Comerío, Puerto Rico


Comerío is a municipality of Puerto Rico located 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 wards and Comerío Pueblo. It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Comerío was founded on June 12, 1826. Originally named "Sabana del Palmar", but later changed to Comerío, named after a local Taino Cacique Comerio.
In 1854, nearly 1000 acres of land were being used for agriculture. In 1894, there was one sugar and two coffee plantations in Comerío. In the early 20th century, Comerio residents, had a short but legendary territory war with residents of the city of Barranquitas.

Hurricane Maria

on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in Comerío with the significant amount of rainfall. After the hurricane, the National Guard from Ohio were tasked with restoring water purification systems for the people of Comerío.

Geography

The rivers located in Comerío are Río de la Plata and Río Hondo.

Barrios

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

    Sectors

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

Special Communities

Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, 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 Rio Hondo II, La Pietra Cedrito, Río Hondo, and Vuelta del Dos.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

Some of the landmarks of Comerío include:

Agriculture

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.
Other festivals and events celebrated in Comerío include:
First Methodist Church of Comerío was founded in 1904.

Demographics

Mestizos are typically born in this region due to tainos occupying this area heavily.

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Comerío is José A. Santiago, of the Popular Democratic Party. He was elected at the 2000 general elections.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2012, Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as District Senators.

Symbols

Flag

Quartered in cross, of green and white, and superimposed the right superior quarter is an anchored yellow cross.

Coat of arms

The Comerío coat of arms is made up quarters 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.

Transportation

Public bus from Bayamón to Comerío at Centro de Estacionamiento de Bayamón is the main public transportation.
There are 16 bridges in Comerío.

Notable ''Comerieños''