Lares Municipio Autónomo de Lares | |
|---|---|
Town andMunicipality | |
      From top, left to right: Lares city hall indowntown Lares;Parroquia del Glorioso Patriarca San José;Plaza de la Revolución;Hacienda Lealtad; and Panoramic mountainous views from barriosMirasol andPiletas | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: Ciudad del Grito (The Town of The Cry),Altar de la Patria (Altar of the Fatherland),La Capital de la Montaña (Capital of the Mountains)[1] | |
| Anthem:"En las verdes montañas de Lares" (In the green mountains of Lares) | |
 Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Lares Municipality | |
| Coordinates:18°17′42″N66°52′43″W / 18.29500°N 66.87861°W /18.29500; -66.87861 | |
| Sovereign state |  United States |
| Commonwealth |  Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1824 |
| Founded | April 26, 1831 |
| Founded by | Juan Francisco de Soto |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Fabián Arroyo Rodríguez[2] (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 5 – Ponce |
| • Representative dist. | 22 |
| Area | |
• Total | 61.64 sq mi (159.6 km2) |
| • Land | 61.45 sq mi (159.2 km2) |
| • Water | .09 sq mi (0.23 km2) |
| Population (2020)[3] | |
• Total | 28,105 |
| • Rank | 45th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 457.4/sq mi (176.6/km2) |
| Demonym | Lareños |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Codes | 00669, 00631 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes |       |
Lares (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈlaɾes],locally[ˈlaɾeʔ]) is a mountaintown andmunicipality ofPuerto Rico's central-western area. Lares is located north ofMaricao andYauco; south ofCamuy, east ofSan Sebastián andLas Marias; and west ofHatillo,Utuado andAdjuntas. Lares is spread over 10 barrios andLares Pueblo (Downtown Lares). It is part of theAguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.
A city adorned withSpanish-era colonial-style churches and small downtown stores, Lares is located on a mountainous, breezy area that is about 1.5 hours from the capitalSan Juan by car.
In 1868, Lares was the site of theGrito de Lares (literally,The Cry of Lares, or Lares Revolt), an uprising brought on by pro-independence rebels and members of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico striving forPuerto Rican independence fromSpain. Even though it was short-lived, it remains an iconic historical event in thehistory of the island. The flag of the revolt, known as theBandera del Grito de Lares (Grito de Lares flag), is the official flag of Lares.[4]
Lares was founded on April 26, 1827, by Francisco de Sotomayor and Pedro Vélez Borrero, who named the town afterAmador de Lariz, aSpanish nobleman and one of its settlers.[5][6]
Lares was the location of theGrito de Lares(Cry of Lares) revolt againstSpanish rule in Puerto Rico on September 23, 1868. The revolt is recognized as the most important symbol of thePuerto Rican struggle for independence.[7] HistorianFernando Picó described it thus:
This revolution was the biggest anti-Spanish manifestation in thehistory of the island and articulated the economic frustrations of nearly ruined landowners, the political project of the creoles, the rejection of coerced labor by thejornaleros (day laborers), and the emancipation hopes of theenslaved population. — Fernando Picó, The Absent State[8]
Lares adopted theflag of the revolt as its official flag. The flag was proclaimed the national flag of asovereign "Republic of Puerto Rico" by therevolting revolutionaries in 1868, making it the first flag of Puerto Rico. In 1895, the exiledrevolutionaries replaced it with thecurrent flag of Puerto Rico as the new revolutionary flag to represent an independent Puerto Rico. As the flag of the revolt, the flag of Lares is used by theindependence movement in Puerto Rico to show support for the independence of theisland from theUnited States.
Puerto Rico was ceded bySpain in the aftermath of theSpanish–American War under the terms of theTreaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of theUnited States. In 1899, theUnited States Department of War conducted acensus of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Lares was 20,883.[9]
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Lares. In many areas of Lares there were more than 25 landslides per square mile due to the significant amount of rainfall.[10][11]Puerto Rico se levanta (Puerto Rico will stand up) became the slogan used across the island to communicate the island would rise again.[12]
When the hurricane hit, many areas in the Municipal Cemetery of Lares were damaged by landslides. Total affected were about 5,000 burial plots, with the burial places shifting and some plots opened. In response, the municipality closed the cemetery to the public.[13][14] In early 2019,El Nuevo Día newspaper in Puerto Rico began listing the names of the cadavers that would be exhumed and moved to other cemeteries, a long and delicate process. On March 4, an update was given by Lares officials on how the issue was being handled.[15] On May 10, 2019, it was announced that a decision had been made to build a temporary wooden structure separating the affected area so that family members could visit the plots that were unaffected by the hurricane-triggered landslides.[16] TheBravo Family Foundation sent relief to Lares, in the immediate aftermath.[17]
The December 2019 and January2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes caused 28 families in Lares to lose their homes.[18]
Lares is a mountainous municipality located in the central western part of the island of Puerto Rico. According to the 2010U.S. Census Bureau, the municipality has a total area of 61.64 square miles (159.6 km2), of which 61.45 square miles (159.2 km2) is land and .09 square miles (0.23 km2) is water.[19]
There are 10caves in Lares.Cueva Machos andCueva Pajita are located inCallejones barrio.[20]
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Lares is divided intobarrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located near the center of the municipality, in a barrio referred to as"el pueblo".[21][22][23][24]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable tominor civil divisions)[25] are further subdivided into smaller areas calledsectores (sectors in English). The types ofsectores may vary, from normallysector tourbanización toreparto tobarriada toresidencial, among others.[26]
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount ofsocial exclusion. A map shows these communities occur in nearly every municipality of the commonwealth. Of the 742 places that were on the list in 2014, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Lares: Castañer,Cerro Avispa, Comunidad Anón, Comunidad Arizona, Comunidad El Bajadero, Comunidad Peligro, Comunidad San Felipe, and Seburuquillo.[27][28]
Lares celebrates itspatron saint festival in December. TheFiestas Patronales de San Jose is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.[32][33] The festival has featured live performances by well-known artists such asSie7e, andEdnita Nazario.[34]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Lares include:
Lares has a professional volleyball team calledPatriotas de Lares (Lares Patriots) that have international players including: Brock Ullrich, Gregory Berrios, Ramon "Monchito" Hernandez, and Ariel Rodriguez. The Patriotas won 3 championships, in 1981, 1983 and 2002. In 1981 and 1983 they beat Corozal in the finals and in 2002 they beat Naranjito. Some of the local players were David Vera 1979, Rigoberto Guiyoti 1979, Modesto 1980, Luis Vera 1980, Carlos Vera 1980.
