Lares (, ) is a mountain

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

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

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

's central-western area. Lares is located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and

Adjuntas Adjuntas () is a small mountainside Adjuntas barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico located in the central midwestern portion of the island on the Cordillera Central, Puerto Rico, Cordillera Central, no ...

. Lares is spread over 10 barrios and Lares Pueblo (Downtown Lares). It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area. A city adorned with

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

-era colonial-style churches and small downtown stores, Lares is located on a mountainous, breezy area that is about 1.5 hours from the capital

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

by car. In 1868, Lares was the site of the ''

Grito de Lares ''Grito de Lares'' (''Cry of Lares''), also referred to as the Lares revolt, the Lares rebellion, the Lares uprising, or the Lares revolution, was the first of two short-lived revolts against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico, staged by the Revolu ...

'' (literally, ''The Cry of Lares'', or Lares Revolt), an uprising brought on by pro-independence rebels members of the

Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico The Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico () was founded on January 8, 1867, by pro-independence Puerto Rican exiles such as Segundo Ruiz Belvis, Ramón Emeterio Betances, Juan Ríus Rivera, and José Francisco Basora living at the time in New ...

striving for

Puerto Rican independence Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to gain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire until 1898 and since then from the United States. Today, the movement is most commonly r ...

from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Even though it was short-lived, it remains an iconic historical event in the history of the island. The flag of the revolt, known as the '' Bandera del Grito de Lares (Grito de Lares flag)'', is the official flag of Lares.

History

Lares was founded on April 26, 1827 by Francisco de Sotomayor and Pedro Vélez Borrero, who named the town after Amador de Lariz, a

nobleman and one of its settlers. Lares was the location of the ''

'' ''(Cry of Lares)'' revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico on September 23, 1868. The revolt is recognized as the most important symbol of the Puerto Rican struggle for independence. Historian

Fernando Picó Fernando Picó Bauermeister, S.J. (August 15, 1941 – June 27, 2017) was a Puerto Rican Jesuit, historian and academic. Picó was a leading expert on the history of Puerto Rico and was considered an authority on the island's 20th century history ...

described it thus: Lares adopted the flag of the revolt as its official flag. The flag was proclaimed the national flag of a

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

“Republic of Puerto Rico” by the revolting revolutionaries in 1868, making it the first flag of Puerto Rico. In 1895, the exiled

revolutionaries A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

replaced it with the current 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 the

independence movement in Puerto Rico Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to gain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire until 1898 and since then from the United States. Today, the movement is most commonly r ...

to show support for the independence of the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Puerto Rico was ceded by

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

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, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

and became a territory of the

. 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, als ...

conducted a

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Lares was 20,883.

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...

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. (Puerto Rico will stand up) became the slogan used across the island to communicate the island would rise again. 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. In early 2019,

El Nuevo Día ''El Nuevo Día'' (English: ''The New Day'') is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. It is considered mainstream and the territory's newspaper of record. It was founded in 1909 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and today it is a subsi ...

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. 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. The Bravo Family Foundation sent relief to Lares, in the immediate aftermath. The December 2019 and January 2020 Puerto Rico earthquakes caused 28 families in Lares to lose their homes.

Geography

Lares is a mountainous municipality located in the central western part of the island of Puerto Rico. According to the 2010

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

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

Caves

There are 10

caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

in Lares. and are located in Callejones barrio.

Barrios

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

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

# Callejones # Espino #

Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ) were Tutelary deity#Ancient Rome, guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an ama ...

# Lares barrio-pueblo # La Torre # Mirasol # Pezuela #

Piletas Piletas is a barrio in the municipality of Lares, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 5,671. History Piletas was in Spain's gazetteers until Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the ...

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

# Río Prieto

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) are further subdivided into smaller areas called ( ''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. In the EU context, the Euro ...

. 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, , and Seburuquillo.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

* Callejones Site —

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

listed *Downtown Castañer and its former city hall *Hacienda Collazo *Hacienda El Porvenir * Hacienda Lealtad * Hacienda Los Torres —

listed * Heladería de Lares — ice cream parlor *Mirador Mariana Bracetti *Parque El Jíbaro

Festivals and events

Lares celebrates its

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

festival in December. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. The festival has featured live performances by well-known artists such as

Sie7e David Rodríguez Labault (born July 26, 1977) is a Latin Grammy winning Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who performs under the stage name Siete (usually stylized as Sie7e). Career David Rodríguez Labault, known as Sie7e by hi ...

, and

Ednita Nazario Edna María Nazario Figueroa (born April 11, 1955) is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age and has released twenty-three studio albums, seven live ...

. Other festivals and events celebrated in Lares include: *

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

Festival – June *Lares Festival – September *Rábano Estate Festival – October *

Almojábana Almojábana is a type of bread made with cuajada cheese and corn flour. About An almojábana is a small, bun-shaped bread with a tart flavor. It has some variations between Hispanic America and Spain. The etymology stems from Andalusī Arab ...

Festival – October

Sports

Lares has a professional volleyball team called

Patriotas de Lares A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

(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.

Economy

Lares' economy is primarily agricultural. Harvested products include

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

oranges The orange, also called sweet orange to distinguish it from the bitter orange (''Citrus × aurantium''), is the fruit of a tree in the family Rutaceae. Botanically, this is the hybrid ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', between the pomelo (''Citrus m ...

