Caguas (, ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in central eastern

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Located in the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Central Mountain Range, it is bordered by San Juan and Trujillo Alto to the north, Gurabo and San Lorenzo to the west, Aguas Buenas, Cidra and Cayey to the east, and Patillas to the south. With a population of 127,244 as of the 2020 census, Caguas is the fifth most populated municipality in the archipelago and island and a principal city of the San Juan metropolitan area. Since 2009, Caguas is the only municipality in Puerto Rico recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Etymology and nicknames

Caguas, originally founded as San Sebastián del Piñal de Caguax, is named after the local Taino chieftain Caguax, who at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1493 was

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

of the yucayeque and region of Turabo. The name Caguax itself might be related to the Taino word for snail or slug: ‘cagua’, similar to other Arawakan and Cariban proper names such as Cagua in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

(from the Cumanagoto word ''cahigua''). Caguas is nicknamed "Valley of the Turabo" (''Valle del Turabo'') in reference to the former cacicazgo and yucayeque led by Caguax. The Turabo River is also named after this geopolitical toponym. Other nicknames for Caguas include “the Criollo city” (''La Ciudad Criolla'') and “the Cradle of '' Trovadores''” (''La Cuna de los Trovadores''). The city is often known as the “center and heart of Puerto Rico” (c''entro y corazón de Puerto Rico'') for its geographical location, and one of its municipal anthems bears the same. In recent years the municipality has also been referred to as “the new Caguas country” or “the new land of Caguas” (''el nuevo país de Caguas'') by the media and the former mayor William Miranda Marín.

History

The area of the Valley of Caguas was first settled by the Saladoid culture, an Arawak culture which originated in northern South America (today

), approximately between the years 100 BCE to 600 CE. Findings from the Cagüitas archaeological site (CS-2) indicate that the area was later inhabited by various pre-

Taíno The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...

(Ostionoid) cultures which first developed agriculture in the valley, primarily the cultivation of

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

, and hunted now extinct species such as

hutias Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands. Most species are restricted to Cuba, but species are known from all of the Greater Antilles, as well as ...

. As with the rest of Puerto Rico, the

s were the primary group living in the valley at the time of the Spanish arrival. The Spanish

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s further developed the agriculture in the valley, while also establishing mines in search of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

and

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

. Most of the native Taínos living in the area were either forced out or taken as slaves and moved to the Real Hacienda del Toa (in modern-day Toa Alta and Toa Baja). Most of the valley was later cleared of its original vegetation for the development of cattle farms such as ''Hato de Bairoa'', ''Hato de Caguax'' and ''Hato de Gurabo''. Caguas was officially founded on January 1, 1775, as San Sebastián del Piñal de Caguax, with the name later being shortened and modernized to its current form. The site of the historic

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

area of Caguas and its central square dates to 1779. In 1820, the settlement was granted the title of ''Villa'' and it was granted city rights in 1894.

Sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

was the primary crop during this time and important sugarcane plantations and refineries were those of Central Santa Juana (close to modern day Plaza Centro) and Central Santa Catalina (modern day Las Catalinas Mall). The Carretera Central, which is the first paved road to cross Puerto Rico from north to south connecting San Juan to Ponce, was built during the last two decades of the 19th century, made Caguas more accessible therefore causing the population of the town to grow even more. Caguas - Typical scene

Puerto Rico was ceded by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

conducted a

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Caguas was 19,857. The city grew considerably in size during the 1970s and quickly became an

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...

of San Juan to the north due to its location. The region of Caguas became an important

pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

manufacturing center during this time. Pharmaceutical companies originally came to Puerto Rico in the late 1960s and 1970s to take advantage of the now-expired federal tax incentive known as ''Section 936''. This incentive allowed U.S.-based manufacturers to send all profits from local plants to stateside parent plants without having to pay any federal taxes. Although not typically seen as part of the colloquial ''Área Metro'' of San Juan ( San Juan, Cataño, Bayamón, Guaynabo and Carolina), the municipality of Caguas is located in the census-based San Juan Metropolitan Area due to its role as a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. The average commute time for residents of the municipality is 30.5 minutes. Caguas is the fourth most populous city in the San Juan Metropolitan region and the most populous city in Puerto Rico that is not located in a coastal area. On August 7, 2002, Caguas was the site of the 2002 USAF Hercules air disaster, where all 10 military personnel on board lost their lives after an airplane carrying them struck a mountain in the south of the municipality. Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Caguas with its wind and rain. Rivers were breached causing flooding of low-lying areas, and infrastructure and homes were destroyed. The hurricane caused $90 million in damages in Caguas. More specifically, 40 homes were left without a roof and 30 were flooded in the Morales neighborhood. ''Escuela Segunda Unidad Diego Vázquez'' and the ''Centro Multiusos'' flooded as well.

