# Comerío, Puerto Rico

Comerío (Spanish pronunciation:) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico 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 barrios and Comerío Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). 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.
In 1854, nearly 1000 acres (1000 cuerdas) of land were being used for agriculture. In 1894, there was one sugar and two coffee plantations (estates) in Comerío. In the early 20th century, Comerio residents, had a short but legendary territory war with residents of the city of Barranquitas.
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 territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Comerío was 8,249.
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Comerío. The flooded river went through the center of Comerío. A week later the hospital, trying to run via generator, was out of diesel but due to the landslides, travel and deliveries, into and out of Comerío was next to impossible. Over 4,000 homes were affected, and of those 1,537 completely destroyed. After the hurricane, the National Guard from Ohio were tasked with restoring water purification systems for the people of Comerío. Two months after the hurricane, the mayor of Comerío said no personnel had made it yet to attempt the restoration of electrical power to Comerío. On October 9, another landslide happened blocking transit on PR-167. On October 10, a group of doctors from New York announced they would travel to volunteer their services to Comerío and nearby mountain municipalities.

## 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.
* Cedrito
* Cejas
* Comerío barrio-pueblo
* Doña Elena
* Naranjo
* Palomas
* Piñas
* Río Hondo
* Vega Redonda

### Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called sectores (sectors in English). 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 (Special Communities of 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 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 Río Hondo II, La Pietra Cedrito, Río Hondo, and Vuelta del Dos.

## Tourism

To stimulate local tourism, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turistiendo ("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Comerío page lists Las Pailas, Represa el Salto, and Media Luna, as places of interest.

### Landmarks and places of interest

Some of the landmarks of Comerío include:
* La Tiza Peak
* La Mora Caves
* La Plata River
* Las Bocas Canyon
* Las Pailas
* Los Pilones
* Media Luna Recreation Park
* Tobacco Warehouse
* The main town square
* El Salto Hydroelectric Dams 1 and 2

## Economy
### Agriculture

* Tobacco (not as predominant in recent years). Comerío was known as "El Pueblo del Tabaco" (Tobacco Town), and its original flag had a tobacco plant in its center.

## Culture
### 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:
* Spring Carnival – April
* La Mora Cave Festival – June 1,2,3
* Jíbaro Festival – June
* El Jobo Festival – July
* San Andrés Apóstol Festivities – November
* El Seco Marathon – December
* Christmas Fantasy – December

### Religion

First Methodist Church of Comerío was founded in 1904.

## Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Comerío is Irvin Rivera, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected at the 2024 general elections.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Rafael Santos Ortiz and Wilmer Reyes Berríos were elected as District Senators.

## Symbols

The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.

### 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 (4) 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

* Manuel A. Pérez (1890–1951) – Professor
* Enrique Pérez Santiago – Hematologist
* Lalah (born 2001) - singer-songwriter

## Gallery

* View looking north from Vega Redonda barrio in Comerio
* Old dam at El Salto, one of the oldest in Puerto Rico.