Historical Overview

Patillas was founded on October 31, 1811, on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico, established on land donated by Doña Adelina Cintrón with the region's sugar cane economy as its foundation. The primary Catholic parish, Parroquia San Benito Abad y Santa Bárbara, holds records dating to 1810, predating the municipality's official founding. The town's name derives from the watermelons that once grew abundantly in the area, and its coat of arms preserves the town's dual patronal identity, agricultural heritage, and the religious symbolism of its founding era.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms features a crow carrying a piece of bread in its beak, symbolizing the legend of San Benito Abad, patron of the town, who was saved from poisoning by the bird. A castle with three windows represents the captivity of Santa Bárbara, the co-patron. Crossed machetes recall the peasants who worked the sugar cane plantations. A watermelon leaf alludes to the abundance of watermelons in the area, which gave the town its name.

Barrios

Genealogical records often identify individuals by barrio. Patillas has 16 barrios:

• Apeadero
• Bajo
• Cacao Alto
• Cacao Bajo
• Egozcue
• Guardarraya
• Jacaboa
• Jagual
• Mamey
• Marín
• Mulas
• Muñoz Rivera
• Patillas Pueblo
• Pollos
• Quebrada Arriba
• Ríos

Neighboring Municipalities

Also check records in neighboring municipalities:

• Arroyo — Nuestra Señora del Carmen
• Guayama — San Antonio de Padua
• Maunabo — San Isidro Labrador
• San Lorenzo — Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes
• Yabucoa — Santos Ángeles Custodios

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.

Patillas (2026)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line Shapefiles

Genealogy Toolkit

Civil Records

Began in 1885

Covers births, marriages, and deaths.

⬇ Search Civil Records

Parish Records

Parish: San Benito Abad y Santa Bárbara

Records from 1810

⬇ Search Catholic Records

Digital Archives

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

Further Reading

• U.S. Census Bureau: Patillas Municipio Profile — U.S. Census Bureau Census Data Authoritative 2020 Census profile for Patillas, including official barrio list, population data, and geographic boundary information.
• FamilySearch Wiki: Patillas, Puerto Rico Genealogy — FamilySearch Research Guide Best starting point for Patillas research; points to civil registration, Catholic church records, cemeteries, and other record sets.
• Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645–2021 — FamilySearch Parish Records Broad Catholic church-record collection that includes Patillas parish records; indexed and image-based access available through FamilySearch.
• San Benito Abad and Santa Bárbara Church Records, Patillas, Puerto Rico, 1810–1940 — Hijos de Coamo PR Parish Record Index Secondary index for San Benito Abad and Santa Bárbara church records covering 1810–1940. Useful for locating entries before consulting the original images.
• Historia del pueblo de Patillas, 1811–1965 — Paulino Rodríguez Bernier Local History Important historical monograph covering Patillas from its 1811 founding through 1965; valuable for settlement history and municipal chronology.
• Cementerio Municipal de Patillas — Find a Grave — Find a Grave Cemetery Records Cemetery page for the municipal cemetery of Patillas; useful for burial leads when death dates are missing from parish or civil records.