Caguas, Puerto Rico

Caguas was founded in 1775. Its proximity to the San Juan Metropolitan Area has permitted the development of Caguas into a city of over 140,000 inhabitants (2000 census). Caguas is south of the San Juan Metropolitan Area on State Road 1 and State Road 52 (Luis A Ferre Expressway). Other neighboring communities include, among others, Trujillo Alto to the north on PR Road 175; Cayey to the south on PR Roads 1 and 52; Gurabo to the east on Road 30.

Caguas is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. Its soils are fertile, adequate for agriculture and for dairy farming.

Abelardo Díaz Alfaro (1919-1999) is among the most noted natives of Caguas. Some of his tales, descriptive of local customs and traditions, have been translated into many other languages and distributed throughout the whole world.

The patron saint for Caguas is "Nuestra Señora del Carmen", celebrated on July 16.