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Morovis.- Few places have such a mystical beauty that stems from their rock formations. This is what gives Morovis a privileged position. On the one hand, the town boasts of a cavernous system full of ancient history and, on the other, it presents an undeniable volcanic footprint.

This municipality, known as “La isla menos Morovis” (“The Island except Morovis”), is located on the humid hills of the north. They, in turn, belong to the karst zone while part of its territory corresponds to the Central Mountain Range, which is what gives the mountains its intense greenery and makes the waters so rich.

The accessibility to this settlement is one of the things that make the town attractive for visitors, which is about 50 minutes away from San Juan and relatively close to other parts of the north and center of Puerto Rico.

For Ramón Aneudie Martínez-Meléndez, director of the Department of Art, Culture, Tourism and Municipal Education, “Morovis is one of the most beautiful towns that Puerto Rico has. It holds some distinctive features that make it very special.”

“We are in the center-north and that means we have a combination of different environments. For example, in the north we have the northern limestone, with aquifers, cavernous systems, and all that; once you go towards the center, the entire rock formation becomes volcanic because we’re a part of the Central Mountain Range,” explained the public servant.

He highlighted that, “in the middle, there are spectacular landscapes. It has that greenery we sometimes look out for since the colors are more intense. We (also) have many rivers. This gives it some very nice nuances.”

To start the tour, Martínez-Meléndez recommended the town center, right in front of Panadería La Patria where they make the famous “pan de la patita echá” (“dangly leg bread”).

“From there, we go to the little plaza of Juan José de Torre, who was the president of the committee that requested the separation of Barrio Morovis from the town of Manatí. The town was founded in 1818,” he explained.

Then, “we go to the main square that’s called Juan Evangelista Rivera, considered to be the town’s founder. He donated the land that was to be used as a city center and made possible the founding of the town.”

The town center has two historic buildings that are still in use. One of them is a school built in 1927 that “still hosts students in its classrooms.”

“There is also the cultural center building, which was initially built as the first hospital in Morovis in 1928 and operated as such until 1972. Later it became the cultural center’s headquarters. It’s not a museum, but a house dedicated to the culture of the town. Music, painting, and cultural activities of all kinds are taught there,” he said.

Another historical footprint that is present in the city center are the remains of the first cemetery; “all that’s left is a masonry wall.”

Meanwhile, Morovis’ main attraction is the Las Cabachuelas Natural Reserve in Barrio Barahona. The cavernous system has about 60 caves, where the presence of the first settlers of the Island was evidenced through archaeological finds.

“Culture here is essential. The average person from Morovis is extremely knowledgeable about Puerto Rican jíbaro music and enjoys it. There are students at our music school who are not even five years old yet and are already singing and learning how to play the cuatro. It’s a well-rooted tradition,” he added.

The public servant highlighted that “the name Morovis is presumed to be indigenous.”

“The name Morovis appeared for the first time in 1531, referring to a Hacienda Morovis, and ever since then the river has been called Morovis. It’s very likely that they may have been a person of importance at that time. And the similarity with the name of Orocovis, who was the cacique (chief) of the central area of the island, suggests that they could have been his relative,” he noted.

The origin of this peculiar monicker has several versions. Among them is the cholera epidemic that affected Puerto Rico in 1855.

“By then, San Juan was periodically notified of the number of sick and dead people. According to that story, there came a time when the number of deaths at national level was so severe, it was easier to notify that there were deaths throughout the island except in Morovis. And the phrase stuck,” Martínez-Meléndez said.

The other explanation for it was the rapid expansion of the towns that were founded in the first two decades of the 19th century.

“This expansion happened so quickly that they didn’t have updated maps. So the official cartographer of the time was asked to remake an updated map. But he didn’t add Morovis,” he highlighted.

Finally, he assured that Morovis is one of the best places for chinchorreo. It has over 40 options for chinchorros on the PR-137 highway alone, not counting the restaurants and other businesses located in the different barrios and the town center.

For information about tours, you can call 787-862-2155, extensions 2500 and 2501.