, and

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

also plays a significant role in the municipality's economy. The '' Heladeria 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. There was a large population exodus, out of Lares, after September 20, 2017, when

struck the island. In 2016, Rural Opportunities Puerto Rico Inc. (ROPRI) in conjunction with the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

(USDA) completed the building of 24 (one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom) units in Lares, specifically for farmers (in ), and their families, to live and work. It is called (Castañer Heights) and there the families work to grow coffee, bananas and other crops which are sold to markets, and restaurants nearby.

Demographics

Like most of Puerto Rico, Lares population originated with the Taino Indians and then many immigrants from Spain settled the central highland, most prominently the Andalusian,

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

and Extremaduran Spanish migration who formed the bulk of the ''Jibaro'' or white peasant stock of the island. The Andalusian, Canarian and Extremaduran Spaniards also influenced much of the Puerto Rican culture which explains the use of

and the Spanish architecture that can be found in the city.

Government

The mayor of Lares for fifteen years was Roberto Pagán Centeno, who resigned in late 2019. His successor, José Rodríguez Ruiz, began serving his term as mayor of Lares on January 20, 2020. Fabian Arroyo was elected to a four-year term as part of the 2020 general elections. The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district V, which is represented by two Senators. In

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Marially González Huertas Marially González Huertas (born August 16, 1981) is a Puerto Rican senator for the district of Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was born on 16 August 1981 in Utuado, Puerto Rico. She resides in the town of Jayuya, where she was raised with her parents, ...

and Jamie Barlucea, from the Popular Democratic Party and New Progressive Party, respectively, were elected as District Senators.

Education

The Héctor Hernández Arana Primary school is located in Lares.

Symbols

The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag

The origins of the flag of Lares can be traced back to the failed ''

(Cry of Lares)'' revolt of 1868 against Spanish rule. The flag is modeled after the flag of the First Dominican Republic and the

flag of Cuba The national flag of Cuba () consists of five alternating stripes (three navy blue and two white) and a cherry red Chevron (insignia), chevron at the hoist, within which is a white five-pointed star. It was designed in 1849 and officially adopted ...

, reflecting the revolutionaries idea to unite the Spanish-speaking

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, together with Navassa Island and the Cayman Islands. Seven island states share the region of the Greater Antille ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, and the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

into an

Antillean Confederation The Antillean Confederation was the proposed idea of Ramón Emeterio Betances about the need for peoples of the Spanish-speaking Greater Antilles in the Caribbean to unite into an alliance in order to preserve the sovereignty and interests of ...

. The flag was first knitted by

Mariana Bracetti Mariana Bracetti Cuevas (also spelled Bracety) (July 26, 1825 – February 25, 1903) was a patriot and leader of the Puerto Rico independence movement. In 1868, she sewed the ''Grito de Lares'' flag that was intended to be used as the nationa ...

at the behest of

Ramón Emeterio Betances Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán (April 8, 1827 – September 16, 1898) was a Puerto Rican independence leader, abolitionist and medical doctor. He led the nations independence movement and was the primary instigator of the ''Grito de Lares' ...

, leader of the

. 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.

Coat of arms

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 words ''Lares Ciudad del Grito (Lares City of the Cry).

Transportation

Puerto Rico State Route 111 provides access to Lares. Lares has 15 bridges.

Notable Lareños

* Singer, composer and Virtuoso Guitarist

Jose Feliciano Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Halafta ...

who wrote and sang the Feliz Navidad Song, was born in Lares on September 8, 1945 *

Lolita Lebrón Lolita Lebrón (November 19, 1919 – August 1, 2010) was a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted of aggravated assault and other crimes after carrying out an armed attack on the United States Capitol in 1954, which resulted in the wou ...

was a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted of attempted murder and other crimes in 1954 and freed from prison in 1979 after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter. *

Denise Quiñones Denise Marie Quiñones August (born 9 September 1980) is a Puerto Rican actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2001. Prior to winning the Miss Universe pageant, she represented her hometown of Lares in the Miss Puerto Ri ...

- Miss Universe 2001 * Luis Hernández Aquino *

Odilio González Odilio González (born 5 March 1937), known by his stage name , is a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican singer, guitarist and music composer who has been singing and composing for more than 65 years. He has mostly played traditional Puerto Rican folkloric ...

(born March 5, 1937), known by his stage name El Jibarito de Lares, is a Puerto Rican singer, guitarist and music composer who has been singing and composing for more than 65 years. * Samuel Molina (1935-2018), well-known actor, comedian and writer.

Gallery

Lares, Puerto Rico. A street in the town.jpg, "Lares, Puerto Rico. A street in the town" (Photograph by Jack Delano, 1941) Lares Se Levanta sign, version of Puerto Rico Se Levanta slogan after Hurricane Maria.jpg, sign seen in Lares in June 2019 Puerto Rico Highway 111 East near 129 junction, Lares, Puerto Rico.jpg, Puerto Rico Highway 111 East near 129 junction in Lares Lares Cathedral.jpg, (Lares Cathedral) in July 2007

References

External links

Puerto Rico Government Directory - Lares

Municipio de Lares on Facebook
{{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico Populated places established in 1827 Aguadilla–Isabela–San Sebastián metropolitan area 1827 establishments in the Spanish Empire