Geography

The city and municipality of Caguas are located approximately 30 minutes from the coastline both on the east ( Humacao) and the north ( San Juan). It is east of Aguas Buenas and Cidra, north of Cayey, south of San Juan, and west of Gurabo and Trujillo Alto. It also shares borders with Guayama and Patillas via a five-point border at the summit of Cerro La Santa, with Cayey and San Lorenzo. This is the tallest point of the Sierra de Cayey, not to be confused with Montaña Santa (officially called Cerro de Nuestra Madre) which is another mountain in the same massif located on the boundary between the municipalities of Patillas and San Lorenzo. At this point there are two tall antennas which provide signal to Puerto Rico's principal TV stations such as

WKAQ-TV WKAQ-TV (channel 2) is a television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, serving as the U.S. territory's dual Telemundo and NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal. WKAQ-TV's studios are loc ...

and WAPA-TV. No road passes exactly at this point, and it can be approached nearby through Puerto Rico Highway 184.

Valle de Caguas

The city is located in one of the largest valleys in Puerto Rico, the ''Valle de Caguas'' or Caguas Valley (also known as ''Valle del Turabo'' or the Turabo Valley). Being located in a valley, Caguas has the distinction of being relatively flat except near the borders with all the mentioned municipalities except Gurabo. The valley is bordered by the Altos de La Mesa and San Luis ranges in the north, the Sierra de Luquillo on the northeast, the San Lorenzo batholith to the east, the Sierra de Cayey on the south and the main range of the Cordillera Central to the west. This valley is fed mainly by the Grande de Loíza River, one of Puerto Rico's major rivers that feed into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, and numerous tributaries such as the Cagüitas, along which the contemporary settlement of Caguas was built. The city's nickname ''Valle del Turabo'' comes from the Turabo River, which is another tributary that flows from the south. The Gurabo River, another major tributary, feeds into the Grande de Loíza at a region where the valley narrows into a rift valley that runs from west to east and ends in Humacao in the southeastern coast of the island. As with other parts of Puerto Rico, the region of Caguas is susceptible to earthquakes. The municipality is located along the Great Northern Puerto Rico fault zone (GNPRfz) and in recent times the region experienced moderate size earthquakes in 1990 and

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Water features

*The Río Grande de Loíza divides the municipality from Gurabo. *Other rivers: Río Turabo, Río Cagüitas, Río Cañaboncito, Río Bairoa and Río Cañas.

Climate

The climate is classified as a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

, meaning the daily mean temperature from month to month is never less than , and there is a distinct wet and dry season. Rainfall is common in relative abundance throughout most of the year, although there is less rain than in the eastern coastal valleys. The land, however, is fertile and deep.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Caguas is subdivided into barrios: # Caguas barrio-pueblo # Bairoa # Beatriz # Borinquen # Cañabón # Cañaboncito # Río Cañas #

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

# Tomás de Castro # Turabo

Sectors

Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions) and subbarrios, are further subdivided into smaller areas called (''sectors'' in English). The types of ''sectores'' may vary, from normally ''sector'' to ''urbanización'' to ''reparto'' to ''barriada'' to ''residencial'', among others.

Special Communities

(Special Communities of Puerto Rico) are marginalized communities whose citizens are experiencing a certain amount of

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

. 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 Caguas: Bairoa La 25, Morales neighborhood, Parcelas Viejas in Borinquén, Sector La Barra, and Comunidad La Quebrada in Río Cañas, Hoyo Frío in Las Carolinas, Lajitas, Las Carolinas, Los Muchos, Los Panes in Beatriz, and Savarona.

