Jayuya Overview

Located 30min. off La Ruta Panorámica at the foothills of Cerro Punta, the tallest peak in the whole island, this town merits a visit for its collection of Taíno sights, from impressive petroglyphs to a small museum designed as a cemí, a Taíno religious icon. Historically, Jayuya was the site of a revolution against American control. In 1950, a group of nacionalistas led a rebellion that produced the short-lived independent republic of Jayuya—it survived just three days. Today the town offers a quiet place to spend the night at the spiritual home of the Taínos, surrounded by the island’s highest mountains.

Transportation. Coming from the Ruta Panorámica, detour north on Rte. 140 between Toro Negro and Adjuntas, then take Rte. 144 straight into town. From San Juan, take Rte. 123/Hwy. 10 to Utuado, then follow Rte. 111 to Rte. 144. Públicos in Jayuya leave from the parking lot next to Mueblería Doris between C. Figueros and C. Guillermo, just off the plaza. They head to Ponce ($4) very early in the morning—ask locals the night before for scheduled times. No public transportation goes to the major sights outside of town.

Orientation And Practical Information. Coming into town, Rte. 144 deposits you on C. Guillermo; follow it through town and veer left one block before the “Do Not Enter” sign, which will put you on C. Figueres right at the plaza. Calle Guillermo, Calle Figueros, and Calle Canales, the three main streets in town, run parallel to each other and the latter two border the plaza. Most of the major sights are on Rte. 144 as it continues south out of town. Banco Popular, C. Guillermo Esteves 84, has an ATM. (☎828-4120. Open M-F 8am-4pm, Sa 9am-noon.) To reach the police station, C. Cementerio 1, from the plaza, walk down C. Barceló, turn right after the Alcaldía, make an immediate left into the driveway, and walk uphill. (☎828-2020 or 828-3600. Open 24hr.) Across the street, the hospital, C. Cementerio 2, has a 24hr. emergency room. (☎828-3290 or 828-0905. Open M-F 8am-4:30pm.) The university library on C. Figueras across the plaza from the church offers free Internet access. (☎828-2824, ext. 1759. Open M-F 7:30am-4:30pm.) The post office, C. Canales 15, has General Delivery. (☎828-3010. Open M-F 7:30am-4:30pm, Sa 7:30am-11:30pm.) Postal Code: 00664.

Accommodations And Food. Parador Hacienda Gripiñas , on Rte. 527, was originally a 19th-century coffee plantation and retains the charm of an old country house, with wooden porches and rocking chairs from which you can enjoy an incredible mountain landscape, a cool breeze, and the smell of fresh flowers. Carpeted rooms have cable TV and air-conditioning. Steep weekend prices include dinner and breakfast at the hotel restaurant, while weekday prices without meals are more budget friendly, making this a good deal for mid-week travelers. (Take Rte. 144 east to Rte. 527, then follow the green signs. ☎828-1717 or 828-1718; www.haciendagripinas.com. 2 swimming pools. Check-out 11am. Singles M-Th and Su $75, F-Sa $98; doubles $85/126. AmEx/MC/V.) Those who want to stay in town have one choice—Hotel Posada Jayuya , C. Guillermo Esteves 49. The back entrance is accessible from C. Libertad, parallel to C. Guillermo Esteves, right near the bridge. Wicker furniture, TV, and bar in the lobby give way to neat, tile-floored rooms. Textured murals decorate the walls. (☎828-7250. Small pool. Fridge, TV, and A/C. Su breakfast included. Doubles $69. Extra person $10. AmEx/MC/V.)

Jayuya proper doesn’t offer many dining options beyond one or two panaderías. Just outside of town, the restaurant at Parador Hacienda Gripiñas has a wonderful view over a peaceful valley. Its prices may be high, but this mesón gastronómico creates an exceptional dining experience—its glass-ceilinged central room holds a tree in the middle, growing upward from the courtyard below. Dishes include traditional seafood and steak options. (Entrees $11-22. Open daily 8am-10pm.) Tainy Cafe’s 1 is a small roadside sandwich stand with sandwiches that are anything but small, making it a good place to get a bite to eat just outside of Jayuya on Rte. 539 Km 0.2. (☎828-3353. Sandwiches $5.)

Sights And Festivals. The CEDETRA (Development and Labor Center) complex, Rte. 144 Km 9.3, holds a variety of Taíno artifacts and contemporary artesanía work. Constructed in 1989, the bulbous Museo El Cemí was designed to look like a cemí, a Taíno religious image carved in stone. Don’t worry if the building looks a little amorphous—there are at least 20 different theories about what the cemí was designed to look like. Inside, visitors will find Taíno artifacts and replicas, including an espátula vomita, a spatula that the Taíno people used to induce vomiting before they took hallucinogenic drugs. (☎828-4618. Open M-F 9:30am-4pm, Sa-Su 9am-3pm. $1, under 15 $0.50.) Completely unrelated but on the same property, Museo Casa Canales housed one of Jayuya’s most important families. Built in the late 19th century by Don Rosario Canales Quintero, the town’s first mayor, the house also served as a residence for his son Nemesio Canales Rivera, a legislator and humorist who aided in the legal emancipation of women. Don Rosario’s daughter Blanca Canales, the leader of the revolution of October 30, 1950, also resided there. The house was abandoned while she served her prison term, but in the early 1990s CEDETRA painstakingly reconstructed it in its original form. (☎828-4094. Open Sa-Su 10am-5pm. $1, under 12 $0.50.) The nondescript building in back holds the CEDETRA exhibition hall and a small artesanía souvenir shop. (Open T-Sa 10am-4pm.) The kiosks across the path provide a venue for local artisans to sell their work on weekends and holidays. Finally, near the kiosks, the Museo de Café displays coffee-related antiques. Despite the extensive work put into the CEDETRA complex, the most impressive sight lies about 1 mi. down the road. La Piedra Escrita, Rte. 144 Km 7.7, is a huge rock in the middle of the creek covered with Taíno petroglyphs. A new wood ramp leads down to the rock, which locals use as a diving board into the surrounding creek.

Within the city center, yet another cultural monument honors the island’s Taíno heritage. From the plaza, hike up the steep staircase to reach a bust of the cacique Jayuya (Jayuya Taíno chief). Behind the bust, the small locked building contains the Puerto Rican Indian tomb, the bones of a Taíno man lying on a bed of dirt accumulated from each of the island’s 78 municipalities. Unfortunately, the monument is often locked and difficult to see. Behind the tomb, the Puerto Rican Department of Culture maintains a small cultural center, C. San Felipe 25, with an assortment of antiques, broken Taíno artifacts, and reproductions. (☎828-2220. Spanish only. Open M-F 8am-noon and 1-4:30pm. Free.)

Jayuya’s largest festival is the annual Festival Nacional Indígena (National Indigenous Festival), which is celebrated over three to five days in mid-November and includes food, music, games, and several large historical exhibitions. The festival focuses on Taíno culture with indigenous dances, batey (a ritual ball game), and reproductions of an indigenous town. Check at CEDETRA for details.