Corozal, Puerto Rico

Corozal () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central-eastern region, north of Orocovis and Barranquitas; south of Vega Alta; southwest of Toa Alta; east of Morovis and Orocovis; and west of Naranjito. Corozal is spread over 12 barrios and Corozal Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city name is derived from the "palma de corozo" (grugru palm, Acrocomia media) which abounds in the Cordillera Central zone of the island.

History Corozal's local Taino Indian Cacique (Chief) was named Orocobix and his tribe was known as the Jatibonicu Taino.Cayetano Coll y Toste. Prehistoria de Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico: Tipografía Boletín Mercantil. 1907. p.298. (Reprinted by Editorial El Nuevo Mundo. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2011. . Also reprinted by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, in 1948, in the Handbook of South American Indians: The Circum-Caribbean Tribes, Julian H. Steward, ed., volume 4, for the Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, for their Bulletin 143.)

Corozal was founded in 1795 and officially became a town in 1804. Commonly known as La Cuna del Volibol or Volleyball's Cradle. It takes its name from the Acrocomia media, in Puerto Rican .

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 Corozal was 11,508.

From 1902 to 1905 Corozal became one with Toa Alta, an adjoining municipality.

In 2000 census the population of Corozal was 36,867, and it had a land area of .

Intense wind and rainfall from Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017, triggered numerous landslides in Corozal, and bridges and homes were destroyed. Some residents of Corozal had to resort to collecting spring water as access to potable water was limited after the devastation caused by the hurricane. During the event, the police station in Corozal suddenly became flooded by the Cibuco River while there were nineteen officers inside. The officers climbed up and standing on the rooftop, made a human chain so as not to be swept away by the hurricane winds. Seeing them, several young people began a rescue operation by cutting tree limbs and debris to allow the river to subside just enough. With a firehose in hand, they waded in waters up to their necks and were able to help the officers get to dry land.

Geography

Corozal is located in the mountainous region near the center of the island. Quebrada Jacinta is a valley in Corozal.

Updated flood zone maps (as of 2019) show that Corozal is extremely vulnerable to flooding, along with Humacao, Rincón, Barceloneta, and Toa Baja. Due to its large number of rivers and streams, Corozal is regarded as being extremely vulnerable to damage from major hurricanes.

Hydrography Rivers and streams of Corozal include Río Cibuco, Río Corozal, Río Dos Bocas, Río Grande de Manatí, Río Mavilla, Río Orocovis, and Río Unibón.

Barrios

Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Corozal is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as

Abras Cibuco Corozal barrio-pueblo Cuchillas Dos Bocas Magueyes Maná Negros Padilla Palmarejo Palmarito Palos Blancos Pueblo

Sectors

Barrios (which are like minor civil divisions) 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. 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 Corozal: Aldea Vázquez, Comunidad Los Indios, Cuba Libre-EI Idilio, El Guarico, La Escalera, La Mina, and Parcelas Medina.

Climate Corozal experiences a tropical climate.

Tourism To stimulate local tourism, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched the Voy Turisteando ("I'm Touring") campaign, with a passport book and website. The Corozal page lists , , and , as places of interest.

Corozal is home to the Historical Center of Cibuco, a park and museum with relics from the Puerto Rico's (Taínos) as well as objects, paintings and artifacts of the town's history.

El Balalaika is a cafeteria which opened its doors around 1962.

The municipality is historically recognized as the cradle of plantain agriculture in the central region. It features the Ruta del Plátano (Plantain Route), an agritourism itinerary focused on local plantain production. This route connects various traditional farms and local restaurants via highways PR-159 and PR-142, and culminates annually with the National Plantain Festival.

Landmarks and places of interest El Rancho Recreation Center El Jíbaro Centro Recreativo Cine-Teatro San Rafael de Corozal, a movie theatre which reopened in 2017 after being closed for 28 years. Mavilla Bridge

Economy

Agriculture One of Puerto Rico's major plaintain producers. New small businesses producing eggs and hydroponic crops (lettuce, recao) are emerging.