Tourism

Landmarks and places of interest

There are seven places in Caguas listed on the US National Register of Historic Places: * Caguas City Hall (, the city hall building) * Primera Iglesia Bautista de Caguas * Gautier Benítez High School * * * Puente No. 6 or () * Carretera Central Other landscapes, landmarks and tourist attractions in Caguas include: * Caguas Museum of Art * Caguas Museum of Folk Arts * Caguas Museum of History * Caguas Tobacco Museum * Dulce Nombre de Jesús Cathedral (Catedral de Caguas), the old city hall and other historical buildings at Plaza Palmer, the main town square. *Hacienda Catalina Ruins, located in the area of Las Catalinas Mall *Hacienda Country Club *La Casa del Ajedrez (The House of

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

)

Parks and natural areas

The municipality of Caguas is home to various parks and natural protected areas managed by different governmental entities ranging from the municipal government, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service. * Aguas Buenas Cave and Caverns System Nature Reserve, an extensive cave system partially located in the municipality of Caguas. * Bairoa River Natural Protected Area, protected

riparian forest A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, Sink (geography), sink, or reservoir. Due to the broad nature of the definitio ...

along the Bairoa River. * Borinquen Valley Natural Area, 25 acres of protected forest located in barrio Borinquen. * Caguas Real Nature Reserve, 60 acres of riparian forest along the Turabo River managed by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service. * Caguas Regional Forest, a protected

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has regenerated through largely natural processes after human-caused Disturbance (ecology), disturbances, such as Logging, timber harvest or agriculture clearing, or ...

and riparian ecosystem along the Turabo River. * Carite State Forest and Reserve, one of the 20 units in the state forest system of Puerto Rico, partially located in Caguas. * Cerro Borrás, formerly home to various recreational parks such as Moisty Park, currently preserved as a secondary forest. * Chalets de Bairoa Natural Area, currently being developed as a preserved ecological corridor within the Valley of Caguas. * Charco El Cantil, natural swimming pool located along the Turabo River. * Finca Longo and Altos de San Luis, partially managed by the DRNA forest service and the municipality of Caguas. * Jardín Botánico y Cultural William Miranda Marín
Botanical and Cultural Gardens
, botanical garden and cultural institution containing the ruins of the Hacienda San José plantation and

archaeological sites, located in ''barrio'' Cañabón. * Jorge Sotomayor del Toro Protected Natural Area, a protected natural area located adjacent to the Carite Forest.

''Voy Turistiendo'' Campaign

To stimulate local tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the ''Voy Turistiendo'' (I'm Touring) campaign in 2021. The campaign featured a passport book with a page for each municipality. The Caguas passport page lists the , the , the and the as places of interest.

Culture

Festivals and events

Caguas celebrates its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

festival in July. The is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events include: * – 4 January
Three Kings Festival
– 5 January *Criolla Beatriz – February *Criolla Borinquen Fair – March *Criolla Cañabón Fair – April * Felipe "La Voz" Rodríguez' Birthday – 8 May *Al Fresco – Every last Friday of each month
Cross Festival
– 23–31 May

– 1–2 June

Sports

The Criollos de Caguas baseball team is considered one of the greatest of all time in all of Latin America, having won 18 national Puerto Rico titles and 5 Caribbean World Series titles The team is a member of the ''Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico'' ( LBPPR). Three of the first five Puerto Ricans that played Major League Baseball in the U.S. mainland, at one point in their careers played for the Criollos de Caguas ( Luis Rodríguez Olmo, Victor Pellot Power,

Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, primarily as a right fielder. On December ...

). The Criollos de Caguas basketball team, founded in 1968 by Dr. Héctor "Tato" Dávila and Lcdo. Libertario Pérez Rodríguez (a lawyer), is a basketball team that did not enjoy as much success as their baseball counterparts. However, in the early 2000s, they showed a lot of progress by reaching the national playoffs various times. The team was a member of the BSN. In 2006, the team won its first BSN national basketball championship, defeating Flor Melendez and his Santurce Crabbers in five games. Caguas is home to the Bairoa Gym, one of the most important boxing gyms in all Puerto Rico and a place where many local and visiting champions and otherwise notable boxers have trained at; such as boxing Welterweight Champion

Miguel Cotto Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez (born October 29, 1980) is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017. He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win quadruple champion, world titles in fo ...

