Adjuntas (Spanish pronunciation: [aðˈxuntas]) is a small mountainside town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the central midwestern portion of the island on the Cordillera Central, north of Yauco, Guayanilla, and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and northwest of Ponce.

The town has a small hotel named Monte Rio and a good-sized parador, or country inn, called Villa Sotomayor.

The name is most likely a shortening of "tierras adjuntas a Coamo" or 'lands attached (or in proximity) to Coamo" as the territory was originally part of the lands of Villa de San Blas de Illescas, one of the oldest settlements in Puerto Rico, which the municipality gained autonomy from in 1739.

[7] The municipality has received numerous nicknames throughout its history, such as La Ciudad del Gigante Dormido, Spanish for "city of the sleeping giant" after the mountain that overlooks the town; La Suiza de Puerto Rico ("Puerto Rico's Switzerland") due to its relative cool temperatures and mountainous terrain; and La Tierra de los Lagos ("Land of the Lakes") after the many natural pools or charcas that are formed by the numerous rivers that flow through the municipality.

Although there are petroglyphs and traces of Taíno people in Adjuntas, there is no proof that the region was dominated by any specific cacique.

Also, historian Cayetano Coll y Toste wrote a legend about Spanish people looking for gold in the region of Adjuntas.

As colonization progressed, Adjuntas became part of the San Blas de Illescas (Coamo village),[8] which was founded in 1579 and became the most important settlement in the south.

[9] Adjuntas was one of the main cities where the Anusim, Maranos, and other Sephardi Jews settled in Puerto Rico.

[12] Several years after, the town was occupied by the United States Army forces during the Spanish–American War of 1898 and was visited by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

[13] The discovery of rich deposits of copper, gold and other minerals during the 1960s motivated some local community and environmental leaders to oppose the mining.

Casa Pueblo, a local community organization settled in Adjuntas, opposed to the mining and advocates for the preservation of natural resources in Puerto Rico.

Nearly 62% of the residents of Adjuntas were already living below the poverty level when Hurricane María hit Puerto Rico.

The people wanted to live in those fertile lands, but they would observe the giant stretching his arms widely over the area, even peeping his head over the mountain peaks.

Being hit in the eye, the giant leapt in pain and fell flat on his back but not before punching the ground hard and that formed an area from where water foamed up.

It borders Utuado in the north and east, Lares and Yauco to the west, and Guayanilla, Peñuelas, and Ponce to the south.

[54] Although tourism hasn't been an integral part of the economy of Adjuntas, according to historic records, it has been present since the 19th century.

Historian Lidio Cruz Monclóva noted that around 1871, some doctors requested patients to travel to Adjuntas to stay in a hotel called "La Adjunteña".

Another known tourist stop in Adjuntas is Casa Pueblo, a local museum and cultural institution founded by a group of activists that fought against the copper mine exploitation of the area for decades.

Casa Pueblo is responsible for many environmental projects, namely the preservation of hundreds of acres of woods and bodies of water.

However, some residents and businesspeople from Adjuntas maintain that the government has not taken advantage of the many tourist attractions in town, which include three forests, waterfalls, lakes, and many renowned restaurants.

[54] One of the projects that has received media coverage is the Castillo de los Niños, built during the mayoralty of Barlucea.

Villa Sotomayor features food prepared with local ingredients, from a nearby estate Hacienda Nur.

[6] In early 2021, in alliance with neighboring Lares, Adjuntas launched agri-tourism for tourists to visit haciendas where coffee is grown and processed.

The Voy Turisteando Adjuntas passport page lists the Hacienda Tres Angeles (for agritourism), the Bosque Guilarte, and Lago Garza as places of interest for locals.

When Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States, there were already six public schools established in Adjuntas.

Historian Cayetano Coll y Toste offered a detailed account of each of them, including the number of students, which at the time totaled 402.

The festival generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment.

[72][73] In 1874, General José Laureano Sanz, Governor of Puerto Rico, sponsored a road from Ponce to Arecibo, going across Adjuntas and Utuado.

The white color symbolizes purity, while purple represents Saint Joachim's cloth and green the nature of the town.