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Naguabo (Naguabo Municipio)

Naguabo is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the east coast of the island bordered by the Vieques Passage, north of Humacao; south of Río Grande and Ceiba; and east of Las Piedras. Naguabo is spread over 8 barrios and Naguabo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Naguabo is renowned for and is said to be the birthplace of the pastelillo de chapín, which is a popular food in Puerto Rico. It is trunkfish wrapped inside deep-fried flour dough. Pastelillos de chapín can be found in almost any seaside establishment on the island.

The town of Naguabo was founded near a ravine on the east coast and relocated in 1821 to its current location. In 1878, Naguabo had the following barrios: Pueblo, Maizales, Duque, Mariana, Quebrada Palma, Daguao, Santiago y Lima, Húcares, Río, Peña Pobre and Río Blanco. In 1521, Daguao was burned down by Caribs.

Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and became a territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico finding that the population of Naguabo was 10,873.

On September 20, 2017 Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico. In Naguabo, sector Playa Húcares on the coast was the most affected with most homes destroyed or losing the roof. The boardwalk was destroyed and over 6,000 people reported losses.