, his brother Jose Miguel, Alberto Mercado, Juan Carazo, Alfredo Escalera and others. The Criollas de Caguas women's volleyball team has won 9 national Puerto Rico titles and has made it to the finals more than 15 times. The team is a member of the Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino (LVSF). The Criollos de Caguas FC soccer team is considered one of the most successful clubs in the island winning multiple tournaments and cups in Puerto Rican soccer including the National League Title in 2015.

Economy

In September 2005, city mayor William Miranda Marín levied the first municipal tax in Puerto Rico via city ordinance. Area merchants now charge a one cent tax for every dollar spent at all retail businesses. The tax has become known around the island as the " Willie Tax." It resulted in an estimated $500,000 monthly income for the city. However, the municipal tax was increased to 1.5% after the establishment of the 5.5% state tax, for a total of 7%, and the tax was declared illegal by the Puerto Rico's Supreme Court. In 2006, Miranda Marín began calling Caguas "El Nuevo País de Caguas" ("The New Country of Caguas").

Agriculture

During the early part of the 20th century, Caguas hosted one of Puerto Rico's most important sugar manufacturers, which gave employment to thousands of Cagüeños.

Business

Numerous businesses and important buildings have opened in Caguas since the 1970s, including the imposing 23 story apartment building Caguas Tower, its adjacent competitors Bonneville Apartments, and the 10 floor Menonita Hospital. There are also several shopping centers: * Plaza del Carmen Mall * Plaza Centro Mall * Las Catalinas Mall * Los Prados Mall * Bairoa Shopping Center * Villa Blanca Mall * Angora Shopping Center * Plaza Degetau * Plaza Caguitas * Del Rio Shopping Center * Metro Plaza (Caguas, Puerto Rico)

Demographics

In 1899, the United States conducted its first

of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Caguas was 19,857. In 2020, Caguas had a population of 127,244 compared to 142,893 in 2010. This shows an 11% decrease in the population in the municipality. The population density in 2020 was .

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race constitute 98.4% of the population of the municipality. There are also communities of

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

Cubans Cubans () are the citizens and nationals of Cuba. The Cuban people have varied origins with the most spoken language being Spanish. The larger Cuban diaspora includes individuals that trace ancestry to Cuba and self-identify as Cuban but are n ...

and

Colombians Colombians () are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their bein ...

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, elected every four years. The mayor of the city of Caguas were 1953 to 1969 - Angel Rivera PPD 1969 to 1973 - Miguel Hernandez Rodriguez (New Progressive Party (PNP)) 1973 to 1977 - Angel O. Berrios Diaz (PPD) 1977 to 1981 - Miguel Hernandez Rodriguez (PNP) 1981 to 1997 - Angel O. Berrios Diaz (PPD) 1997 to 2010 - William Miranda Marín (PPD) 2010 to present - William Miranda Torres (PPD) The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VII, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Wanda Soto Tolentino and Luis Daniel Colón La Santa were elected as District Senators.

Symbols

The or municipality has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag and coat of arms

The colors

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

and

were chosen for the shield, distinctive of the city of Caguas. The figures symbolize both the indigenous and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

origins of the city. The coat of arms consists of a shield with a blue field. Upon the field are two sets of three golden arrows, forming a cross of St. Andrew. Above the cross is a crown which represents Caguax, cacique of the Turabo Valley region at the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. Arrows were used as a remembrance of the first Christian place of worship established in the region which was dedicated under the patronage of St. Sebastian. There are

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

s interspersed to reflect the native agriculture. A castellated wall surmounts the shield to show the city's having been granted status as a

by the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

. On the flag, the shield sits atop another blue field on which the cross of arrows motif is repeated.

Transportation

Public transportation in Caguas, as in most of Puerto Rico, is limited to small "guaguas públicas" (Mini Bus). There is inexpensive but slow service to and from San Juan and Rio Piedras. Several buses and public taxi services serve the town to a limited degree. In 2019, 91.55% of the population relied on their own cars or

carpool Carpooling is the sharing of Automobile, car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves. Carpooling is considered a Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) serv ...

services to commute. A " light interurban rail" system connecting Caguas to San Juan was in the planning stages and discarded due to lack of funding. Caguas is served by one freeway, one tolled expressway and one main divided highway. Puerto Rico Highway 30 connects Caguas to the eastern part of the island. There is no freeway/expressway to the west, due mainly to the fact that there is no sufficient population west of Caguas to develop a new freeway or expressway; good access to the municipalities of Cidra (southwest) and Aguas Buenas (northwest) are possible via PR-172 and PR-156, respectively.

