Las Piedras (, ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in east

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 ...

(U.S.) located in the central eastern region of the island, north of

Yabucoa Yabucoa () is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern region, north of Maunabo; south of San Lorenzo, Las Piedras and Humacao; and east of Patillas. Yabucoa is spread over 9 barrios and Yabucoa Pueblo (the downtown area ...

; south of Canóvanas and

Río Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

; east of Juncos and

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

; and west of Naguabo and

Humacao Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...

. Las Piedras is spread over 7 barrios and Las Piedras Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area. Las Piedras has many natural attractions such as '' Cueva del Indio'' which contains original Taino caves and paintings that denote some characteristics of the island's natives. Las Piedras is located about 45 minutes from San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital and 5 minutes from

Palmas del Mar Palmas del Mar is a beach resort community consisting of a country club, golf courses, tennis, a beach club, residences and a hotel. It is located in the municipality of Humacao, Puerto Rico, on the southeast corner of the island. Features Set i ...

which is one of the biggest resorts in the Caribbean.

El Toro El Toro, Spanish for "the bull", may refer to: Geography * El Toro (Mallorca), a neighbourhood in the municipality of Calvià on the island of Mallorca * El Toro, Castellón, a town in Castellón, Spain * El Toro (Jujuy), a rural municipality and ...

, the highest point in the

Sierra de Luquillo The Sierra de Luquillo is a mountain range located in the northeastern part of Puerto Rico. Also known as the Luquillo Mountains, these are steep-sided, densely-forested mountains rising to elevations of around , the highest point being the summit ...

, is located in the boundary between the municipalities of Las Piedras and

History

Las Piedras was founded in 1793. Puerto Rico was ceded by

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...

and became a territory of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 1899, the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

conducted a

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Las Piedras was 8,602. On September 20, 2017

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

struck Puerto Rico. In Las Piedras, 500 residences lost their roof. The hurricane triggered numerous landslides in Las Piedras with 205 mph winds and significant rainfall. Infrastructure in Las Piedras was heavily damaged and most regions were inaccessible immediately following the hurricane.

Geography

Las Piedras is on the eastern side of Puerto Rico but not on the coast. According to the 2010

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the municipality has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Las Piedras is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located near the center of the municipality, in a small barrio referred to as . # Boquerón #

Ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...

# Collores # El Río # Las Piedras barrio-pueblo # Montones #

Quebrada Arenas Quebrada Arenas is a Barrios of Puerto Rico, barrio in the municipality of Maunabo, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 1,667. History Cueva del Indio (Las Piedras), Cueva del Indio, a prehistoric rock art site which is now a public park, is ...

# Tejas

Sectors

Barrios (which are like

minor civil divisions A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau for primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county or county-equivalent, typically a municipal government such as a city, town, or civil township. MCD ...

) and subbarrios, in turn, are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (''sectors'' in English). The types of ''sectores'' may vary, from normally ''sector'' to ''urbanización'' to ''reparto'' to ''barriada'' to ''residencial'', among others.

Special Communities

(Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. It is used across discipline ...

. 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 Las Piedras: Quebrada Grande neighborhood, Rivera neighborhood (Hoyo Gardens), Boquerón, Cinco Cuerdas, El Cerrito, Fondo del Saco, Lijas and Pueblito del Río.

Demographics

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

*La Cueva del Indio *Monte del Retiro *Artesanial Walk *Francisco Negrón Park *Las Piedras Historic Museum * Panoramic Route 917

Economy

Industry

*Manufacturing: computers and pharmaceutical.

Culture

Festivals and events

Las Piedras celebrates its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

festival in December. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events celebrated in Las Piedras include: *''

Güiro The güiro () is a Puerto Rican percussion instrument consisting of an open-ended, hollow gourd with parallel notches cut in one side. It is played by rubbing a stick or tines (see photo) along the notches to produce a ratchet sound. The güiro ...

