Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
milk) sold at roadside stands, and soak up the strong Afro-Caribbean culture that permeates
Loíza Aldea and Carolina, two neighboring towns that maintain strong indigenous identit-
ies in the face of urbanization.
Both a state forest - Bosque Estatal de Piñones - and a neighborhood of its parent mu-
nicipality, Loíza Aldea, further to the east, Piñones presents an alternative to the high-rise
condos and casino hotels of Isla Verde to the west, and the massive pharmaceutical plants
of Carolina to the south. During vacations and on weekends, this entire stretch is filled with
sanjuaneros
and locals enjoying lots of African-influenced music, food and drinks.
Whatever is happening in laid-back and rural Piñones is happening on Rte 187, which
parallels the ocean. Entering from the west side, coming from Isla Verde, there's a high
bridge to cross and then immediately a sign on the left saying
'Bienvenidos a Boca de
Cangrejos'
(Welcome to Crabmouth Point). The sign leads up a small incline and onto a
cliff overlooking the water. It's a popular drinking place and offers fabulous views, espe-
cially at sunset. There are also several popular restaurants and
friquitines
here.
Friquitines,
also known as
buréns
in Piñones, are food kiosks of all shapes and sizes (and states of
hygiene) that line the coastal road. Proprietors roast plantains, whole fish, codfish fritters
and skewered pieces of seasoned pork over wood fires (it's a good idea to avoid oysters,
seviche and other raw or lightly cooked dishes).
The road circles and brings you back down onto Rte 187. Parking is available on the cliff
top. About a mile down the road is another concentration of popular beach shacks, set just
a little off the road overlooking the ocean.
Reefs just offshore create good surfing conditions and protect bathers from the full force
of ocean swells, and on the days the ocean's just too rough, there's the recently completed
Paseo de Piñones, a first-rate nature trail and bike path along the beach and through the
forest reserve.
There are few accommodations and no real sense of the town beyond what is immedi-
ately visible along Rte 187; eventually Rte 187 hits Rte 951, which returns to Hwy 3.
History
In the 16th century most of this fertile low-lying coastal region was farmed and inhabited
by local people. Once the Spanish arrived and took over in 1719, huge tracts of land were
turned into massive sugarcane plantations and captured natives were forced to provide
the necessary labor, although they resisted mightily. Unable to keep many of their farm-
hands from melting into the nearby mountains, plantation owners began shipping in Afric-
an workers, and sometimes stole them from other Caribbean islands. Most of the 30,000
residents living in the municipality today are freed descendants of these Yoruba slaves. The
region is justifiably proud of its Afro-Caribbean heritage: Loíza Aldea is named after Luisa,
a powerful
cacique
(Taíno chief) who ruled the area before the Spanish conquest.
