Cerro Las Tetas, nicknamed Las Tetas de Cayey but officially Las Piedras del Collado, are two

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

peaks located in the municipality of

Salinas, Puerto Rico Salinas (, ) is a town and municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Aibonito and Cayey; southeast of Coamo, east of Santa Isabel; and west of Guayama. Salinas is spread over 5 bar ...

, north of the city of Salinas proper. Since September 1, 2000, the peaks have become part of the Las Piedras del Collado Nature Reserve and are protected by law. Their height is above sea level.

Source of the name

The peaks are so named for their resemblance to a woman's

breasts The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and sec ...

. The word "tetas" is colloquial for "breasts" in Spanish, much like the English word "tits".

Location

A common misconception is that ''Las Tetas'' are located in the municipality of Cayey. ''Las Tetas'' are actually located the municipality of Salinas, in Barrio Palmas, a barrio on the northwestern part of the municipality of Salinas. They are located close to—but not in—the municipality of

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 ...

, thus the "de Cayey" (English "of Cayey") in its name. They are located about southwest of the intersection of

PR-1 Puerto Rico Highway 1 (PR-1) is a highway in Puerto Rico that connects the city of Ponce to San Juan. Leaving Ponce, the road heads east and follows a somewhat parallel route along the southern coast of the island heading towards Salinas. At S ...

and PR-162. Topological maps readily show this.

Confusion regarding its location

The ''Las Tetas'' peaks are part of the "Cayey Mountain Range" (Spanish:

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 ...

). The ''La Sierra de Cayey'' mountain range, just like the Cordillera Central and Sierra de Luquillo mountain ranges, extends over several municipalities, not just Cayey. The name of the mountain range where ''Las Tetas'' are located (Sierra de ''Cayey'') may be a possible source of confusion regarding the location of the ''Las Tetas'' peaks themselves. A little-known fact is that the town of Cayey derives its name from Sierra de Cayey, and not the other way around. Another possible source of confusion may lie on the fact that the road to reach the ''Las Tetas'' peaks starts off from within the municipality of Cayey, albeit just meters from its border with the municipality of Salinas. A third possible source of confusion about the municipality where the mountains are located may be the fact that the peaks are located closer to downtown Cayey than to downtown Salinas. Cayey is also a

land-locked A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...

and mostly mountainous municipality, whereas Salinas, as a municipality on the southern coastal plain, consists mostly of flatlands. This may be a fourth reason yet why many people believe ''Las Tetas'' mountain peaks are located in Cayey, and not in Salinas. Another reason yet for the confusion may be that in order to locate ''Las Tetas'' in the official

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

map, the map for the Cayey Quadrangle is used. In the mid-2000s the town of Salinas took the town of

to court over the location of "Las Tetas" and won the case. The matter involved land development and the Puerto Rico Planning Board. The result was a vindication of the claim that the "Las Tetas" location as being in the municipality of Cayey was incorrect. Las Tetas, the Court agreed, are actually "Las Tetas de Salinas" for they are actually located within the municipality of Salinas, not in Cayey. They have also been called ''Las Tetas de Salinas.'' Even so, the name of the mountains are so embedded in Puerto Rican tradition that they continue to be called "Las Tetas de Cayey".

Viewing location

The ''Las Tetas'' peaks can be easily viewed from the

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...

Puerto Rico Highway 52 Puerto Rico Highway 52 (PR-52), a major toll road in Puerto Rico, is also known as ''Autopista Luis A. Ferré''. It was formerly called ''Expreso Las Américas''. It runs from PR-1 in southwest Río Piedras and heads south until it intersects wit ...

, located at kilometer post 49.0 of that highway. The rest area is colocated with the

Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño The Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño (Monument to the Puerto Rican Countryman) is a monument built by the Government of Puerto Rico to honor the Puerto Rican Jíbaro, located on Puerto Rico Highway 52, km 49.0, Barrio Lapa, Salinas, Puerto R ...

statue and monument, in the municipality of Salinas. The two peaks can be seen in the northwestern horizon when viewing from the rest area. Hiking, mountain climbing, and camping at Cerro Las Tetas can be arranged by local tour companies.

Height

The peaks are contoured at high. However, the western ''Teta'' is actually 20 meters higher than its eastern twin.

Views

CayeyMountains.jpg, Cerro Las Tetas (to the left) from farther in the mountain range LasTetas2 122606.jpg, Las Tetas as seen from the south coast of Puerto Rico in the municipality of

Coamo Coamo (, ) is a town and municipality founded in 1579 in the south-central region of Puerto Rico, located north of Santa Isabel; south of Orocovis and Barranquitas; east of Villalba and Juana Díaz; and west of Aibonito and Salinas. Coamo ...

LasTetas 122606.jpg, Close-up of Las Tetas from PR-52 Las Tetas de Cayey, PR - panoramio.jpg, Las Tetas de Cayey

References

External links

*{{commons category inline, Las Tetas de Cayey Mountains of Puerto Rico Salinas, Puerto Rico