Historical Overview

Lares is a municipality in the Cordillera Central of western Puerto Rico, officially founded April 26, 1827 when it separated from San Sebastián del Pepino due to the great distance from that town's center. It is celebrated throughout Puerto Rico as the site of the Grito de Lares on September 23, 1868, the most significant armed uprising against Spanish colonial rule in the island's history, organized in part by Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis. For genealogical research, records before 1827 should be traced through San Sebastián parish and municipal archives, as Lares families were registered there prior to separation; the Parroquia San José began its own registers with the town's founding in 1827. Civil registration begins in 1885.

Coat of Arms

Barrios

Genealogical records often identify individuals by barrio. Lares has 10 barrios:

• Bartolo
• Buenos Aires
• Callejones
• Espino
• La Torre
• Lares barrio-pueblo
• Mirasol
• Pezuela
• Piletas
• Río Prieto

Neighboring Municipalities

Also check records in neighboring municipalities:

• Adjuntas — San Joaquín
• Camuy — San José
• Hatillo — Nuestra Señora del Carmen
• Las Marías — Inmaculada Concepción
• Maricao — San Juan Bautista
• San Sebastián — Parroquia San Sebastián Mártir
• Utuado — Parroquia San Miguel Arcángel
• Yauco — Nuestra Señora del Rosario

Historical Maps

Historical maps help identify barrios, boundaries, and communities as they existed in the past. Maps from the 18th and 19th centuries are preferred.

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Historical maps coming soon

Genealogy Toolkit

Civil Records

Began in 1885

Covers births, marriages, and deaths.

⬇ Search Civil Records

Parish Records

Parish: San José

Records from 1827

⬇ Search Catholic Records

Digital Archives

• FamilySearch: Lares Civil and parish records
• FamilySearch: Puerto Rico Genealogy Complete records guide

Further Reading

• Memoria 60 — Lares, 1955 — Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas, Departamento de Demografía Local History Demographic census memory for Lares published by UPR's RCM Demography Department, 1955. Useful for population context and mid-century historical data.
• Registros civiles, 1885–1994 — Lares — FamilySearch Civil Registration FamilySearch catalog entry for Lares civil registration records, 1885–1994. Includes birth, marriage, and death records.
• Documentos municipales, 1842–1927 — Lares — FamilySearch Municipal Records Catalog entry for Lares municipal documents including marriages, deaths, census, slave contracts, register of free slaves, and census of slaves, 1842–1927.
• Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645–1969 — FamilySearch Parish Records FamilySearch digitized Catholic Church records for Puerto Rico, including Lares parish registers from the Parroquia San José.