Sexto is an urban barrio located in the southern section of the municipality, within the Ponce city limits, and north of the traditional center of the city, Plaza Las Delicias. The former name of barrio Sexto (Sixth) was barrio Cantera (Quarry) because there was a stone quarry in that region.[5] At 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) northeast of Plaza Las Delicias were located the "Baños Termales de Quintana" (Quintana Thermal Baths)[note 1] as well as a quarry of white stone in this area.[6]
Boundaries
Barrio Sexto is bounded on the North by Cayey Street, on the South by Guadalupe Street, on the West by Atocha Street, and on the East by Rio Portugues.[7]
Sexto has 0.1 square miles (260,000 m2) of land area and no water area. In 2000, the population of Sexto was 4,745. The population density in Sexto was 18,222 persons per square mile.[8]
In 2010, the population of Sexto was 3,529 persons, and it had a density of 13,573.1 persons per square mile.[9]
The communities of La Cantera, Hoyo de Pepe, El Yeso, and Pueblito Nuevo are found here.
The salsa song by La Sonora Ponceña, (Inca Records, 1969) Hay Fuego en el 23 starts by saying "Fuego! Se quemó la Cantera" (Fire! Cantera burned down!)
Another salsa song, by Pete "El Conde" Rodríguez (Fania Records, 1972) titled Quítate tú, the 3rd stance says "De donde viene este prieto?, se pregunta mucha gente; De la Cantera de Ponce vengo yo, con este ritmo caliente" (Where does that Negro come from?, many people ask ; I come from the Ponce's Cantera, with this hot rhythm.")[10]
The salsa song by Ismael Rivera with Bobby Capo, titled Mi Tia Maria (Tico Records, 1975 {Album: "Feliz Navidad"}), has a portion that reads "Que vengan los de Cantera, de Loíza y Villa Palmeras..." (Let those from Cantera come, from Loíza and from Villa Palmeras...)[11]
^Barrios de Ponce. Antepasados Esclavos.(From: Pedro Tomás de Córdoba. Memorias geográficas, históricas, económicas y estadísticas de la Isla de Puerto Rico.) Retrieved 28 November 2014.
^Eduardo Questell Rodriguez. Historia de la Comunidad Bélgica de Ponce: A partir de la Hacienda Muñiz y otros datos. Ponce: Puerto Rico: Mariana Editores. 2018. ISBN978-1-935892-04-5. Page 11.
^Socorro Giron. Ponce, el teatro La Perla, y La Campana de la Almudaina. Ponce Municipal Government. 1992. pp. 181-182.