Puñal

**Puñal** is a city in the Santiago Province of the Dominican Republic.

## History

Puñal became a rural section of the municipality of Santiago de los Caballeros in **1937**.

On **April 7, 2006**, the rural section of Puñal was elevated to the category of municipality, through Law 145-06.

### Origin: Name and first settlers

The name of Puñal keeps more than 400 years of history because its origin is closely related to one of the most important historical phenomena that occurred on the Spanish island during the **17th century** (*1600's*), specifically at the beginning of this century. This phenomenon was the depopulation to which a large part of the Atlantic area of ​​the Island was subjected, as well as a fraction of the northwest line.

The Devastations of Osorio that was called this phenomenon began at the end of the year **1605** and at the beginning of **1606** and depopulated Montecristi and Puerto Plata, transferring these populations to what is now Monte Plata and all the part of what constituted the Casicazgo Jaragua, then Bayajá and Yaguana, moved to what is now known as Bayaguana southeast of Santo Domingo, both demarcations.

To carry out these devastations, troops had to be transferred from Spain, as well as from some of its colonies in America, in order to prevent depopulated sites from being occupied by the Pirates that roamed the North coast of the Island, especially the Bucaneros and Filibusteros

In **1606**, in order to fulfill these needs, he arrived in Santo Domingo from the Canary Islands and with a large contingent of men with their respective women, many of whom were inmates and was given freedom for such purposes, Mr. PEDRO JUAN FERNANDEZ who He was the bearer of a royal identity card signed by the Spanish Crown of the time and that enabled him to enter these territories, forming a reserve army that would later become a military herd whose objective was to strengthen the Santiago Garrison, establishing itself in a large part from the southeast area of ​​Santiago.

These men arrived armed with sharp objects that because of their characteristic of being caught with the fist, this knife is called Puñal and with this same name these territories were baptized by Mr. PEDRO JUAN FERNANDEZ, descendant of the gentleman Duarte Fernández for being this The only defense weapon, he called these territories TIERRAS DEL PUÑAL.

According to the professor and historian Ramón Anibal Sánchez, now deceased, the first settlers of Puñal come from the Canary Islands and their name coincides with the above.

### Conversion section to municipality

Puñal was converted into a Section by order of the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo in **1937**, with places like **Laguna Prieta**, **Arenoso**, **Guayabal**, **La Javilla** and **Matanzas**.

In **1998**, under the then Senator for the Province of Santiago, Dr. Rafael Abinader submitted a draft bill that sought to make Puñal a Municipal District and a commission formed by Leonardo Vásquez, Ramón Carvajal, Isabel Rosario, Altagracia Guzmán and Bernardo Guzmán among others. On **December 7**, said bill was passed in the Senate, but it was lost in the Chamber of Deputies and said bill was broken.

In **2005**, a group of deputies and Senators prepared a draft bill whose objective was to make Puñal disappear, seeking to create **Guayabal** and **Colorado** in Municipal Districts by degrading Puñal to two places, something totally unusual, one part would belong to Guayabal and the other to Colorado. Thanks to the intervention of a group of Puñaleros headed by Lan Fernández and with the help of Mr. Juan Ramón Gómez Díaz it was avoided that this project, already converted into law, was promulgated and this was vetoed by then-president Leonel Fernández Reina for considering it totally away from reality and avoid discontent among these traditionally sister communities.

Given the needs of these demarcations to acquire their development independent of the municipality of Santiago de los Caballeros, whose benefits generated and contributed to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) did not arrive, on **November 9, 2005**, a preliminary bill was submitted to the Senate that seeks to convert Puñal into Municipality, it was delivered by Héctor (Nono) Fernández, Lan Fernández and Frank Marte and submitted by the then senator for the province of Santiago, Mr. Víctor Méndez, which was approved at first reading.

On **February 14, 2006**, said project was known in the Chamber of Deputies and was also converted into law at first reading. During this process we must make a special mention to Dr. José Guzmán who constituted a very important piece for this project to be approved and to the deputy for the constituency 3 of the Province of Santiago Ulises Rodríguez, who submitted it.

Finally, with the promulgation on **April 7, 2006** of Law 145-06, the municipality of Puñal is constituted with the peculiarity that it has been the only municipality in the history of the Dominican Republic that is converted into a municipality without being a Municipal District.

## Geography

The city of Puñal is located at 19.7341° N, 70.6009° W. According to the ONE, the municipality has a total land area of 73.89 square kilometers (28.53 square miles). It is bordered by the town of Licey al Medio as well as the well as the city of Moca(Espaillat Province on the east, the city of La Vega (La Vega Province) on the southeast, the town of Baitoa south, the town of Sabana Iglesia on the west, and the city of Santiago de Los Caballeros on the northwest. DR Highway 1 passes through the city's eastern side.

It includes three Municipal Districts: **Puñal**, **Guayabal**, and **Canabacoa**.

## Economy

Puñal is a rural community with an agricultural vocation, although important industries related to the metropolitan dynamics of Santiago are currently being established.

Part of the facilities of the Cibao International Airport are located on the land of the municipality.

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## References

Puñal [1]

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