Lares, Puerto Rico
Lares
Municipio Autónomo de Lares | |
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Town and Municipality | |
From top, left to right: Lares city hall in downtown Lares; Parroquia del Glorioso Patriarca San José; Plaza de la Revolución; Hacienda Lealtad; and Panoramic mountainous views from barrios Mirasol and Piletas | |
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| Nicknames: Ciudad del Grito (The Town of The Cry), Altar de la Patria (High of the Fatherland), La Capital de la Montaña (Capital of the Mountains) | |
| Anthem: "En las verdes montañas de Lares" (In the green mountains of Lares) | |
Map of Puerto Rico highlighting Lares Municipality | |
| Coordinates: 18°17′42″N 66°52′43″W / 18.29500°N 66.87861°W | |
| Sovereign state | United States |
| Commonwealth | Puerto Rico |
| Settled | 1824 |
| Founded | April 26, 1831 |
| Founded by | Juan Francisco de Soto |
| Barrios | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Fabián Arroyo Rodríguez (PPD) |
| • Senatorial dist. | 5 - Ponce |
| • Representative dist. | 22 |
| Area | |
• Total | 61.64 sq mi (159.6 km2) |
| • Land | 61.45 sq mi (159.2 km2) |
| • Water | .09 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 28,105 |
| • Rank | 45th in Puerto Rico |
| • Density | 460/sq mi (180/km2) |
| Demonym | Lareños |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| ZIP Codes | 00669, 00631 |
| Area code | 787/939 |
| Major routes | |
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Lares (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlaɾes], locally [ˈlaɾeʔ]) is a mountain town and municipality of Puerto Rico's central-western area. Lares is located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of San Sebastián and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Lares is spread over 10 barrios and Lares Pueblo (Downtown Lares). It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area.
A city adorned with Spanish-era colonial-style churches and small downtown stores, Lares is located on a mountainous, breezy area that is about 1.5 hours from the capital San Juan by car.
In 1868, Lares was the site of the Grito de Lares (literally, The Cry of Lares, or Lares Revolt), an uprising brought on by pro-independence rebels members of the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico striving for Puerto Rican independence from Spain. Even though it was short-lived, it remains an iconic historical event in the history of the island. The flag of the revolt, known as the Bandera del Grito de Lares (Grito de Lares flag), is the official flag of Lares.