Cerro La Santa is a 2,962 feet (903 m) high mountain and the highest point in the
Sierra de Cayey
Sierra de Cayey is a mountain range in the main island of Puerto Rico. It is located in the southeast section of the island. Its elevations do not exceed 1000 m (3,280 ft.).
The Grande de Loíza, which is one of the most important rivers in Puer ...
in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. The peak of Cerro La Santa is located in the
Carite State Forest
Carite State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Carite'') is a state forest and nature reserve located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range in southeastern Puerto Rico. The forest extends over approximately 6,500 acres and is located in the mu ...
, at a tri-point shared by the municipalities of
Caguas
Caguas (, ) is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, and east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey. Caguas was founde ...
(
San Salvador),
Cayey
Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Sal ...
(
Farallón) and
San Lorenzo (
Espino).
Geography
Cerro La Santa is the highest point in the
Sierra de Cayey
Sierra de Cayey is a mountain range in the main island of Puerto Rico. It is located in the southeast section of the island. Its elevations do not exceed 1000 m (3,280 ft.).
The Grande de Loíza, which is one of the most important rivers in Puer ...
, a subrange of the
Central Mountain Range
The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. Due to this separation, connecting between the west and east is not very convenient. The tallest peak of th ...
(Cordillera Central) of Puerto Rico.
Cerro Lucero, also located within the massif, follows close by with an elevation of 2,831 feet (862 m). Although not located at the peak of the mountain, the highest point of the municipalities of
Guayama and
Patillas is also found within the Cerro La Santa
mountain massif.
The summit of Cerro La Santa is located close to
PR-184. With the exception of the tall antennas which provide signal to Puerto Rico's principal TV stations such as
WKAQ-TV
WKAQ-TV (channel 2) is a television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, airing programming from the Telemundo and NBC networks. It is owned and operated by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WKAQ-TV's studios are located o ...
and
WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Hemisphere Media Group, which is 84% owned by InterMedia Partners. WAPA-TV's studios are located on Avenida Luis Vigoreaux in G ...
, these mountains are heavily forested by Sierra palm trees (''
Prestoea montana
''Prestoea montana'' (Vernacular English: Sierran palm;[Carite State Forest
Carite State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Carite'') is a state forest and nature reserve located in the Sierra de Cayey mountain range in southeastern Puerto Rico. The forest extends over approximately 6,500 acres and is located in the mu ...]
.
The
Loíza River (Spanish: ''Río Grande De Loíza'') has its source close to the summit in barrio
Espino in San Lorenzo.
Gallery
File:2022cerrolasanta3.jpg, Cerro La Santa from Jaguas, Gurabo.
File:2022cerrolasanta2.jpg, View of the antennas at the summit from highway PR-184.
File:2022bosquecarite2.jpg, Sierra palm forest near the summit.
See also
*
Sierra de Cayey
Sierra de Cayey is a mountain range in the main island of Puerto Rico. It is located in the southeast section of the island. Its elevations do not exceed 1000 m (3,280 ft.).
The Grande de Loíza, which is one of the most important rivers in Puer ...
References
{{Reflist
Mountains of Puerto Rico
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Cayey, Puerto Rico
San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico