Pueblos in Puerto Rico

Pueblo is a term primarily used in Puerto Rico to refer to the municipal district ( barrio ) that serves as the administrative, historic and cultural center of a municipality. The concept of pueblo is often used locally as analogous to the concept of downtown in U.S. cities. ^[1] Pueblos are officially called barrio-pueblo by the United States Census since 1990. ^[2]

Overview

City hall building of the former municipality of Río Piedras.

The Spanish word pueblo ^[3] translates to town in English, since many of these correspond to the original European-founded settlements in their respective contemporary municipalities; however, its usage in Puerto Rican Spanish today corresponds more closely to the concept of downtown in English. ^{[4] [5]} In some cases, the concept of pueblo might also refer to municipality, but the term municipality never applies to pueblos. ^[1] With a few exceptions, the barrio-pueblo is also the historic district of the municipality and usually contains the main town square ( plaza , and in some cases, plaza de armas ) surrounded by the municipal administrative buildings ( alcaldía ) and the main Catholic church in town (either a cathedral or parish church). ^[2]

The central plaza or square, is a place for official and unofficial recreational events and a place where people can gather and socialize. The Laws of the Indies, the Spanish law which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for celebrations and festivities (Spanish : a propósito para las fiestas), most notably the town patron saint festivals (fiestas patronales), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors (Spanish : grandeza proporcionada al número de vecinos). These Spanish regulations also stated that the streets nearby should be comfortable portals for passersby, protecting them from the elements: sun and rain. ^[6]

As of the 2010 census, Mayagüez is the most populated pueblo in Puerto Rico with a population of 26,903, while Las Marías has the lowest population with 262 inhabitants. The largest barrio-pueblo in Puerto Rico is Fajardo with a total area of 3.23 square miles, while Toa Alta is the smallest with an area of 0.03 square miles. ^[7]

Exceptions

Although all barrio-pueblos correspond to the administrative and downtown area of Puerto Rican municipalities, some barrios and clusters of barrios (such as in Ponce) also function and are categorized as the pueblos of their respective municipalities. The municipality of San Juan is a good example of this: the barrios Pueblo and San Juan Antiguo correspond to the pueblos of the former municipalities of Río Piedras and San Juan (pre-1951). Both of these contained a main town square or plaza de armas with a city hall and a church. When San Juan and Río Piedras merged into a single municipality in 1951, the former pueblo of Río Piedras retained its name. ^[8] Florida and Ponce are the two other municipalities in Puerto Rico that do not contain a designated barrio-pueblo. The exception of Florida is due to the fact that the municipality has no barrios, ^[9] while Ponce does not have a single designated barrio-pueblo but six barrios that correspond to the pueblo of Ponce. ^{[10] [11]}

The name of the pueblo almost always is the name as the municipality is located in. For example, the barrio-pueblo of the municipality of Caguas is also called Caguas (Pueblo de Caguas). The exception to this occurs with the island municipalities of Culebra and Vieques. Although the barrio-pueblo of Culebra is known as Culebra (Pueblo de Culebra) today, its former name used to be Dewey, ^[12] while the name of the barrio-pueblo of Vieques today remains Isabel II. ^[13] Both of these are also the main settlements of the islands they are located in.

History

1905 postcard depicting Colón Square, the main plaza of the pueblo of Mayagüez where the city hall and Catholic cathedral are located.

Although the urban zones that today are designated as barrio-pueblo have existed since the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico, the concept of barrio was first used in the island during the 19th century. Historians have speculated the creation of barrios as administrative units may have been related to the Puerto Rican representation at the Cortes of Cádiz. ^[14] All municipalities in the island had a distinct barrio officially called pueblo (this is where the contemporary usage of pueblo in Puerto Rico comes from). Many of these pueblos used to have a certain degree of autonomy and local governance in the form of councils. Today barrios and barrio-pueblos have no political autonomy, and their designation is now for statistical and municipal management purposes. In 1980, they were still referred to as pueblos on the US Census. ^[15] Beginning with the 1990 census, these pueblos have been officially referred to as barrio-pueblos by the United States Census Bureau. ^[2]

List of Pueblos

The following list includes all barrio-pueblos and equivalent barrios in Puerto Rico. ^{[16] [17] [18]} The municipality of Florida is not included in the list as it has no barrios nor barrio-pueblos. ^[9] Ponce today has no official barrio-pueblo designations, however six of its barrios (all given cardinal names, i.e., 'first', 'second', 'sixth') correspond to the original core equivalent to the concept of barrio-pueblo today. ^{[10] [11]} The municipality of San Juan today, originally consisted of two separate municipalities with a barrio-pueblo each: San Juan Antiguo for the municipality of San Juan, and Pueblo for the former municipality of Río Piedras. ^[8]