Business Crafts, services. Several manufacture enterprises have reduced or moved operations in recent years.

Culture

Festivals and events

Corozal celebrates its patron saint festival in January. The is a religious and cultural celebration in honor of the Holy Family and generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

Other festivals and events celebrated in Corozal include:

Corozal Carnival - June San Juan Bautista Carnival - June Plantain Festival - September - October

Sports

Volleyball Plataneros de Corozal (Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino) - 9 time LVSM national champions; recent title win was in 2009 Pinkin de Corozal (Liga de Voleibol Superior Femenino) - record-setting 18 time LVSF national champions; recent title win was in 2022

Demographics

Government

All municipalities in Puerto Rico are administered by a mayor, elected every four years. The current mayor of Corozal is Luis “Luiggi” García, of the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was first elected at the 2020 general elections.

The city belongs to the Puerto Rico Senatorial district VI, which is represented by two Senators. In 2024, Rafael Santos Ortiz and Wilmer Reyes Berríos were elected as District Senators.Elecciones Generales 2024: Escrutinio General on CEEPUR

Transportation There are 26 bridges in Corozal. Mavilla Bridge in Corozal is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places:

Symbols The has an official flag and coat of arms.

Flag Consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, yellow the top, green the middle and blue the bottom, and in some instances the middle stripe could have embroidered or printed the coat of arms.

The flag is very similar to the provincial flag of Islas del Caró (I.D.C.) except that the yellow stripe is half the size as the green and blue stripes much like the flag of Colombia except that the red stripe is replaced by the green one at the bottom. It is unknown whether the flag was made to coincide with the densely populated province of El Conquistador or was created by natural and neutral causes.

Coat of arms On a gold background three corozo palm trees, with clusters in their original color, planted on a green landscape and in front of a mountain range. At the bottom, blue and silver water waves sprinkled with gold nuggets. The three-tower-crown is gold with black stones. The corozo palms represent the name of the town and its river, whose ends were populated with palms. The mountains represent the high striking mountains of Corozal. The waves represent the Corozal River and gold nuggets, a metal that was panned. The gold background represents the hard labor and alludes to the gold of Corozal, appreciated long ago for its purity. The crown is an emblem used to designate the cities and towns.

Education Public high schools in Corozal include Escuela Superior Emilio R. Delgado and Escuela Superior Porfirio Cruz García High School in Barrio Cuchillas. The only private high school is Colegio Sagrada Familia in Barrio Pueblo.

In popular culture The following songs mention Corozal:

Controversia navideñaControversia navideña, in "Al rescate de la Navidad". Tuna de Cayey. Tuna de Cayey, publisher. 2007. 5m 36s. Quote: "Soy el cantor del batey del pueblo de Corozal..." Guineítos con corned beefGuineítos con corned beef, in "José Nogueras: 27 éxitos... y la ñapa". José Nogueras. Música Estival, publisher. 2011. 3m 27s. Quote: "Mafafos yo traigo de Corozal..." Oubao Moin Que nunca muera nuestra tradiciónQue nunca muera nuestra tradición, single. Elied. Bajari Music, publisher. 2020. 3m 26s. Quote: "Vengo desde el campo, allá, en Corozal..."

Notable "Corozaleños" Carmen E. Arroyo, first Puerto Rican woman elected to the New York State Assembly Lunay, Reggaeton artist Maria del Carmen Arroyo, member of the New York City Council Viviana Ortiz Pastrana, fashion model and Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2011 Eddie Perez, politician served as mayor of Hartford, Connecticut from 2001 to 2010. April Carrión, Drag queen and contestant on Rupaul's Drag Race season 6 who would go on to place 11th overall. Ashleyann Lozada, (born 1991) boxer

Gallery

Corozal, Puerto Rico

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