Aguas Buenas

Aguas Buenas exists because water exists underground. The municipality's identity derives from a 0.4-mile cave system where the Río Cagüitas tributary originates—hence its nickname "Ciudad de las Aguas Claras" (City of Clear Waters). The same karst topography that creates caves creates springs; the same springs that named the town create agricultural potential. Taíno wall paintings inside the caves attest to indigenous recognition of the site's significance centuries before Spanish colonization.

The transition from extraction to experience follows Puerto Rico's broader economic arc. What once mattered as water source now matters as tourist destination—though infrastructure lags narrative. The caves lack visitor facilities; tours require local guides and carry genuine risk. The municipality pivoted toward agritourism, with farms like Viva La Cosecha and Hacienda Cascada offering educational and wellness experiences that monetize agricultural heritage without the commodity price volatility of actual farming.

Puerto Rico's fourth consecutive record-breaking tourism year in 2024—.8 billion in revenue, 101,700 leisure and hospitality jobs—creates opportunity for municipalities like Aguas Buenas positioned within day-trip distance of San Juan. The metro-adjacent location allows tourists to sample rural experience without rural inconvenience.

**By 2026**, Aguas Buenas will test whether cave tourism can formalize without sterilizing. The Taíno paintings and endemic wildlife (50+ species) justify protection; protection without access leaves economic potential unrealized. Whether the municipality develops sustainable cave tourism infrastructure that balances preservation with visitation—or whether the caves remain an expert-only destination while agritourism captures available tourist spending—depends on conservation investment decisions made at territorial and federal levels.