Pueblo	Designation	Municipality	Pop. (2010)	Area (sq. mi)
Adjuntas	barrio-pueblo	Adjuntas	4,406	0.75
Aguada	barrio-pueblo	Aguada	1,324	0.11
Aguadilla	barrio-pueblo	Aguadilla	3,627	0.74
Aguas Buenas	barrio-pueblo	Aguas Buenas	1,711	0.18
Aibonito	barrio-pueblo	Aibonito	3,539	0.8
Añasco	barrio-pueblo	Añasco	912	0.09
Arecibo	barrio-pueblo	Arecibo	8,488	2.62
Arroyo	barrio-pueblo	Arroyo	1,206	0.38
Barceloneta	barrio-pueblo	Barceloneta	435	0.04
Barranquitas	barrio-pueblo	Barranquitas	2,695	0.77
Barrio Cuarto	barrio	Ponce	1,999	0.17
Barrio Primero	barrio	Ponce	3,175	0.26
Barrio Quinto	barrio	Ponce	568	0.11
Barrio Segundo	barrio	Ponce	7,213	0.53
Barrio Sexto	barrio	Ponce	3,529	0.27
Barrio Tercero	barrio	Ponce	668	0.08
Bayamón	barrio-pueblo	Bayamón	4,746	0.64
Cabo Rojo	barrio-pueblo	Cabo Rojo	1,078	0.1
Caguas	barrio-pueblo	Caguas	22,406	2.67
Camuy	barrio-pueblo	Camuy	3,354	0.95
Canóvanas	barrio-pueblo	Canóvanas	4,060	1.25
Carolina	barrio-pueblo	Carolina	1,201	0.08
Cataño	barrio-pueblo	Cataño	4,283	1.05
Cayey	barrio-pueblo	Cayey	15,298	2.45
Ceiba	barrio-pueblo	Ceiba	3,677	0.55
Ciales	barrio-pueblo	Ciales	1,009	0.11
Cidra	barrio-pueblo	Cidra	1,064	0.11
Coamo	barrio-pueblo	Coamo	6,685	0.89
Comerío	barrio-pueblo	Comerío	3,657	0.4
Corozal	barrio-pueblo	Corozal	2,631	0.35
Culebra	barrio-pueblo	Culebra	462	0.22
Dorado	barrio-pueblo	Dorado	780	0.07
Fajardo	barrio-pueblo	Fajardo	13,709	3.23
Guánica	barrio-pueblo	Guánica	3,514	0.98
Guayama	barrio-pueblo	Guayama	16,891	2.47
Guayanilla	barrio-pueblo	Guayanilla	3,757	0.54
Guaynabo	barrio-pueblo	Guaynabo	4,008	0.59
Gurabo	barrio-pueblo	Gurabo	1,509	0.11
Hatillo	barrio-pueblo	Hatillo	3,117	0.84
Hormigueros	barrio-pueblo	Hormigueros	1,204	0.23
Humacao	barrio-pueblo	Humacao	3,862	0.64
Isabel II	barrio-pueblo	Vieques	1,207	0.5
Isabela	barrio-pueblo	Isabela	7,826	1.46
Jayuya	barrio-pueblo	Jayuya	1,222	0.14
Juana Díaz	barrio-pueblo	Juana Díaz	3,977	0.51
Juncos	barrio-pueblo	Juncos	2,464	0.37
Lajas	barrio-pueblo	Lajas	564	0.06
Lares	barrio-pueblo	Lares	2,690	0.58
Las Marías	barrio-pueblo	Las Marías	262	0.06
Las Piedras	barrio-pueblo	Las Piedras	1,500	0.18
Loíza	barrio-pueblo	Loíza	3,875	0.66
Luquillo	barrio-pueblo	Luquillo	1,028	0.25
Manatí	barrio-pueblo	Manatí	5,746	0.77
Maricao	barrio-pueblo	Maricao	716	0.11
Maunabo	barrio-pueblo	Maunabo	317	0.14
Mayagüez	barrio-pueblo	Mayagüez	26,903	2.98
Moca	barrio-pueblo	Moca	1,735	0.32
Morovis	barrio-pueblo	Morovis	895	0.07
Naguabo	barrio-pueblo	Naguabo	1,514	0.25
Naranjito	barrio-pueblo	Naranjito	1,157	0.12
Orocovis	barrio-pueblo	Orocovis	682	0.11
Patillas	barrio-pueblo	Patillas	2,279	0.49
Peñuelas	barrio-pueblo	Peñuelas	1,422	0.25
Pueblo (Río Piedras)	barrio	San Juan	8,720	0.73
Quebradillas	barrio-pueblo	Quebradillas	3,103	0.65
Rincón	barrio-pueblo	Rincón	933	0.12
Río Grande	barrio-pueblo	Río Grande	1,772	0.2
Sabana Grande	barrio-pueblo	Sabana Grande	1,554	0.11
Salinas	barrio-pueblo	Salinas	2,453	0.46
San Germán	barrio-pueblo	San Germán	2,660	0.33
San Juan Antiguo	barrio	San Juan	7,085	2.63
San Lorenzo	barrio-pueblo	San Lorenzo	2,045	0.22
San Sebastián	barrio-pueblo	San Sebastián	1,424	0.12
Santa Isabel	barrio-pueblo	Santa Isabel	5,133	0.87
Toa Alta	barrio-pueblo	Toa Alta	397	0.03
Toa Baja	barrio-pueblo	Toa Baja	565	0.05
Trujillo Alto	barrio-pueblo	Trujillo Alto	673	0.15
Utuado	barrio-pueblo	Utuado	5,856	1.19
Vega Alta	barrio-pueblo	Vega Alta	1,169	0.1
Vega Baja	barrio-pueblo	Vega Baja	816	0.11
Villalba	barrio-pueblo	Villalba	729	0.15
Yabucoa	barrio-pueblo	Yabucoa	2,593	0.52
Yauco	barrio-pueblo	Yauco	3,091	0.32

