Río Abajo, Utuado, Puerto Rico


Río Abajo is a barrio in the municipality of Utuado, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 237.

History

The United States took control of Puerto Rico from Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. In 1899, the United States conducted its first census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Río Abajo barrio was 1,235.
Hurricane Maria which struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, washed away the Río Abajo bridge and approximately 60 families were left isolated. Residents invented a zip line to bring food across until a temporary bridge was built. The construction of a more permanent bridge to connect the residents to the rest of the island again was completed in March 2018.