Maricao, Puerto Rico

Town of Indian Settlements

Maricao (mah-ree-KOU) is known as the “town of the Indian villages”, the “town of the Monte del Estado”, the “town of legend and romance” and the “land of coffee”. The patron saint is Saint John the Baptist.

Maricao is located in the west central region of Puerto Rico. The town is located in the central mountain range, in the region of the humid mountains of the West.

Maricao is bordered on the north by Mayagüez, Las Marías, and Lares; on the south by San Germán, Sabana Grande, and Yauco; on the east by Lares and Yauco; and on the west by Mayagüez and San Germán. The terrain is hilly to mountainous. The Maricao State Forest is located in Maricao, Sabana Grande, and San Germán.

The economy of the municipality is based on agriculture. The main crop is coffee, and the town is known for producing the best quality coffee in Puerto Rico. The town became renowned in the late 19th century when the Sucesión Espinosa participated in an agricultural fair in Barcelona in 1899. This family from Bucarabones ward was awarded first prize for the best quality coffee, winning over more than 20 participating countries. The poet Luis Llorens Torres, who lived in this town for awhile, praised this coffee in one of his poems by saying con café de Maricao el diablo se desveló (“drinking Maricao coffee the Devil couldn’t get to sleep”).

Foundation:

Maricao was founded April 10, 1874 by Bernardo Collado, Julián Ayala, Francisco M. Sojo, Napoleón Pietri and Leoncio S. Martínez who requested authorization from the Provincial Delegation to found a town at the site of Maricao for these reasons: the almost impassable long roads to San Germán, and the vain hope of improvement by the nature of the distance that separated them from the Villa of San Germán, which was the head of the district. The request made reference to the fact that the districts of Bucarabones, Indiera Fría, Indiera Alta, Río Prieto, Indiera Baja and Montoso already had a parish and a Mayorship. The parish had been created in 1866.

The name has two versions of its origin: one says that it derives from a tree of beautiful yellow flowers called the Maricao tree (Byrsonima spicata), which is plentiful in this area. The second version is the legend that in the days of the conquest a Indian called María fell in love with a Spanish military man. She betrayed her people in relation to an attack that the Indians had prepared against the Spaniards. The conquerors went ahead and launched an attack, but María was taken prisoner by the Indians and judged immediately for treason. She was tied to a tree and sacrificed. It is said that from this act the name Maricao originates. The first four letters of “mari” were united, replacing the “a” with “cao” which means martyrdom or sacrifice of Maria, “Maricao”.

Location:

Located in the central region of the Island, towards the west. It is bordered by: Las Marías and Lares on the north, Sabana Grande and San Germán on the south, Mayagüez on the west, and Yauco on the east.

Area:

96.2 sq km / 37.0 sq mi

Population:

6,449 (census 2000)

Population Density:

67.0 per sq km / 174.2 per sq mi

People are known as:

Maricaeños

Maricao is also known as:

Pueblo de las Indieras (Town of Indian Settlements)
Ciudad del Monte del Estado (Mountain of the State City)
Ciudad de Leyenda y Romance (City of Legend and Romance)
Tierra del Café (Land of Coffee)

Wards: Maricao, Puerto Rico

Census 2000: Population by Wards – Maricao	Habitants
Indiera Alta	1,379

Indiera Baja

783

Indiera Fría

450

Maricao Town

891

Maricao Afuera

1,740

Montoso

1,156

Total

6,449

Source: Censo 2000

Topography:

The terrain is moderately mountainous. It belongs to the region of Western Rainy Mountains of the Central Mountain Range.

Hydrography:

It is washed by the Rosario, Maricao, Prieto, Guanajibo, Guaba, Bonelli and Lajas rivers, and contains the Prieto and Toro lakes.

Economy:

Agriculture (coffee, vegetables, fruits) and manufacturing (surgical equipment) and tourism.

Average Salary:

$271.49 weekly (1998)

Flag:

The flag of derives its colors, design and symbolism from the municipal shield. It consists of a green cloth, with the three usual dimensions of the municipal flags of Puerto Rico, crossing from an end to another one a yellow band with three points. The color green symbolizes the vegetation of the municipality and the yellow band symbolizes the mountains of the region.