In pop culture

The song "Me voy pa'l pueblo" by El Trío Los Panchos sings of going to the pueblo. ^[19]

Gallery

• 
  Aguadilla Pueblo and its harbor.
• 
  Plaza or main town square of the Arecibo Pueblo.
• 
  View of Barranquitas Pueblo from PR-152 (2013).
• 
  Historic architecture in Caguas Pueblo.
• 
  Cayey Pueblo from PR-52.
• 
  Coamo Pueblo, the third oldest settlement in Puerto Rico.
• 
  Typical street scene in Culebra Pueblo (Dewey).
• 
  Casa Cautiño in Guayama Pueblo. Pueblos often contain rich architectural, cultural and historic heritage.
• 
  El Cerro step streets in Gurabo Pueblo.
• 
  Humacao Pueblo skyline from the new city hall.
• 
  Mayagüez Pueblo is the most populated barrio-pueblo of Puerto Rico.
• 
  Ponce Pueblo from Cerro El Vigía.
• 
  Historic house in Sabana Grande Pueblo.
• 
  San Germán Pueblo is the second oldest settlement in Puerto Rico, and a designated National Historic District.
• 
  Although no longer a municipality, Río Piedras Pueblo still stands in the modern-day municipality of San Juan.
• 
  Eclectic architecture in Santa Isabel Pueblo.
• 
  View of Utuado Pueblo.
• 
  City hall of the island-municipality of Vieques at the Isabel II Pueblo.
• 
  Public art at Yauco Pueblo.

See also

• Cities portal
• Puerto Rico portal

• Barrios of Puerto Rico
• Municipalities of Puerto Rico

References

1. Sperling, Jonathan (1990). "Census Geography in Puerto Rico. A Technical Addendum for the 1990 Census". Caribbean Studies. 23 (3/4): 111–130. ISSN   0008-6533. JSTOR   25613008.
2. José A. Mari Mut (2013-08-28). Los pueblos de Puerto Rico y las iglesias de sus plazas.
3. Pano, José Luis (July 15, 2020). "El proyecto 'Pueblos Vivos Aragón' lanza la campaña "Es el momento de volver al pueblo'". heraldo.es (in Spanish). Retrieved February 1, 2022.
4. History, 2000 Census of population and housing , p. 400, at Google Books, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau, 2009
5. Cartographic Boundary Files. Archived 2013-05-10 at the Wayback Machine U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
6. Santullano, Luis A. (10 March 2019). "La Plaza y la Calle". Mirada al Caribe. Vol. 54. Colegio de Mexico. pp. 75–78. doi:10.2307/j.ctvbcd2vs.12. JSTOR   j.ctvbcd2vs.12.
7. United States Department of Commerce, United States Census Bureau (September 18, 2012). "2010 Census of Puerto Rico Assessment Report" (PDF). census.gov.
8. Picó, Rafael; Buitrago de Santiago, Zayda; Berrios, Hector H. Nueva geografía de Puerto Rico: física, económica, y social, por Rafael Picó. Con la colaboración de Zayda Buitrago de Santiago y Héctor H. Berrios. San Juan Editorial Universitaria, Universidad de Puerto Rico,1969.
9. Gwillim Law (20 May 2015). Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. McFarland. p. 300. ISBN   978-1-4766-0447-3 . Retrieved 25 December 2018.
10. Ponce: Notas para su historia. Archived 18 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine Mariano Vidal Armstrong. Oficina Estatal de Conservacion Historica. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1989. page 6. Accessed 19 February 2018.
11. Hacia un Estudio Integral de la Toponimia del Municipio de Ponce, Puerto Rico. Sunny A. Cabrera Salcedo. Ph.D. dissertation. May 1999. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Graduate School. Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Page 33.
12. "Culebra" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-02-01.
13. "Welcome to Isabel II | Vieques" . Retrieved 2022-02-01.
14. Los alcaldes de los barrios. Archived 2014-04-13 at the Wayback Machine Rafael Torrech San Inocencio. "Barrios del Sur." El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
15. "1980 Census of Population. General Population Characteristics. Puerto Rico". Internet Archive. January 14, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
16. Bureau, US Census. "Puerto Rico". Census.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
17. El rastro de los primeros colonizadores en nuestros barrios. Archived 2018-12-26 at the Wayback Machine Rafael Torrech San Inocencio. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 14 November 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
18. "Población por Barrios". Programa Graduado de Demografía. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
19. Merlos, Jessica (October 15, 2021). "Música nacional Trío Cuscatlán presenta su disco "Remembranzas del 50"". Diario El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved February 1, 2022.