Moca, Puerto Rico

Moca  is beest known for its mundillo craftspersons, who have somehow managed to keep this old tradition alive. Mundillo (bobbin-lace) is a special type of knitting with multiple threads to produce really artistic knits. The image at left is a doily done in mundillo. Mundillo knitting is taught by several master knitters and many of these reside in the city of Moca. Festival del Mundillo is celebrated annually in December. Museo del Mundillo de Puerto Rico is a museum dedicated to Mundillo. The museum features samples of mundillo art throughout the years as well as workshops on mundillo knitting.

The city derives its name from the moca tree (Andira inermis), a beautiful flowering tree which grows to heights of 90 to 120 feet in the wild around Moca. The bark of the moca tree is poisonous. It was formerly employed as a vermifuge to expel worms (ascaris lumbrecoides) but used incautiously might cause death.

Moca is only minutes away from Aguadilla and about thirty minutes away from Mayagüez. Major industries in Moca include the manufacture of shoes, apparel and electronic products. Agriculture includes sugar cane and minor crops. Population is about 40,000 people. The patron saint for Moca is "Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate". Patron saints day is celebrated on September 8th.

Enrique Laguerre (1906- ), noted Puerto Rican writer nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999, is a native of Moca.

Lodging:
Hospedería Castillos Meléndez
Carr 110 Km 17 Bo Centro
Moca 00676
(787) 877-0202