Visit the Heart of Puerto Rico
Located in the Central Mountain Range in the heart of Puerto Rico, Orocovis has a number of interesting attractions both in the town and in the surrounding area. These include the Orocovis Museum, Recreative Park, Toro Verde Nature Adventure Park, Indian Cave, El Guineo Lake, Matrullas Lake, Toro Negro Rain Forest and Doña Juana Waterfall. There are also many accommodation and dining options to suit all tastes and budgets, making Orocovis an ideal inland destination in Puerto Rico.
Prior to the 16th century Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico, Taíno Indians were living in the region of modern-day Orocovis, Aibonito, Barranquitas, Morovis and Corozal. The Jatibonicu group of Taíno Indians living in Orocovis region was led by the cacique (chief) Orocobix, after whom the town is named. When Spaniards settled on the island, the region was called Barros and allocated as a barrio of Barranquitas. It was only in 1928 that the name of Barros was changed to Orocovis in honor of the Taíno cacique, following approval from the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico.
The flag of Orocovis is very symbolic and has five vertical stripes – two green stripes at either end and a blue stripe in the middle, each of which is separated by a narrow white stripe. The central blue stripe features an oval with a sun that has seventeen rays representing the town’s regions. The sun represents the fact the Orocovis is the center of the island, just as the sun is the center of our solar system. The narrow white stripes represent the territories granted by neighboring municipalities, Barranquitas and Morovis.
In addition to being referred to as Corazón de Puerto Rico (Heart of Puerto Rico) because of its geographical position, Orocovis is also sometimes called the Musical Capital of Puerto Rico, being a reference to the numerous well known Puerto Rican performers who were born and/or raised in the town. These include musician and salsa bandleader Bobby Valentín, also known as El Rey del Bajo (King of the Bass); folk singer/songwriter Andrés Jiménez, also known as El Jíbaro; merengue singer Manny Manuel and the Colón-Zayas family, all of whom have musical talents, Emma being a singer and multi-instrumentalist and Edwin being a renowned cuatro player.
Visitors to Orocovis can join in the town’s festivals which include the Patron Saint Festival in June, Infant Theater Festival in April, the Arts and Crafts Fair in September and the National Festival of the Puerto Rican Pasteles in November.
