Cerro Las Tetas, nicknamed Las Tetas de Cayey but officially Las Piedras del Collado, are two

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

peaks located in the municipality of

Salinas, Puerto Rico Salinas (, ) is a Salinas barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Aibonito and Cayey, Puerto Rico, Caye ...

, north of the city of Salinas proper. Since September 1, 2000, the peaks have become part of the Las Piedras del Collado Nature Reserve and are protected by law. Their height is above sea level.

Etymology

The Cerro Las Tetas are so-named for their resemblance to a female’s

breasts The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso among humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryology, embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is ...

; ''tetas'' is colloquial for "breasts" in Spanish, much like the English slang "tits".

Location

A common misconception is that ''Las Tetas'' are located in the municipality of Cayey. ''Las Tetas'' are actually located in the municipality of Salinas, in Barrio Palmas, a

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

on the northwestern part of the municipality of Salinas. They are located close to—but not in—the municipality of Cayey, thus the "de Cayey" (English "of Cayey") in its name. They are located about southwest of the intersection of PR-1 and PR-162. Topological maps readily show this.

Confusion regarding its location

The Las Tetas peaks are part of the Sierra de Cayey (or Cayey Range). The Sierra de Cayey, like the Cordillera Central and Sierra de Luquillo ranges, extends over several municipalities beyond Cayey. The name of the mountain range where Las Tetas is located (Sierra de Cayey) may be a possible source of confusion regarding the location of the peaks themselves: a little-known fact is that the town of Cayey derives its name from Sierra de Cayey, and not the other-way-around. Another possible source of confusion may lie in the fact that the road to reach the peaks begins from within the Municipality of Cayey—albeit just meters from its border with the Municipality of Salinas. A third possible source of confusion, about the municipality where the mountains are located, may be the fact that the peaks are located closer to downtown Cayey than to downtown Salinas. Cayey is also a land-locked, mostly mountainous municipality; Salinas, by comparison and as a municipality on the southern coastal plain, consists mostly of flatlands. This may be a fourth reason yet why many people believe ''Las Tetas'' mountain peaks are located in Cayey, and not in Salinas. Yet another possible reason for the confusion may be that, in order to locate ''Las Tetas'' on the official

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

map, the map for the Cayey Quadrangle is used. In the mid-2000s, the town of Salinas took the town of Cayey to court over the location of "Las Tetas" and won the case. The matter involved land development and the Puerto Rico Planning Board. The result was a vindication of the claim that the "Las Tetas" location as being in the municipality of Cayey was incorrect. Las Tetas, the Court agreed, are actually "Las Tetas de Salinas" for they are actually located within the municipality of Salinas, not in Cayey. They have also been called ''Las Tetas de Salinas.'' Even so, the name of the mountains are so embedded in Puerto Rican tradition that they continue to be called "Las Tetas de Cayey".

Viewing location

The ''Las Tetas'' peaks can be easily viewed from the

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

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 ...

, located at kilometer post 49.0 of that highway. The rest area is colocated with the Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño statue and monument, in the municipality of Salinas. The two peaks can be seen in the northwestern horizon when viewing from the rest area. Hiking, mountain climbing, and camping at Cerro Las Tetas can be arranged by local tour companies.

Height

The peaks are contoured at high. However, the western ''Teta'' is actually 20 meters higher than its eastern twin.

Views

CayeyMountains.jpg, Cerro Las Tetas (to the left) from farther in the mountain range LasTetas2 122606.jpg, Las Tetas as seen from the south coast of Puerto Rico in the municipality of Coamo LasTetas 122606.jpg, Close-up of Las Tetas from PR-52 Las Tetas de Cayey, PR - panoramio.jpg, Las Tetas de Cayey

References

External links

*{{commons category inline, Las Tetas de Cayey Mountains of Puerto Rico Salinas, Puerto Rico