Historical Overview

San Sebastián was originally established in 1752 as Las Vegas del Pepino, named after the distinctive mogote hills in the area whose silhouettes resembled cucumbers (pepinos). The formal settlement was spearheaded by Don Cristóbal González de la Cruz, who donated the lands for the first church and plaza. In 1869, the town was officially renamed San Sebastián in honor of its patron saint, San Sebastián Mártir, partly to distinguish it from the more informal Pepino nickname that some residents felt did not reflect its growing stature. San Sebastián played a significant role in the Grito de Lares (1868): many of the revolutionary leaders and insurgent groups organized within its borders before the uprising, earning the municipality a lasting reputation for its fierce independence and patriotic spirit. Economically, the town became a powerhouse for coffee and sugarcane cultivation. The Central Plata sugar mill was a dominant economic engine for the region throughout the early twentieth century. Today San Sebastián is celebrated for its popular festivals and for its deep roots in the agricultural and revolutionary history of western Puerto Rico.

Coat of Arms

Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The coat of arms reflects the religious and geographical identity of the town. The silver field represents the purity of the waters from the Culebrinas River. The red border symbolizes the blood of the martyrs and the revolutionary spirit of the Grito de Lares. Five black arrows represent the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, the patron saint. A central green mountain symbolizes the Pepino hill that gave the town its original name. A three-towered gold mural crown denotes its status as an autonomous municipality.

Barrios

Genealogical records often identify individuals by barrio. San Sebastián has 23 barrios:

• Aibonito
• Alto Sano
• Bahomamey
• Calabazas
• Cibao
• Cidral
• Culebrinas
• Eneas
• Guacio
• Guajataca
• Guatemala
• Hato Arriba
• Hoya Mala
• Juncal
• Magos
• Mirabales
• Perchas
• Piedras Blancas
• Pozas
• Robles
• Salto
• San Sebastián Pueblo
• Sonador

Daughter Municipalities

The following municipalities separated from San Sebastián. Residents recorded events before their founding year in San Sebastián's parish:

• Lares (founded 1827) — San José

Neighboring Municipalities

Also check records in neighboring municipalities:

• Isabela — San Antonio de Padua
• Quebradillas — San Rafael Arcángel
• Camuy — San José
• Las Marías — Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate
• Lares — San José
• Moca — Nuestra Señora de la Monserrate
• Añasco — San Antonio Abad

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.

Map of San Sebastián, Puerto Rico barrios. Image by The Eloquent Peasant via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. No changes made.

Source: The Eloquent Peasant / Wikimedia Commons

San-sebastián (2026)

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

Genealogy Toolkit

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Civil Records

Began in 1885

Covers births, marriages, and deaths.

⬇ Search Civil Records

Parish Records

Parish: Parroquia San Sebastián Mártir

Records from 1765

⬇ Search Catholic Records

Diocesan Archive

Diocese: Diocese of Mayagüez

For sacramental records not available digitally, contact the diocesan archive directly.

Diocese Website

Digital Archives

• FamilySearch: San Sebastián Civil and parish records
• Find A Grave: Cementerio Municipal de San Sebastián Cemetery index
• Civil Registry: San Sebastián Records (1885–1996) Civil Records Digitized birth, marriage, and death records for San Sebastián on FamilySearch.
• Parish Records — San Sebastián Mártir Church Records Catholic parish registers including some of the oldest baptismal records in the western interior of Puerto Rico.
• ADNPR — San Sebastián Collections Digital Archive High-quality maps and colonial documents related to the Las Vegas del Pepino era.
• Notas para su Historia: San Sebastián (OECH) Government History (PDF) Detailed PDF summary of San Sebastián's foundation and geography, part of the official OECH historical series.
• Puerto Rico Civil Registration, 1885–2001 Digitized Records Civil registration births, marriages, and deaths for all Puerto Rico municipalities including San Sebastián, beginning 1885.
• FamilySearch: Puerto Rico Genealogy Complete records guide

Further Reading

• San Sebastián del Pepino: Notas para su historia — Carlos Gaztambide Arrillaga Book A vital historical text covering the town's socioeconomic development and the 1869 name change from Las Vegas del Pepino to San Sebastián.
• Historia de San Sebastián del Pepino — Federico Cedó Alzamora Book A definitive cultural history of the town, detailing the lives of prominent families and political shifts.
• El Grito de Lares y San Sebastián — Félix Ojeda Reyes Book A specialized study on the clandestine revolutionary cells that operated in San Sebastián leading up to the Grito de Lares in 1868.
• Genus Meridiem: San Sebastián Genealogy Posts — César A. Zapata Lozada Genealogy Blog Genealogical research posts about San Sebastián families by Puerto Rican researcher César A. Zapata Lozada on the Genus Meridiem blog. Useful for family connections, archival discoveries, and local research leads.

GenealogíaPR.com Transcriptions

The following links connect to free church record transcription resources available through GenealogíaPR.com, the website of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía. These valuable resources were created and shared through the dedicated work of Sociedad members.

• San Sebastián: Church Record Transcriptions Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía

If these transcriptions help advance your Puerto Rican genealogy research, please consider supporting this important work by becoming a member of the Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía: Join here.