Foundation: Chief Mabodomaca ruled the region where Isabela (ee-sah-BAI-lah) was founded. He was one of the most important chiefs of the Island. Although the actual date is not known, a settlement called San Antonio de la Tuna existed in this great extension of land that occupy today the municipalities of Isabela, Camuy and Quebradillas. Its center was at that time along the shoreline of the Guajataca River. Around 1725 Governor José Antonio de Mendizábal y Azares granted authorization to base a population on the settlement, which must have happened as it normally did after the foundation of a hermitage. In this case additional factors were the avocation of San Antonio and the construction of a small village. At the end of eighteenth century when the area was visited by Fray Iñigo Abbad y La Sierra, San Antonio de la Tuna had a church, more than sixty houses and almost 1,200 inhabitants, which was a considerable number for those times.

    In the second decade of the nineteenth century, around 1818, the neighbors were supposedly stimulated by Bishop Mariano Rodríguez Olmedo to grant Pablo Corchado authorization to request from Governor Salvador Meléndez the transfer of the population to new site closer to the coast. The new site would be named Isabela in honor of Queen Isabel of Castile. Meléndez approved the transfer request and the new town was founded the following year May 21, 1819. In this same year the construction of the church began which finished sixteen years later.

    The economy of San Antonio de la Tuna had been based on cattle ranching. After the transfer to the present Isabela, the cultivation of sugar cane, coffee, tobacco and fruits was stimulated. In 1918 the church was damaged during a strong earthquake that affected the western region of the island, it was rebuilt at a cost of $52,000.

Location: It is bordered by: the Atlantic Ocean on the north; San Sebastián and Moca on the south, Aguadilla on the west, and Quebradillas on the east.

Area: 145.6 sq km / 56.0 sq mi

Population: 44,444 (census 2000)

Population Density: 305.2 per sq km / 793.6 per sq mi

People are known as: Isabelinos

Coat Of Arms: In a way similar to the flag, the shield is divided horizontally in three stripes of the same width, two gold and one green. The top and bottom stripes are gold, and the green stripe in the center has an olive tree in its center. The green symbolizes the first inhabitants of Isabela and of all Puerto Rico, including the Igneris Indians that were established here during the nineteenth century.

    The gold represents the Taíno Indians, who lived in this area about two hundred years before the discovery of our island. They made extensive use of gold. The gold bell represented in the center stripe between two cactus is symbol of the hermitage, today in ruins. It is also a symbol of the town of San Antonio de la Tuna, founded during the last third of the seventeenth century along the Guajataca River. It is the place of origin of the present Isabela.

    The roosters represent Isabela's famous fighting cocks. They also represent bravery. The horse represents Isabela's famous Paso Fino horses and the cattle wealth of the region. The crown has three towers, a standard emblem for cities.

2004 General Election Results Municipality of Isabela Party Candidate Votes Percent   CHARLIE DELGADO 14,052 55.28% CANO MERCADO 10,756 42.32% RAMON VEGA 347 1.37% *OTROS 263 1.03% Total 25,418   Breakdown of Others   Reported Voting Centers Participation Direct Nomination 29   Registered Voters 30,914 Blank 154   Votes 25,418 Null 80   Participation Percent 82.22% Reported Voting Centers: 103 out of 103 for 100.00%   Total Registered 30,914

Source: Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico