Stone Church
Camuy is a municipality in Puerto Rico located on the Valley of Quebradillas, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Lares; east of Quebradillas; and west of Hatillo. Camuy is spread over 12 wards and Camuy Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). The town is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2007.
Camuy founded in 1807 by Petronila Matos, and formerly part of Arecibo. Camuy is located in the northwestern coastal region of Puerto Rico, less than 5 minutes west of Hatillo on PR 2 and PR 119. The name Camuy is known to be derived from the Taíno language, although a number of legends give differing explanations for the origin of the name.
Stone Church
One such legend claims the name comes from the Taíno word for "sun", another claims derivation from canuy, Taíno for "beautiful scenery", and still another states that Camuy was the name of a Taíno chief. The "sun" legend is reflected in the coat of arms for the municipality.
In its beginnings Camuy was integrated into the Party of San Antonio de la Tuna. The "parties" were great extensions of land that divided Puerto Rico. This region today is known as Isabela. At the time the party covered the area between Aguadilla and Arecibo, what is known today as the municipalities of Camuy, Hatillo, Quebradillas, Isabela, Utuado, and San Sebastián.
The population of Camuy was 35,244 at the 2000 census, and it has land area of 120.24 km². The municipality is a popular suburb, although it is growing economically more slowly than neighboring Hatillo.
