Corozal, Puerto Rico

The Birthplace of Volleyball

Corozo Palm Tree
Corozo Palm Tree

Corozal (ko-ro-ZAHL) residents are known as known as “The plantain farmers,” because of the huge numbers of plantains planted in the mountains of the municipality. The municipality is also called the “birthplace of volleyball” and the “Capital of the Center of the Island”. Corozal’s patron saint festival honors the Holy Family and is held in the month of January. The town also has a Plantain Festival.

Corozal is located in the west central region of the island, close to the north coast. It is bordered on the north by Vega Alta and Toa Alta, on the south by Orocovis, Barranquitas and Naranjito, on the east, also, by Naranjito, and on the west by Morovis and Orocovis.

In the Abras sector are La Chiquita and Quintero caves and in the Padilla sector is the Rodríguez cave. All are wet and dark. The Quintero cave is especially deep.

Today, agriculture still has a role in Corozal but on a smaller scale. The municipality also has factories producing clothing, food products and machinery.

Fundación:

The town of Corozal was founded in 1795 by the owners of the land, Don Joaquin Marrero and Don José de Rivera Ortiz. This last one was the first constitutional mayor in 1813.

The name Corozal comes from the word corojo or corozo (“Corozo”, “Corojo”, “Tagua”, or “Vegetal Ivory”), these are the fruits of a palm, (phytelephas macrocarpa) that reaches a height of five to six meters and grows in humid places which are used to confection bottons and others crafts. It is also said that it could have been due to the abundance of these palm trees in the area.

Location:

mapa corozalLocated in the central-eastern region, closer to the northern coast, it borders north with Vega Alta and Toa Alta, Orocovis, south with Barranquitas and Naranjito, east with Naranjito and west with Morovis and Orocovis.

Area:

109.2 sq km / 42.0 sq mi

Population:

36,867 (census 2000)

Population Density:

355.9 per sq km / 877.7 per sq mi

People are known as:

Corozaleños

Corozal is also known as:

La Cuna del Voleibol (The Birthplace of Volleyball)
Los Plataneros

Wards: Corozal, Puerto Rico

barrios corozal
Census 2000:
Population by Wards – Corozal
Habitants
Abras 1,984
Cibuco 5,054
Corozal (city) 2,850
Cuchillas 1,393
Dos Bocas 2,760
Magueyes 295
Maná 2,014
Negros 1,239
Padilla 3,959
Palmarejo 5,856
Palmarito 2,160
Palos Blancos 3,664
Pueblo (Barrio) 3,639
Total 36,867

Source: Censo 2000

Patron:

La Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia Parish
P.O. Box 474
Corozal, Puerto Rico 00783-0474
(787) 859-2595
Foundation: 1804
Patron Day: Sunday after Christmas
Mass Schedule:
Daily: 6:30am & 7:00pm
Saturday: 6:00pm & 7:15pm, Sunday: 6:30am, 8:30am & 10:00am

corozal iglesia

Topography:

The higher elevations of this municipality are to the south, reaching 700 meters, but do not excede 1,000 meters. To the north in the Cibuco, Abras and Palmarejo wards the terrain is level.

Hydrography:

Grande de Manatí River, Cibuco River, De los Negros River, Corozal River and its affluents the Dos Bocas River, Mavilla River and the Jacinta Ravine.

Economy:

Crafts and agriculture (bananas).

Flag:

corozal bandera The flag of the town is inspired by the Coat Of Arms, it consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, yellow the top, green the middle and blue the bottom, and in some instances the middle stripe could have embroidered or printed the Coat Of Arms.

Coat Of Arms:

corozal escudo On a gold background three Corozo Palms, with clusters in their original color, planted on a green landscape and in front of a mountain range. At the bottom, blue and silver water waves sprinkled with gold nuggets. The three towercrown is gold with black stones.

The Corozo Palms represent the name of the town and its river, whose margins were populated with these palms. The mountains represent the high and striking mountains of Corozal. The waves represent the Corozal River and gold nuggets, metal that until recently was panned in its riviera. The gold background of the Coat Of Arms is symbol of hard labor and also alludes to the gold of Corozal, so appreciated long ago for its purity. The crown is a emblem used to designate cities and towns.

