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San Blas marathon

The municipality of Coamo is located in the central south region of Puerto Rico and measures 200.56 square kilometers (77.44 square miles). The name of the towntown, founding: A group of vecinos that wanted to found a town had to grant a power of attorney to one or more other vecinos to represent them before the governor and viceroy. This person could authorize the founding of the town and the establishment of a parish. The grantors of the power of attorney had to be a majority in the given territory and more than ten in number. Once the case had been made, the governor appointed a capitán poblador or settlement official to represent the vecinos and one or more delegates, who usually lived in nearby cabildos vecinos to receive the necessary documentation. Proof was required that the settlement was so far from a church that it was very difficult for the settlers to partake of sacraments and municipal services. In general, proof was provided of the absence or bad condition of roads and bridges. If the petition was approved, it was required that the vecinos mark off the new municipality and build public works such as a church, a parish house, a government house (Casa del Rey), a slaughterhouse, and a cemetery, and to set aside land for the town square or plaza and the commons (ejidos). The vecinos were expected to cover the cost of building these works by levying special assessments. Usually one of the land owners donated some land for the founding. Once the requirements had been met, the governor authorized the founding of the town and the parish, and he appointed a Lieutenant at War who usually was the same capitán poblador., a Taino word, means "extended plain." The town is also known as the "town of San Blas de Illescas," "the old town," "the town of the thermal waters," and "the center of the universe," the townspeople are known as the "marathon runners." According to the 2000 census, there are 37,597 coameños livign in eleven wards: Coamo Arriba, Coamo Pueblo, Cuyón, Hayales, Los Llanos, Palmarejo, Pasto, Pedro García, Pulguillas, San Ildefonso, and Santa Catalina. The patron saint is San Blas de Illescas, whose day is celebrated on February 3. Another traditional festival, the day of Our Lady of Candlemas, is celebrated on February 2. The world-famous San Blas de Illescas half-marathon is held during these festivities.

Coamo is very popular for its thermal waters known as the "Coamo Baths." There is also an inn in the area of the baths. The first guest house on the site was built by Andrés G. Luhring in 1847. Ten years later, José Usera became the proprietor and built an elegant building using brick and rubble masonry and local woods. Today, the only remains of the original hotel are the restaurant, the thermal water pools and a few walls that add to the historic ambiance of the modern inn. Other economic activities include agriculture and animal husbandry (chicken, cattle, and produce) and a plant that manufactures radio parts

Geography

Coamo is located to the south of the Central Mountain Range. It is bordered on the north by Orocovis and Barranquitas, on the south by Santa Isabel and Salinas, on the east by Aibonito and Salinas, and on the west by Villalba and Juana Díaz. The highest elevations are in the northern part of the town, including Mounts Pulguillas and Pico at 2,756 and 2,592 feet (840 and 790 meters ), respectively, and the Santini Ridge. There are lower elevations towards the center of the municipality, such as mounts Presidio and Santa Ana, both 460 meters (1,509 feet) high; Pelagatos hill, 1,148 feet (350 meters), and mounts Mesa and Winter. Other elevations include the border mountains of El Malo, at 3,018 feet (920 meters); Petronila, 2,132 feet (650 meters); and Cariblanco, 1,824 feet (556 meters), which are located on the border between Coamo and Orocovis, Villalba, and Salinas respectively. The flatter areas of the town are no higher than 656 feet (200 meters) above sea level.

The hydrography of the town is based on the Coamo River, which springs from Pulguillas Ward and runs for 35 kilometers (22 miles) to empty into the Caribbean Sea. Its tributaries are the Cuyón and De la Mina rivers. Tributaries of the Cuyón are: the Helechal, Obispo, Cerrillos, De los Panes, Monteríamontería: In the early years of the Spanish colonization of the Caribbean the term was applied to hunting down escaped cattle or pigs. The word was also applied to the art of hunting or to hunting rules and notices., and Falsa brooks; and the Pasto River is a tributary of the De la Mina River. Another important water source is the Toa Vaca River, which originates in Hayales Ward and is a tributary of the Jacaguas River, for which in turn the La Cotorra brook is a tributary . The Descalabrado River (which springs from Pedro García Ward) and the Jueyes River, which originates at the border between Salinas and Coamo, also run through the municipality.