Ponce is a city and municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea. Widely known as "La Perla del Sur," the Pearl of the South, it is the most populous city in Puerto Rico outside the San Juan metropolitan area. The city was founded on August 12, 1692, and takes its name from Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer and first governor of Puerto Rico. It rose through the colonial ranks over the centuries — elevated to the status of town in 1692, villa in 1848, and city in 1877 — and its growth was tied to the sugar trade, the port at Playa de Ponce, and its role as the commercial and cultural capital of the island's southern region. Ponce is celebrated across Puerto Rico for its architectural and cultural heritage. The heart of the city is Plaza Las Delicias, the central square, which is framed by the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the elegant Fuente de los Leones fountain, and the Parque de Bombas, a vividly painted former firehouse that has become one of the island's most recognizable landmarks. The city is also known for its museums, plazas, and a rich calendar of festivals, and it carries a reputation for elegant architecture and deep local pride. The municipality's population was recorded at roughly 137,000 in the 2020 census, while the broader Ponce metropolitan area is considerably larger. As the principal city of southern Puerto Rico, Ponce functions as a regional hub for government, health care, education, and commerce. It is served by Mercedita International Airport and the Luis A. Ferré highway linking it to San Juan, and its port district of Playa de Ponce fronts the Caribbean. For residents, Ponce offers the cultural depth, institutions, and coastal setting of a historic Spanish-colonial city, combined with the warmth and slower pace that define life on Puerto Rico's southern shore.