Lares' economy is primarily agricultural. Harvested products includebananas,coffee,oranges, andtomatoes.
Tourism also plays a significant role in the municipality's economy. TheHeladeria de Lares (Lares Ice Cream Shop) is well known around Puerto Rico for its unorthodox selection of ice cream including; rice and beans-flavored ice cream.[35]
There was a large population exodus, out of Lares, after September 20, 2017, whenHurricane Maria struck the island.[36]
In 2016, Rural Opportunities Puerto Rico Inc. (ROPRI) in conjunction with theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) completed the building of 24 (one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom) units[37] in Lares, specifically for farmers (inSpanish:agricultores), and their families, to live and work. It is calledAlturas de Castañer (Castañer Heights) and there the families work to grow coffee, bananas and other crops which are sold to markets, and restaurants nearby.[38]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 20,883 | — | |
| 1910 | 22,650 | 8.5% | |
| 1920 | 25,197 | 11.2% | |
| 1930 | 27,351 | 8.5% | |
| 1940 | 29,914 | 9.4% | |
| 1950 | 29,951 | 0.1% | |
| 1960 | 26,922 | −10.1% | |
| 1970 | 25,263 | −6.2% | |
| 1980 | 26,743 | 5.9% | |
| 1990 | 29,015 | 8.5% | |
| 2000 | 34,415 | 18.6% | |
| 2010 | 30,753 | −10.6% | |
| 2020 | 28,105 | −8.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[39] 1899 (shown as 1900)[40] 1910-1930[41] 1930-1950[42] 1960-2000[43] 2010[23]2020[44] | |||
Like most of Puerto Rico, Lares population originated with theTaino Indians and then many immigrants from Spain settled the central highland, most prominently theAndalusian,Canarian andExtremaduran Spanish migration who formed the bulk of theJibaro or white peasant stock of the island.[45] The Andalusian, Canarian andExtremaduran Spaniards also influenced much of the Puerto Rican culture which explains the use ofSpanish and the Spanish architecture that can be found in the city.
The mayor of Lares for fifteen years wasRoberto Pagán Centeno, who resigned in late 2019.[46] His successor, José Rodríguez Ruiz, began serving his term as mayor of Lares on January 20, 2020.[47][48] Fabian Arroyo was elected to a four-year term as part of the2020 general elections.
The city belongs to thePuerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In2024,Marially González Huertas andJamie Barlucea, from thePopular Democratic Party andNew Progressive Party, respectively, were elected as District Senators.[49]
The Héctor Hernández Arana Primary school is located in Lares.[50]
Themunicipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[51]
The origins of theflag of Lares can be traced back to the failedGrito de Lares (Cry of Lares) revolt of 1868 againstSpanish rule. The flag is modeled after theflag of the First Dominican Republic and theflag of Cuba, reflecting the revolutionaries idea to unite the Spanish-speakingGreater Antilles ofPuerto Rico,Cuba, and theDominican Republic inHispaniola into anAntillean Confederation. The flag was first knitted byMariana Bracetti at the behest ofRamón Emeterio Betances, leader of theRevolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico.
Th flag consists of a white cross in the center that extends to its four sides, with four equal rectangles, two located on top and two below the arms of the cross. The superior (top) ones are blue and the inferior (bottom) ones red. A five-point white star is located in the center of the upper left rectangle.[52]
A silver cross is centered on and extends across the shield from side to side and top to bottom; it has blue top quadrants and red bottom quadrants; it has a five pointed silver star in the upper left quadrant. A chain surrounds the shield. The seal is same coat of arms with a scroll and a ribbon in a semicircle with the wordsLares Ciudad del Grito (Lares City of the Cry).[52]
Puerto Rico State Route 111 provides access to Lares.
Lares has 15 bridges.[53]
Places adjacent to Lares, Puerto Rico | |
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Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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