Domingo Cruz

Domingo Cruz (3 July 1864 – 20 October 1934), a.k.a., "Cocolía", was a late 19th-century Puerto Rican musician, and director of the Ponce Firefighters' Band (now the Ponce Municipal Band).

Early years
Domingo Cruz was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on 3 July 1864.

Professional career
Cocolía (Spanish for little crab) played the saxhorn with "La Lira Ponceña" orchestra (by 1919 also known as the Ponce Symphony Orchestra ) under the baton of Ponce's renowned composer Juan Morel Campos. Famous for his danceable tunes, Cocolía was also a music teacher and director of the Firefighters' Band, the Banda Municipal de Ponce. Upon the death of Juan Morel Campos, Cruz became the director of the Ponce Municipal Band. He directed it from 1896 until 1916.

Death
Cocolia died in 1934 in the Province of Alicante, Spain.

Legacy
The city of Ponce recognized his work with a statue. For many years, Cocolia's statue stood in front of the Instituto de Musica Juan Morel Campos, which took over the space previously occupied by the downtown Ponce fire station, next to Teatro La Perla. It currently (2012) stands at Plaza Las Delicias.

Cocolia is also recognized at the Park for the Illustrious Ponce Citizens.

In Ponce, there is also a park named after him at the intersection of Calle Intendente Ramirez, Calle Mayor, and Calle Tricoche streets.