Fiestas patronales (patron saint festivals) are held in the central plaza every year.

The Laws of the Indies, Spanish law, which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for "the parties" (celebrations, festivities) (Spanish: a propósito para las fiestas), 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.

[8][9] Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions)[15] in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores (sectors in English).

[20] The cemetery was expanded during the cholera outbreak that occurred in Puerto Rico starting in 1855.