San Lorenzo was founded in 1737 under the name San Miguel de Hato Grande by Valeriano Muñoz de Oneca from Seville, Spain. The original settlers of the then-village were the Muñoz de Oneca, López de Alicea, and Sánchez de Cos families. The church was erected in 1811.
Hurricane Maria
on September 20, 2017 triggered numerous landslides in San Lorenzo with the significant amount of rainfall.
Geography
San Lorenzo is located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas and Yabucoa; south of Gurabo; east of Caguas and Cayey; and west of Juncos and Las Piedras.
Rivers
Río Cayaguás
Río Emajagua
Río Grande de Loíza
Río de las Vegas
Barrios
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, San Lorenzo is subdivided into barrios and barrios are further divided into sectors. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a barrio referred to as "el pueblo".
Barrios in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.
Special Communities
Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in San Lorenzo: Roosevelt neighborhood, El Bosque, La Marina, Parcelas Jagual, Parcelas Quemados and Sector Los Oquendo. Between 2013 and until their arrest by the FBI in 2019, dozens of drug traffickers were operating in the Roosevelt neighborhood and near the Lorenzana public housing residential units in San Lorenzo.
Iglesia Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes ; a National Historic Site; built in 1737 and renovated in 1993.
Economy
;Agriculture The economy of San Lorenzo, founded in the herd, that is, livestock farming, later included the cultivation of sugar cane, which was processed in this period in a steam-driven farm and five oxen. Coffee and fruits are also cultivated in the municipality. Timber production, which was very rich, had declined by the uncontrolled exploitation of forests. ;Industry Clothing, pharmaceuticals, footwear, electromechanical equipment, industrial and household paints
Culture
Festivals and events
San Lorenzo celebrates its patron saint festival in September. The Fiestas Patronales Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events celebrated in San Lorenzo include:
Three Kings Caroling-January
Cavalcade Moncho Roldán-January
Candelaria Celebrations-February
Kite Festival-March
Cross Celebrations-May
Embroidering and Weave Festival-September
Passion Fruit Festival-November
Sports
Double-A team Los Samaritanos - National Champions in 1975, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002
The flag of San Lorenzo is divided in four rectangles of equal size, two rectangles are yellow and the other two are striped with red and yellow stripes.
Coat of arms
The grill is the traditional symbol of San Lorenzo, deacon and martyr, patron of the town, because in a grill he underwent the martyrdom, slowly burned to death. The hill or mountain represent the Gregorio Hill, which dominates the San Lorenzo panorama. The cross is one of the heraldic attributes of San Miguel Arcángel.
