Fiestas patronales (patron saint festivals) are held in the central plaza every year.

[7][8] The historic downtown area (pueblo) of Guayama was added to the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones (Spanish: Registro Nacional de Sitios y Zonas Históricas) in 1992.

In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Guayama Pueblo was 5,334.

The Laws of the Indies, Spanish law, which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for "parties" (celebrations, festivities, festivals) ("a propósito para las fiestas"), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors ("grandeza proporcionada al número de vecinos").

These Spanish regulations also stated that nearby streets should be comfortable portals for passersby, protecting them from the elements: sun and rain.