Have you ever visited someone's home or a business and done a double take reading the street name? Or maybe you're the one who feels embarrassed mentioning your barrio's name in a mailing address.
The truth is that Puerto Ricans are very creative when it comes to naming streets and barrios. The Platea team wanted to find out which ones were the strangest, and our readers, as always, were very generous with their responses.
Below, a look at some of the strangest street and barrio names in Puerto Rico.
1. Cuesta Los Chicharrones | Aguada
We couldn't confirm whether chicharrones are actually available on this street, but we did find that it's just a few minutes from Aguada's historic downtown. If you want to check for yourself, we already have a route ready for your road trip through Aguada.
2. Barrio Arrozal, Sector Los Muertos | Arecibo
We're a little uneasy thinking about whether mortality rates had anything to do with this name, but several readers pointed out that they found the area of Arrozal, Los Muertos amusing. From Los Muertos, you can reach the natural attraction Cueva Ventana in 30 minutes.
3. Barrio Chupacallos | Ceiba
Many readers highlighted that in Ceiba, right on its border with Naguabo, there is a barrio called Chupacallos. This barrio is near the José Aponte Hernández airport, from which you can take a small plane to the municipality of Vieques.
4. Sector El Fondo del Saco | San Sebastián
Although there are many "fondos del saco" in Puerto Rico, Sector El Fondo del Saco in San Sebastián caught our attention in particular. It sits right on the border between San Sebastián and Quebradillas, next to Lago Guajataca and its campground. Who would have thought you could go all the way to the end of the cul-de-sac for a camping experience?
5. Calle El Carajo | Moca
Is this where we were told to go so many times? Could this street be the actual location of all those faraway places? We don't know. In any case, we think the people of Moca have a very good sense of humor.
6. Sector Mansión del Sapo | Fajardo
This Fajardo community has a particularly unusual name. Maybe "sapo" doesn't refer to an animal? Someone will have to tell us, or we'll have to go back, ask around, and look for things to do in Fajardo.
7. Puerto Diablo | Vieques
Nearly half of Vieques falls within the barrio Puerto Diablo. There's nothing sinister about it; the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge is located here, along with some of the island municipality's most visited beaches, on its southern coast.
8. Sector Sobaco | Caguas
In the barrio Turabo Arriba, there is a sector whose name drew a lot of reactions from readers: Sector Sobaco, in Caguas. No one knows how it got that name, but it seems someone saw a resemblance between the greenery of this community and the qualities of an armpit.
9. Calle Salsipuedes | Adjuntas
Right in the center of the island, in the historic downtown of Adjuntas, there is a small alley called Salsipuedes. How hard it actually is to get out is open to debate, but if you manage to leave, take the opportunity to explore the historic downtown with the highest concentration of solar-powered businesses on the Island.
10. Sector Espanta Sueño | Fajardo
We're not sure why this sector in Fajardo might keep anyone from sleeping, but we'd appreciate it if a Fajardo local told us the ghost story. That's the only way we'll know whether the fright is warranted.
11. Calle Narnia | Isabela
Living in Narnia… or living on Calle Narnia? The absent-minded will finally be vindicated. From Narnia, you can reach Playa Jobos and the Paseo Tablado in just a few minutes, and make a few stops in Isabela.
12. Hoyo Frío | Aguada, Vega Baja, Jayuya…
We couldn't close this guide without mentioning the famous hoyos that so many readers contributed: the Hoyos Fríos, the Hoyas Malas, and even the Hoyos Viciosos. Of all of them, we found that the name Hoyo Frío appears on different streets, sectors and barrios across the north, west, east and center of the Island. Only one question remains: why are there so many Hoyo Frío on a tropical island? We may never know.
On the origin of barrio names
Rafael Torrech, author of "Los Barrios de Puerto Rico: Historia y Toponimia," explained in an interview the following about the origin of barrio names: "The names have a very old history, and what seems strange and everyday to us reveals the perceptions of people who lived centuries ago on this land, their devotions, their beliefs, their way of speaking."
Torrech told El Nuevo Día that the names reflect the local history of each region, that they are a way of distinguishing one barrio from another, and that they stem from a sense of belonging.
"They relate to fauna, flora, people, functions, or can even be a description of what was seen," he said.
According to the historian, 30% of rural barrios in Puerto Rico have names of indigenous origin, and 88% of all towns on the Island have at least one barrio with an indigenous place name.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
