By 1899 this golden era came to a screeching halt due to two very important events that had a lasting negative effect on the city's economy. The first event was the United States occupation of the island in 1898, which made sugar the new crop of importance instead of coffee. Utuado's mountainous landscape was not ideal for growing sugarcane, making it impossible for it to compete in the sugar industry on a significant level. The second event and the one to have the most profound impact was Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899, which literally wiped out the coffee haciendas.
One of the most tragic moments in Utuado's history occurred on October 30, 1950, during the Utuado Uprising against United States rule, which culminated in what is known as the "Utuado Massacre". In Utuado a group of 32 nationalists, led by nationalist leaders Heriberto Castro and Dami�n Torres, fought against the local police during the independence revolts which occurred in various cities and towns of the island. The group was reduced to 12 men and retreated to the house of Dami�n Torres. Torres' residence was attacked by 50-caliber machine-gun fire from four American P-47 Thunderbolt planes. The National Guard arrived later that day and ordered the nine men who survived the attack to surrender. Once the nationalists surrendered they were forced to march down Dr. Cueto Street to
