Pueblos in Puerto Rico

[1] With a few exceptions, the barrio-pueblo is also the historic district of the municipality and usually contains the main town square (plaza, and in some cases, plaza de armas) surrounded by the municipal administrative buildings (alcaldía) and the main Catholic church in town (either a cathedral or parish church).

The Laws of the Indies, the Spanish law which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for celebrations and festivities (Spanish: a propósito para las fiestas), most notably the town patron saint festivals (fiestas patronales), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors (Spanish: grandeza proporcionada al número de vecinos).

These Spanish regulations also stated that the streets nearby should be comfortable portals for passersby, protecting them from the elements: sun and rain.

Both of these contained a main town square or plaza de armas with a city hall and a church.

Although the urban zones that today are designated as barrio-pueblo have existed since the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico, the concept of barrio was first used in the island during the 19th century.

Historians have speculated the creation of barrios as administrative units may have been related to the Puerto Rican representation at the Cortes of Cádiz.

Today barrios and barrio-pueblos have no political autonomy, and their designation is now for statistical and municipal management purposes.