Places To Visit:

  • Town barber shop
  • City Hall
  • Cibuco Historical Tourism Center
  • El Rancho Recreational Center
  • Municipal church
  • Public Plaza

Events:

  • Corozal Carnival – June
  • San Juan Bautista Carnival – June
  • Corozo Festival – October
  • Plantain Festival – October
  • Patron Saint Festival (The Holy Family) – January

Distinguished Citizens:

  • Ramón Luis Acevedo – Writer and professor. Currently he is the director of the Puerto Rican Literature Institute. He also a directo of Estudios Hispánicos journal.
  • Emilio R. Delgado – Poet and journalist. He was editor of three important, leading magazines: Faro, Vórtice and Puerto Rico Ilustrado. He also directed the newspaper La Correspondencia and was Secretary and Librarian of the Puerto Rican Athenaeum.
  • Sixto Febus – painter. Studied in classes taught by Picasso at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He has painted portraits of famous personalities. He worked as conservatore in prestigious museum as the Louvre, in Paris, the Prado, in Madrid and Buckingham Palace in England. His works have been exhibited in prestigious museums in the United States, Spain, Vienna and Australia.

Public Schools sorted by educational levels.

Morovis Region
Corozal District

Name Level Telephone Address
Elementary
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 4-6 (787) 859-3007 PO Box 135, P.R. 00783-0000
FIDEL LÓPEZ COLON K-6 (787) 859-4592 PO Box 623, P.R. 00783-
GENARO BOU K-6 (787) 859-1566 PO Box 1730, P.R. 00783-0000
HIPÓLITO CALDERO K-6 (787) 859-7777 PO Box 1830, P.R. 00783-0000
JOSÉ FERNÁNDEZ RUBIAL K-6 (787) 859-7288 PO Box 82, P.R. 00783-0000
MANÁ K-6 (787) 859-0001 HC 3 Box 13523, P.R. 00783-0000
PALMARITO CENTRO K-6 (787) 859-4466 HC 3 Box 13523, P.R. 00783-0000
RAFAEL MARTÍNEZ NADAL K-3 (787) 859-2720 PO Box 709, P.R. 00783-0000
Intermediate
MANUEL BOU GALI 7-9 (787) 859-4656 PO Box 1179, P.R. 00783-0000
Secondary
DR. JOSÉ PADÍN K-9 (787) 859-0304 PO Box 1700, P.R. 00783-1700
SU DEMETRIO RIVERA K-9 (787) 859-4111 PO Box 80124, P.R. 00783-0000
SU JULIÁN MARRERO K-9 (787) 859-3027 PO Box 1041, P.R. 00783-0000
SU NICOLÁS RODRÍGUEZ K-9 (787) 859-3250 PO Box 1808, P.R. 00783-0000
High School
EMILIO R. DELGADO 10-12 (787) 859-2037 PO Box 1807, P.R. 00783-0000
PORFIRIO CRUZ GARCÍA 10-12 (787) 859-0288 PO Box 521, P.R. 00783-0000

Hymn:

By Aníbal Gándara Campo

Salve perla de sabana
salve, salve, salve
perla incomparable.

Salve, salve todos tus hijos
fieles vasallos hoy rendidos
te aclaman y en este himno.

Todo su amor te consagran.
Todo su amor te consagran.
Cual soberana perla te destacas
en un valle ameno de altivas palmeras,
ellas te ofrecen jugosos alimentos
y… te abanican gentil princesa.

Ríos y dos mares
perlas te desgranan
para enriquecerte.
Oh mi patria amada
más hay una perla
digna de tu gloria es Corozal
la perla más preciada.

Si el héroe mártir
y el saber de un hombre
la fama de un pueblo
crea y eterniza
su existencia toda
sin fin te proclaman
tus estudiosos y gallardos hijos.

 

How to get to Corozal from San Juan.

direction corozal

 

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