Puerto Rico Highway 52 Puerto Rico Highway 52 (PR-52), a major toll road in Puerto Rico, is also known as . It was formerly called . It runs from PR-1 in southwest Río Piedras and heads south until it intersects with highway PR-2 in Ponce. At its north end, the s ...

connects Caguas to the north ( San Juan) and south ( Cayey, Ponce). Puerto Rico Highway 1 is an alternate route to San Juan and Guaynabo with two lanes per direction; in south Caguas it becomes rural near Borinquen, therefore the only good access to Cayey is the expressway ( PR-52) and a $1.00 toll has to be paid (only in the south direction). The only municipality bordering Caguas with a poor-access road is San Lorenzo, via PR-183; but good access to San Lorenzo is possible by entering Gurabo via PR-30, and then taking PR-203 south.

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín'') , previously known as Isla Verde International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional de Isla Verde''), ...

is about 35 minutes away by car. There are 86 bridges in Caguas.

Education

High schools

Colegio Católico Notre Dame
* Elohim Christian Academy *New Generation Christian Academy (formerly CLA) *Caguas Military Academy *Colegio Bautista *Colegio Católico San Juan Apóstol *Academia Cristo de los Milagros *Dr. Juan José Osuna High school *José Gautier Benítez High school *Escuela Libre de Música - Antonio S. Paoli *Manuela Toro Morice High School *Republic of Costa Rica Vocacional High School of Caguas *Eloisa Pascual "Bairoa III" High School *Rio Cañas High School *Santa Rosa Superior School *Thomas Alva Edison School * Colegio San José Superior *Escuela Secundaria Especializada en Ciencias, Matemáticas y Tecnología (CIMATEC) *Caguas Private School (CPS) *Academia Adventista Caguas *BYPA *Nuestra Escuela *Caguas Learning Academy (CLA) *Gerardo Sellés Solá High School

Higher education

* San Juan Bautista School of Medicine * Huertas Junior College * Instituto EDIC *Columbia College * Turabo University at Gurabo (

Gurabo, Puerto Rico Gurabo () is a Gurabo barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in eastern Puerto Rico. It is located in the central eastern region, north of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, San Lorenzo; south of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, T ...

) * Automeca Technical College * Mech-Tech College * NUC University * Universidad Interamericana - Recinto de Caguas * PPG Technical College *Ivaem College * EDP University *FIT College * Cambridge Technical Institute * Liceo de Arte, Diseño y Comercio *Servicio de Extensión Agrícola Caguas

Health care

*Hospital Pavia *Menonita Caguas Regional Hospital *San Juan Bautista Medical Center *Corporacion SANOS *Salus Services (previously HAS)

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

* Belén, Costa Rica * Santa Fe, Spain Caguas is also twinned domestically with

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

and Southbridge, Massachusetts.

Notable residents

* Margot Arce de Vázquez, writer, co-founder of the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language * Herman Badillo, lawyer and politician, U.S. House of Representatives from New York, 1971–1977 * Tony Bernazard,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

baseball player and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

executive * Myraida Chaves, actress, popular game show host, and television and theater producer * Ivonne Class, theater producer and sportscaster, director of the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas, 2021–present * Ruth Noemí Colón, 66th

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York who leads the Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York is Walter T. Mosley, a Democrat. Duties The secr ...

