Utuado, Mountain municipality in Puerto Rico.
Utuado is a municipality located in the Cordillera Central mountain range of Puerto Rico, positioned between Arecibo and Ponce. The terrain here is rugged and elevated, with settlements scattered across valleys and hillsides throughout the interior landscape.
The municipality was founded in 1739 by Sebastian Murphy as the first European settlement deep in Puerto Rico's mountain interior. This establishment marked an important moment in opening the island's highland regions for settlement and development.
The Caguana Ceremonial Park displays ten plazas carved with petroglyphs created by the Taíno people. These spaces reveal how the original inhabitants gathered for ceremonies and community gatherings in their mountain home.
The location sits at higher elevation with changeable weather, so bring rain gear especially during wetter months when showers are common. Access to the area is best via main roads from larger coastal towns, though local roads can be narrow and winding as they navigate the mountain terrain.
During the 1890s, this region became Puerto Rico's largest coffee producer, with plantations spreading across the mountain slopes. Though this prosperous era has passed, abandoned coffee structures and old ruins still remain scattered through the highlands, telling the story of that forgotten wealth.
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