Manatí barrio-pueblo

Manatí barrio-pueblo  is a barrio and the administrative center (seat) of Manatí, a municipality of Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 5,746. Manatí barrio-pueblo is where the central plaza, the municipal buildings (city hall), and a Catholic church are located.

The central plaza and its church
As was customary in Spain, in Puerto Rico, the municipality has a barrio called pueblo which contains a central plaza, the municipal buildings (city hall), and a Catholic church. Fiestas patronales (patron saint festivals) are held in the central plaza every year.

The central plaza, or square, is a place for official and unofficial recreational events and a place where people can gather and socialize from dusk to dawn. The Laws of the Indies, Spanish law, which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for "the parties" (celebrations, festivities) (a propósito para las fiestas), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors (grandeza proporcionada al número de vecinos). These Spanish regulations also stated that the streets nearby should be comfortable portals for passersby, protecting them from the elements: sun and rain.

Located across the central plaza in Manatí barrio-pueblo is the Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y San Matías Apostol which was built in 1729 and renovated many times since. There was a humble church there by 1645.

History
Manatí barrio-pueblo was in Spain's gazetteers until 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 an unincorporated territory of the United States. In 1899, the United States Department of War conducted a census of Puerto Rico in 1899 finding that the population of Manatí Pueblo was 4,494.

Gallery
Scenes in Manatí Pueblo: