Comerío, Puerto Rico

Comerío Municipio Autónomo de Comerío
Town and Municipality
View of Comerío from Lazos Hill
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  "La Perla de Plata", "Pueblo de los Guabaleros"
Anthem: "Con alma henchida de amor y ensueño"
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Comerío Municipality
Coordinates: 18°13′05″N 66°13′34″W
Sovereign state	United States
Commonwealth	Puerto Rico
Settled	late 18th century
Founded	June 12, 1826
Founded by	Don José Díaz
Barrios	9 barrios Cedrito Cejas Comerío barrio-pueblo Doña Elena Naranjo Palomas Piñas Río Hondo Vega Redonda
Government
• Mayor	Irvin Rivera (PPD)
• Senatorial dist.	6 – Guayama
• Representative dist.	29
Area
• Total	28.24 sq mi (73.13 km^2)
• Land	28 sq mi (73 km^2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (.13 km^2)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	18,883
• Rank	61st in Puerto Rico
• Density	670/sq mi (260/km^2)
Demonym	Comerieños
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
ZIP Code	00782
Area code	787/939
Major routes
Website	www.visitacomerio.com/index.php

Comerío (Spanish pronunciation: [komeˈɾi.o]) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico in the center-eastern region of island, north of Aibonito; south of Naranjito and Bayamón; east of Barranquitas; and west of Cidra and Aguas Buenas. Comerío is spread over 7 barrios and Comerío Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Comerío to Barranquitas Road c. 1900–1917

Comerío was founded on June 12, 1826. Originally named Sabana del Palmar, but later changed to Comerío.^[2]

In 1854, nearly 1000 acres (1000 cuerdas) of land were being used for agriculture. In 1894, there was one sugar and two coffee plantations (estates) in Comerío.^[3] In the early 20th century, Comerio residents, had a short but legendary territory war with residents of the city of Barranquitas.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Comerío was 8,249.^[4]

Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Comerío.^[5][6] The flooded river went through the center of Comerío. A week later the hospital, trying to run via generator, was out of diesel but due to the landslides, travel and deliveries, into and out of Comerío was next to impossible.^[7] Over 4,000 homes were affected, and of those 1,537 completely destroyed.^[8] After the hurricane, the National Guard from Ohio were tasked with restoring water purification systems for the people of Comerío. Two months after the hurricane, the mayor of Comerío said no personnel had made it yet to attempt the restoration of electrical power to Comerío.^[9] On October 9, another landslide happened blocking transit on PR-167.^[10] On October 10, a group of doctors from New York announced they would travel to volunteer their services to Comerío and nearby mountain municipalities.^[11]

Geography

The rivers located in Comerío are Río de la Plata and Río Hondo.^[12]

Barrios

Subdivisions of Comerío.

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Comerío is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.^{[13][14][15][16]}

1. Cedrito
2. Cejas
3. Comerío barrio-pueblo^[17]
4. Doña Elena
5. Naranjo
6. Palomas
7. Piñas
8. Río Hondo
9. Vega Redonda

Sectors

Further information: List of barrios and sectors of Comerío, Puerto Rico

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)^[17] and subbarrios,^[18] are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.^[19][20][21]

Special Communities

See also: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development

Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico (Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social 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 Comerio: Barriada Cielito, Sector Villa Brava in Piñas Abajo, El 26 in Palomas Abajo, El Higüero in Palomas Abajo, El Verde in Naranjo, La Juncia in Río Hondo II, La Pietra Cedrito, Río Hondo, and Vuelta del Dos.^[22][23]

Tourism

To stimulate local tourism, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo ("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Comerío page lists Las Pailas, Represa el Salto, and Media Luna, as places of interest.^[24]

Landmarks and places of interest

Some of the landmarks of Comerío include:^[25]

• La Tiza Peak
• La Mora Caves
• La Plata River
• Las Bocas Canyon
• Las Pailas
• Los Pilones
• Media Luna Recreation Park
• Tobacco Warehouse
• The main town square
• El Salto Hydroelectric Dams 1 and 2

Economy

Agriculture

• Tobacco (not as predominant in recent years). Comerío was known as "El Pueblo del Tabaco" (Tobacco Town), and its original flag had a tobacco plant in its center.^[26]

Culture

Festivals and events

Comerío celebrates its patron saint festival in August. The Fiestas Patronales Santo Cristo de la Salud is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.^[25]

Other festivals and events celebrated in Comerío include:

• Spring Carnival – April
• La Mora Cave Festival – June 1,2,3
• Jíbaro Festival – June
• El Jobo Festival – July
• San Andrés Apóstol Festivities – November
• El Seco Marathon – December
• Christmas Fantasy – December

Religion

First Methodist Church of Comerío was founded in 1904.

Demographics

See also: Demographics of Puerto Rico

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	8,249		—
1910	11,170		35.4%
1920	14,708		31.7%
1930	16,715		13.6%
1940	18,539		10.9%
1950	17,966		−3.1%
1960	18,583		3.4%
1970	18,819		1.3%
1980	18,212		−3.2%
1990	20,265		11.3%
2000	20,002		−1.3%
2010	20,778		3.9%
2020	18,883		−9.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[27] 1899 (shown as 1900)[28] 1910–1930[29] 1930–1950[30] 1960–2000[31] 2010[15] 2020[32]

Government

Main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Comerío is Irvin Rivera, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected at the 2024 general elections.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Rafael Santos Ortiz and Wilmer Reyes Berríos were elected as District Senators.^[34]

Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.^[35]

Flag

Quartered in cross, of green and white, and superimposed the right superior quarter is an anchored yellow cross.^[2][36]

Coat of arms

The Comerío coat of arms is made up quarters (4) bearing what is known as an escutcheon of displays a shield in the center. There's a green field with a golden cross in the left quarter which represents Holy Christ the Healer, the patron of the town. Green stripes on a silver field are on the lower left quarter, symbolizing the Comerío falls and the La Plata River. Three royal palms in the right quarter to remember the original name of the town, and an undulating line symbolizes the mist that often covers the town. A crown with Taino motifs represents the cacique. The tobacco plant is a reminder of what was once an important part of the economic activity of the municipality. Inscribed with "the pearl of La Plata" a reference is made to the location of Comerío, on the banks of the La Plata River and the turreted castle which is a symbol of municipalities of Puerto Rico.^[2][36]

Transportation

Public bus from Bayamón to Comerío at Centro de Estacionamiento de Bayamón is the main public transportation.

There are 16 bridges in Comerío.^[37]

Notable Comerieños

• Manuel A. Pérez (1890–1951) – Professor
• Enrique Pérez Santiago – Hematologist
• Lalah (born 2001) - singer-songwriter

Gallery

• 
  View looking north from Vega Redonda barrio in Comerio
• 
  Old dam at El Salto, one of the oldest in Puerto Rico.

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• History of Puerto Rico
• Did you know-Puerto Rico?

References

1. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
2. "Comerío Municipality Founding and History". enciclopediapr.org. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
3. Puerto Rico. Office of Historian (1949). Tesauro de datos historicos: indice compendioso de la literatura histórica de Puerto Rico, incluyendo algunos datos inéditos, periodísticos y cartográficos (in Spanish). Impr. del Gobierno de Puerto Rico. p. 191. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
4. Joseph Prentiss Sanger; Henry Gannett; Walter Francis Willcox (1900). Informe sobre el censo de Puerto Rico, 1899, United States. War Dept. Porto Rico Census Office (in Spanish). Imprenta del gobierno. p. 161.
5. "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico". USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS. Archived from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
6. "Preliminary Locations of Landslide Impacts from Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico" (PDF). USGS Landslide Hazards Program. USGS. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
7. Ortiz Rivera, Joel (September 27, 2017). "Las cosas siguen igual en Comerío". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved September 19, 2021.
8. "María, un nombre que no vamos a olvidar. María embraveció al río La Plata y Comerío revivió una pesadilla" [Maria, a name we will never forget. María infuriated the La Plata River and Comerío relived a nightmare]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). June 13, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
9. Delgado, José A. (November 29, 2017). "Alcalde de Comerío alega que es lenta la recuperación tras María". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved September 19, 2021.
10. "Reportan deslizamiento de tierra en carretera que conduce a Comerío". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). October 9, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
11. Ruiz Kuilan, Gloria (October 10, 2017). "Organización de médicos de Nueva York ofrece servicios a la montaña". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved September 19, 2021.
12. "Comerío Municipality General Information, Geography". enciclopediapr.org. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
13. 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. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
14. Gwillim Law (May 20, 2015). Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998. McFarland. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4766-0447-3. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
15. Puerto Rico:2010:population and housing unit counts.pdf (PDF). U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
16. "Map of Comerío at the Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
17. "US Census Barrio-Pueblo definition". factfinder.com. US Census. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
18. "P.L. 94-171 VTD/SLD Reference Map (2010 Census): Comerío Municipio, PR" (PDF). www2.census.gov. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
19. "Agencia: Oficina del Coordinador General para el Financiamiento Socioeconómico y la Autogestión (Proposed 2016 Budget)". Puerto Rico Budgets (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
20. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004 (first ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
21. "Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
22. Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004 (1st ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273, ISBN 978-0-9820806-1-0
23. "Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). August 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
24. Pasaporte: Voy Turisteando (in Spanish). Compañia de Turismo de Puerto Rico. 2021.
25. "Comerío Municipality Places of Interest". enciclopediapr.org. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
26. Comerio, Puerto Rico. Archived February 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Flags of the world. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
27. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
28. "Report of the Census of Porto Rico 1899". War Department Office Director Census of Porto Rico. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
29. "Table 3-Population of Municipalities: 1930 1920 and 1910" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
30. "Table 4-Area and Population of Municipalities Urban and Rural: 1930 to 1950" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 30, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
31. "Table 2 Population and Housing Units: 1960 to 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
32. "PUERTO RICO: 2020 Census". The United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
33. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
34. [ https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_121/index.html#es/default/SENADORES_POR_DISTRITO_Guayama_VI.xml Elecciones Generales 2024: Escrutinio General] Archived 2024-12-30 at elecciones2024.ceepur.org (Error: unknown archive URL) on CEEPUR
35. "Ley Núm. 70 de 2006 -Ley para disponer la oficialidad de la bandera y el escudo de los setenta y ocho (78) municipios". LexJuris de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved June 15, 2021.
36. "COMERIO". LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
37. "Comerio Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.

Further reading

• Levy, Teresita A. (2007). The History of Tobacco Cultivation in Puerto Rico, 1899—1940. ProQuest. ISBN 9780549267843.
• Mapa de municipios y barrios - Comerío - Memoria Núm. 41 (PDF). University of Puerto Rico: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Oficina del Gobernador, Junta de Planificacion, Santurce, Puerto Rico. 1955. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.

External links

• Puerto Rico Government Directory - Comerío
• Municipalities at enciclopediapr.org