| Comerío | |
| Native Name: | Spanish; Castilian: Municipio Autónomo de Comerío |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Town and Municipality |
| Nicknames: | "La Perla de Plata", "Pueblo de los Guabaleros" |
| Anthem: | "Con alma henchida de amor y ensueño" |
| Mapsize: | 300px |
| Coordinates: | 18.2181°N -66.2261°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Sovereign state |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | Commonwealth |
| Subdivision Name1: |  Puerto Rico |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | June 12, 1826 |
| Parts Type: | Barrios |
| Parts: | 9 barrios |
| P1: | Cedrito |
| P2: | Cejas |
| P3: | Comerío barrio-pueblo |
| P4: | Doña Elena |
| P5: | Naranjo |
| P6: | Palomas |
| P7: | Piñas |
| P8: | Río Hondo |
| P9: | Vega Redonda |
| Leader Party: | PPD |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | José A. "Josian" Santiago Rivera |
| Leader Title1: | Senatorial dist. |
| Leader Name1: | 6 – Guayama |
| Leader Title2: | Representative dist. |
| Leader Name2: | 29 |
| Area Total Km2: | 73.13 |
| Area Land Km2: | 73 |
| Area Water Km2: | .13 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 18,883 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Comerieños |
| Timezone1: | AST |
| Utc Offset1: | −4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 00782 |
| Area Code: | 787/939 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Major routes |
| Population Rank: | 61st in Puerto Rico |
Comerío (pronounced as /es/) 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.
Comerío was founded on June 12, 1826. Originally named Sabana del Palmar, but later changed to Comerío.[2]
In 1854, nearly 1000 acres (1000 Spanish; Castilian: [[cuerda]]s) 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.
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.[4]
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]
The rivers located in Comerío are Río de la Plata and Río Hondo.[12]
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 Spanish; Castilian: "el pueblo", near the center of the municipality.[13] [14] [15]
Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)[16] and subbarrios,[17] are further subdivided into smaller areas called Spanish; Castilian: sectores (sectors in English). The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.[18] [19]
See also: Puerto Rico Office for Socioeconomic and Community Development. Spanish; Castilian: 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.[20]
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 Spanish; Castilian: Las Pailas, Spanish; Castilian: Represa el Salto, and Spanish; Castilian: Media Luna, as places of interest.[21]
Some of the landmarks of Comerío include:[22]
Comerío celebrates its patron saint festival in August. The Spanish; Castilian: 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:
First Methodist Church of Comerío was founded in 1904.
See also: Demographics of Puerto Rico.
See main article: Mayoralty in Puerto Rico. All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Comerío is José A. Santiago, of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was elected at the 2000 general elections.
The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two senators. In 2012, Miguel Pereira Castillo and Angel M. Rodríguez were elected as district senators.[24]
The Spanish; Castilian: municipio has an official flag and coat of arms.[25]
Quartered in cross, of green and white, and superimposed the right superior quarter is an anchored yellow cross.[26]
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.
Public bus from Bayamón to Comerío at Centro de Estacionamiento de Bayamón is the main public transportation.
There are 16 bridges in Comerío.[27]