, 2010–2011 * Alex Cora, MLB baseball player and manager of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

* Joey Cora, MLB baseball player and coach for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

* Carlos Cotto, professional wrestler and boxer, also known as ''El Chicano'' and ''El Ilegal'' * Henry Cotto, MLB and NPB baseball player and manager of the Arizona Complex League Giants *

, professional boxer and first Puerto Rican quadruple champion * José Luis Dalmau, attorney and politician, 17th President of the Puerto Rico Senate, 2021–present * Juan Dalmau, attorney and politician * Abelardo Díaz Alfaro, academic and short story writer, author of ''Campo Alegre'' and '' Terrazo'' * Lydia Echevarría, actress and convicted for plotting the murder of her husband * Edwin Encarnación, MLB baseball player, three-time

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

and coach for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

* Ramón Franco, film and television actor known for his roles in '' Tour of Duty'' (1987–1990) and '' Heartbreak Ridge'' (1986) * Roque Gallart, television personality also known as ''Rocky the Kid'' * José García Cosme, convicted criminal also known as ''Papo Cachete'' * José Gautier Benítez, poet and writer of the

Romantic era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

Guaynaa Jean Carlos Santiago Pérez (born September 16, 1992), known professionally as Guaynaa, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. He is known for the song "Rebota", which became his first song to reach the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart in April ...

, rapper and singer * Gilda Haddock, film and telenovela actress, dancer and gospel singer * Jorge Haddock Acevedo, engineer and academic administrator, President of the University of Puerto Rico, 2018–2021 * Amri Hernández-Pellerano, electronics engineer and scientist * Vilma G. Holland, painter * Jose "Cha Cha" Jimenez, political activist and founder of the Young Lords Organization * Francisco Lindor, MLB baseball player for the New York Mets * Carlos Lozada,

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

veteran and

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Johnny Lozada, actor, singer and television host, former member of Menudo * Concha Meléndez, educator and writer, first woman to belong to the Puerto Rican Academy of Languages * Wilnelia Merced, former actress and model, crowned Miss World 1975 * Florencio Morales Ramos, composer and musician (''trovador'') popularly known as ''El Cantor de la Montaña'' known for his song '' Que Bonita Bandera'' * Janice Olivencia, professional golfer and first Puerto Rican woman to play in the U.S. Women's Open * Danny Ortiz, MLB and LMB baseball player * José Ignacio Quintón, pianist and composer of ''danzas'' such as '' El Coquí'' * Francisco José Ramos, academic, philosopher and poet, author of the philosophical trilogy '' Aesthetics of Thought'' * Edwin Ríos, MLB baseball player for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

* Yacksel Ríos, MLB baseball player for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

* Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago, first Puerto Rican and the first

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

-born layperson to be beatified * Felipe Rodríguez, popular

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

singer popularly known as ''La Voz'' * Jesús Rojas, professional boxer and WBA (Regular) featherweight champion * Mercedes Solá, educator, writer, suffragist and women's rights activist * Xcelencia, songwriter and musician * Pilar Marie Victoriá, college volleyball player for the Texas Longhorns and the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

* Jessica Wild, drag queen and make-up artist, contestant on the second season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'' and the eighth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, ...

'' * Dean Zayas, academic, actor, director, playwright and writer, tenured at the

University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus The University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (; UPR-RP, or informally La IUPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the largest campus in the University of Puer ...

for more than 50 years

Gallery

File:Museo de Arte en Caguas, Puerto Rico.jpg, Caguas Museum of Art File:Centro Musical Criollo Jose Ignacio Quinton - Caguas Puerto Rico.jpg, José Ignacio Quintón Center for Criollo Music, former First Baptist Church of Caguas File:Carusel en la Plaza de Caguas.jpg, Carousel in Plaza de Caguas File:Caguas cathedral.jpg, Caguas Cathedral File:Jardines botanicos entrada.jpg, Entrance to the Botanical and Cultural Gardens File:Plaza de Recreo Santiago R. Palmer en Caguas, Puerto Rico.jpg, Main square for recreation, in Caguas barrio-pueblo File:Solar Panels on Caguas, Puerto Rico Walmart.jpg, The Walmart in Caguas, Puerto Rico is one of five Walmart facilities on the island equipped with solar panels. File:Chimenea Antigua Hacienda Santa Catalina.jpg, Chimney at former sugar producing Hacienda Santa Catalina

References

External links

Eastern Center Virtual Library

Caguas Community Portal

Huertas Junior College

San Juan Bautista School of Medicine

Columbia College

Grand Valley State University

Jardín Botánico y Cultural William Miranda Marín
* {{Authority control Municipalities of Puerto Rico San Juan–Caguas–Guaynabo metropolitan area Populated places established in 1775 1770s establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1775 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1770s establishments in Puerto Rico