Comerio
Founded 1826, Comerío won a gold medal for tobacco at 1901's New York exposition. Hurricane Maria (2017) destroyed 1,537 homes and triggered landslides through this mountain town, while Puerto Rico's slow recovery continues—only $26.7 billion of $72.1 billion obligated has reached the island, with power outages up 19% from 2023 to 2024.
Comerío was once famous worldwide for tobacco. In 1901, cigars produced here won a gold medal at an exposition in New York City—recognition that the Cordillera Central's microclimates could produce globally competitive agricultural products. Founded in 1826 as Sabana del Palmar (named for the royal palms growing on the El Palmar plantation), the municipality later adopted the name of a celebrated local Taíno cacique.
The 1899 U.S. census recorded 8,249 residents; by 2000, population reached 20,002. But Comerío's trajectory mirrors Puerto Rico's agricultural decline. Coffee and tobacco cultivation gave way to dependency on coastal manufacturing jobs. The municipality, nestled in the center-eastern Cordillera Central with the Río de la Plata flowing through, became known as 'La Perla de Plata' (the Pearl of the Plata)—a poetic name for a town whose economic foundation was eroding.
Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 devastated Comerío with particular intensity. The storm triggered numerous landslides across the mountainous terrain, and the flooded river swept through the town center. Over 4,000 homes were affected; 1,537 were completely destroyed. The mountain municipality's isolation compounded recovery challenges—Puerto Rico's electrical grid, already fragile, took months to restore in remote areas.
As of 2025, Puerto Rico's reconstruction remains incomplete. Of $72.1 billion FEMA has obligated for the island's recovery, only $26.7 billion has actually reached Puerto Rico. Power outages increased 19% between 2023 and 2024. Small businesses in mountain towns like Comerío, dependent on unreliable electricity, struggle to recover fully.
By 2026, Comerío will likely remain caught between its agricultural heritage and an uncertain future—a municipality that once won international recognition for tobacco now waiting for federal reconstruction funds that flow slowly through bureaucratic channels.