Pueblos in Puerto Rico
Pueblo is a term primarily used in Puerto Rico to refer to the municipal district ("barrio") that serves as the administrative, historic and cultural center of a municipality. The concept of "pueblo" is often used locally as analogous to the concept of "downtown" in U.S. cities. "Pueblos" are officially called "barrio-pueblo" by the United States Census since 1990. Overview. The Spanish word "pueblo" translates to town in English, since many of these correspond to the original European-founded settlements in their respective contemporary municipalities; however, its usage in Puerto Rican Spanish today corresponds more closely  to the concept of "downtown" in English. In some cases, the concept of "pueblo" might also refer to municipality, but the term municipality never applies to "pueblos". With a few exceptions, the "barrio-pueblo" is also the historic district of the municipality and usually contains the main town square ("plaza", and in some cases, "plaza de armas") surrounded by the municipal administrative buildings ("alcaldía") and the main Catholic church in town (either a cathedral or parish church). The central "plaza" or square, is a place for official and unofficial recreational events and a place where people can gather and socialize . The Laws of the Indies, the Spanish law which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for celebrations and festivities (), most notably the town patron saint festivals ("fiestas patronales"), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors (). These Spanish regulations also stated that the streets nearby should be comfortable portals for passersby, protecting them from the elements: sun and rain. As of the 2010 census, Mayagüez is the most populated "pueblo" in Puerto Rico with a population of 26,903, while Las Marías has the lowest  population with 262 inhabitants. The largest "barrio-pueblo" in Puerto Rico is Fajardo with a total area of 3.23 square miles, while Toa Alta is the smallest with an area of 0.03 square miles. Exceptions. Although all "barrio-pueblos" correspond to the administrative and downtown area of Puerto Rican municipalities, some "barrios" and clusters of "barrios" (such as in Ponce) also function and are categorized as the "pueblos" of their respective municipalities. The municipality of San Juan is a good example of this: the "barrios" Pueblo and San Juan Antiguo correspond to the "pueblos" of the former municipalities of Río  Piedras and San Juan (pre-1951). Both of these contained a main town square or "plaza de armas" with a city hall and a church. When San Juan and Río Piedras merged into a single municipality in 1951, the former "pueblo" of Río Piedras retained its name. Florida and Ponce are the two other municipalities in Puerto Rico that do not contain a designated "barrio-pueblo". The exception of Florida is due to the fact that the municipality has no "barrios", while Ponce does not have a single designated "barrio-pueblo" but six "barrios" that correspond to the "pueblo" of Ponce . The name of the "pueblo" almost always is the name as the municipality is located in. For example, the "barrio-pueblo" of the municipality of Caguas is also called Caguas ("Pueblo de Caguas"). The exception to this occurs with the island municipalities of Culebra and Vieques. Although the "barrio-pueblo" of Culebra is known as Culebra ("Pueblo de Culebra") today, its former name used to be Dewey, while the name of the "barrio-pueblo" of Vieques today remains Isabel II. Both of these are also the main settlements of the islands they are located in. History. Although the urban zones  that today are designated as "barrio-pueblo" have existed since the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico, the concept of "barrio" was first used in the island during the 19th century. Historians have speculated the creation of "barrios" as administrative units may have been related to the Puerto Rican representation at the Cortes of Cádiz. All municipalities in the island had a distinct "barrio" officially called "pueblo" (this is where the contemporary usage of "pueblo" in Puerto Rico comes from). Many of these "pueblos" used to have a certain degree of autonomy and local governance in the form of councils. Today  barrios and "barrio-pueblos" have no political autonomy, and their designation is now for statistical and municipal management purposes. In 1980, they were still referred to as "pueblos" on the US Census. Beginning with the 1990 census, these "pueblos" have been officially referred to as "barrio-pueblos" by the United States Census Bureau. List of "Pueblos". The following list includes all "barrio-pueblos" and equivalent "barrios" in Puerto Rico. The municipality of Florida is not included in the list as it has no "barrios" nor "barrio-pueblos". Ponce today has no official "barrio-pueblo" designations, however six of its barrios  (all given cardinal names, i.e., 'first', 'second', 'sixth') correspond to the original core equivalent to the concept of "barrio-pueblo" today. The municipality of San Juan today, originally consisted of two separate municipalities with a "barrio-pueblo" each: San Juan Antiguo for the municipality of San Juan, and Pueblo for the former municipality of Río Piedras. In pop culture. The song "Me voy pal' pueblo" by El Trio Los Panchos sings of going to the pueblo.