Comerío was founded on June 12, 1826. Originally named Sabana del Palmar, but later changed to Comerío.[2]
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.[3] In the early 20th century, Comerio residents, had a short but legendary territory war with residents of the city of
Barranquitas.
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Comerío.[5][6] 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.[7] Over 4,000 homes were affected, and of those 1,537 completely destroyed.[8] 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.[9] On October 9, another landslide happened blocking transit on PR-167.[10] On October 10, a group of doctors from New York announced they would travel to volunteer their services to Comerío and nearby mountain municipalities.[11]
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.[13][14][15][16]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to
minor civil divisions)[17] and subbarrios,[18] 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.[19][20][21]
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.[22][23]
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.[24]
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.[26]
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.[25]
Other festivals and events celebrated in Comerío include:
The municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[35]
Flag
Quartered in cross, of green and white, and superimposed the right superior quarter is an anchored yellow cross.[2][36]
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
Tainomotifs 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.[2][36]
Transportation
Public bus from
Bayamón to Comerío at Centro de Estacionamiento de Bayamón is the main public transportation.
^Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004 (first ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón,
ISBN978-0-9820806-1-0
^"Leyes del 2001". Lex Juris Puerto Rico (in Spanish).
Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
^Rivera Quintero, Marcia (2014), El vuelo de la esperanza: Proyecto de las Comunidades Especiales Puerto Rico, 1997–2004 (1st ed.), San Juan, Puerto Rico Fundación Sila M. Calderón, p. 273,
ISBN978-0-9820806-1-0
^
ab"COMERIO". LexJuris (Leyes y Jurisprudencia) de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). February 19, 2020.
Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"Comerio Bridges". National Bridge Inventory Data. US Dept. of Transportation.
Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
Further reading
Levy, Teresita A. (2007). The History of Tobacco Cultivation in Puerto Rico, 1899—1940. ProQuest.
ISBN9780549267843.
Mapa de municipios y barrios - Comerío - Memoria Núm. 41(PDF). University of Puerto Rico: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, Oficina del Gobernador, Junta de Planificacion, Santurce, Puerto Rico. 1955. Archived from
the original(PDF) on April 9, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.