Las Marías, Puerto Rico
Las Marías is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located north of Maricao; southeast of Añasco; south of San Sebastián; east of Mayagüez; and west of Lares. Las Marías is spread over 15 barrios and Las Marías Pueblo.
History
Las Marías was founded on July 1, 1871. Don Benito Recio y Moreno was the acting mayor during the founding of Las Marías.Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a colony of the United States. It remains so today. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Las Marías was 11,279.
On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico. In Las Marías, multiple landslides left highways covered in mud, trees and debris. In some areas of Las Marías there were more than 25 landslides per square mile due to the significant amount of rainfall and wind.
Geography
Las Marías is located on the central western side of Puerto Rico. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, the municipality has a total area of, of which is land and 0.11 square mile is water.Río Grande de Añasco is located in Las Marías.
Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Las Marías 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 "el pueblo".- Alto Sano
- Anones
- Bucarabones
- Buena Vista
- Cerrote
- Chamorro
- Espino
- Furnias
- Las Marías barrio-pueblo
- Maravilla Este
- Maravilla Norte
- Maravilla Sur
- Naranjales
- Palma Escrita
- Purísima Concepción
- Río Cañas
Sectors
Barrios are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.Special Communities
Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of social exclusion. 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 7 sectors were in Adjuntas: Sector La Josefa in Bucarabones, Sector Bryan in Cerróte, Sector Chamorro in Cerróte, Sector Palo Prieto in Palma Escrita, Sector Plato Indio in Río Cañas, Las Juanitas in Furnias, and Sector Santa Rosa in Furnias.Tourism
Paradise Camping Coffee Farm is a place for ecotourism and camping in Las Marías.Landmarks and places of interest
Places of interest in Las Marías include:- La Casona de Artemio
- Hacienda Palma Escrita
- Hacienda Frontera
- Finca Enseñat
Economy
Agriculture
Industry
- Manufacturing: clothing.
Culture
Festivals and events
Las Marías celebrates its patron saint festival in December. The Fiestas Patronales Inmaculada Concepción de María 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 Marías include:
- January - Three King's Festival
- March - Orange Festival. At the 2019 festival, a big name band, El Gran Combo performed at the festival, and a group of troubadours from Cuba performed with local Puerto Rican troubadours.
- March - Festival to commemorate the founding of Las Marías
Government
Like all municipalities in Puerto Rico, Las Marías is administered by a mayor. The current mayor is Edwin Soto Santiago, from the New Progressive Party. Soto Santiago was re-elected during the 2016 general election, having previously served office from 1997 to 2013.The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district IV, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Jeison Rosa and Karen Michelle Román Rodríguez were elected as District Senators, while Emilio Carlo was elected the District Representative.