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Aguadilla.- Walking through downtown Aguadilla allows you to admire its classic architectural style, where stories that have marked the so-called “Villa del Ojo de Agua” and its history are kept.

This municipality, located in northwestern Puerto Rico, has landmarks such as the city hall building, the San Carlos Borromeo Church, and El Parterre, among other places that are visited for their incalculable historical value.

Aguadilla-native historian Dr. Haydee Reichard keeps the stories about the great earthquake of 1918 close, an event that greatly affected the city hall building. “On October 11, 1918, a strong earthquake struck the city of Aguadilla. Among the buildings that were completely lost was the Casa Consistorial. At that time, the ground floor housed the fire department and the telegraph. The second floor housed the Mayor’s office, and the third floor was still a school. When part of the roof fell, many children died,” she recounted.

The city hall building, which celebrates its hundredth year, features three floors housing municipal offices. It is located in Ruiz Belvis street in downtown Aguadilla, not far from another architectural jewel, the San Carlos Borromeo Church, which was founded in 1780. The building, which boasts a neoclassical style, has an apse covered with a cross vault that sources claim is unique on the island. A huge clock was installed on the left side of the building.

A few streets away you can see El Parterre, a park built in 1851 that explains the origin of the name Villa del Ojo de Agua. The site is home to a natural spring and was listed on the U.S. Register of Historic Places in 1986.

“El Parterre became a place to provide water to the ships that touched port in the Villa del Ojo. When neighboring fleets from nearby towns arrived, they came to our beaches and set up stalls to sell their products. It was a celebration that lasted several days, while the travelers ate fresh food and drank water to continue their journey,” said the chronicler.

At El Parterre, visitors can obtain information about other areas of interest in the municipality, such as the Parque Colón, an area destined for family enjoyment, since it has several attractions for children. A colorful tree house is currently maintained on the site.

This scenario is complemented by the variety of attractions in the area, mainly its beaches. Crash Boat is one of the most visited.

A little ways away from the urban area, on the PR-2 highway, is Las Cascadas water park, recently reopened after remaining closed due to damage caused by Hurricane María in 2017. This venue has enough capacity for 3,500 people.

The municipality of Aguadilla has put in place an inclusion plan for people with disabilities in their facilities. These improvements come as a result of several recommendations issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Office of Disability Integration (DI).

Municipal officials, aware of the need to adapt the park’s facilities to this population, remodeled its spaces to provide better services to people with disabilities and their companions. Among the improvements already completed are the height of several sinks in the bathrooms, which has been adjusted so that they can be used by people in wheelchairs.

“Our vision is to have a city that is accessible for people with functional diversity. Together with FEMA, in addition to receiving the necessary budget allocations to reopen the park, we have received guidance to begin promoting accessible tourism with the acquisition of a chair that allows people with functional diversity to access the wave pool. We will continue to implement public policies in that direction,” said Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción.

In addition, Las Cascadas Water Park incorporated the service of attendants trained in sign language to serve the deaf population, and an employee was appointed to serve visitors with disabilities.