'' Festival - March *Folk Culture Festival – April *Cross Festival – May *Youth Festival – July *Folk Festival – September * - October * Roast Pig Festival – November

Government

Like all municipalities in

, Las Piedras is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Mickey Lopez, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). Lopez was elected at the

Puerto Rican general election, 2008 -present general election Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

. The city belongs to the

Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII Puerto Rico Senatorial District VII, also known as the Senatorial District of Humacao, is one of the eight senatorial districts of Puerto Rico. It is currently represented by José Luis Dalmau and Miguel Laureano (from the Popular Democratic Pa ...

, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Jorge Suárez and

José Luis Dalmau José Luis Dalmau Santiago (born September 19, 1966) is an attorney and politician. He is the current President of the Senate of Puerto Rico and President of the Popular Democratic Party. Early years and studies José Luis Dalmau Santiago was ...

were elected as District Senators.

Transportation

There are 24 bridges in Las Piedras.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The flag of Las Piedras has three horizontal stripes of equal width, the stripe at the top is colored white, the center stripe is colored green and the bottom stripe is colored blue. In the middle of the flag rests an image of the

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

sun in yellow.

Coat of arms

In a silver field resides a blue monogram of the

Holy Virgin Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

, topped by a blue crown. Seven silver stones border the silver field and at the tip of the shield resides the Taíno sun in gold denominated as the "Sun of Las Piedras".

Notable natives

* Angel López - Singer from the acclaimed and famous worldwide group,

Son By Four Son by Four is a latin music group from Puerto Rico, well known for their English U.S. pop hit " The Purest of Pain (A Puro Dolor)". The group is now independent, as they founded their own label SB4 Music Group in 2003. Son by Four was created b ...

. * Luis “El Artesano" Cruz - Professional Boxer. * Yariel Morales Rivera - Mr. Puerto Rico 2015. Professional model and the only Mr. Puerto Rico (in history) from Las Piedras. * Margaro Rivera Guzmán-Scholar, attorney and prominent businessman * Modesto Castro Dávila - Las Piedras Mayor (1980-1984). * Rafi Jimenez - Broadcaster * Juan Velázquez- Farmer and political activist * Elwood Cruz - Reporter *

Juan Manuel Lebrón Juan Manuel Lebrón Román (born April 22, 1947) is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican actor, model, screenwriter, television producer and Salsa music, salsa singer. Career Juan Manuel Lebrón Román began his show business career as a youngster, then ...

- Comedian * Sotero Gómez Hernández- Puerto Rico House Representative * Silvia Ricardo - Judge * Carmen Benítez - Notable teacher * Celia Mondríguez: elderly people rights advocacy * Isabelo Rivera - Adjutant general of the Puerto Rico National Guard * Modesto Velázquez Flores - Prosecutor * José R. Camacho - Broadcaster. * Eugenio López - Rancher, Boxer. * Zenón Hernández - Writer, poet. * Francisco Negrón Díaz - Sport and businessman. * Miguel Loíz - Teacher, Senator for Humacao district Puerto Rico. *

Miguel Hernández Agosto Miguel Hernández Agosto (April 5, 1927 – March 18, 2016) was a Puerto Rican politician whose service in government spanned several generations. Affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), he started his political career as a Cabinet m ...

- Puerto Rico Senate President (1988-1992). * Víctor Santana Pérez - Teacher, historian, writer and planner of Monte del Retiro. * Tomas Diaz - Clay Artisan. * Cano Diaz - Creator of the now famous "Stringed Hammocs". *Wilfredo Ramos Vázquez-Attorney, philosopher, poverty rights advocacy, public defender, Artificial Intelligence researcher *Juan Rosa Martínez: first elected mayor of Las Piedras, businessman and sindicalist *

Nicky Cruz Nicky Cruz (born December 6, 1938) is a Puerto Rican Christian evangelist, the founder of Nicky Cruz Outreach, an evangelistic Christian ministry. He was also once the director of Teen Challenge, serving under David Wilkerson before founding ano ...

-evangelist, reformed gang leader, author of bestselling book, "Run Baby Run". David Wilkerson based his best selling book "The Cross and the Switchblade" in part in Nicky's life

References

External links

Las Piedras and its barrios, United States Census BureauPuerto Rico Government Directory - Las Piedras