Pueblo is a term primarily used in Puerto Rico to refer to the municipal district (barrio) that serves as the administrative, historic and cultural center of a municipality. The concept of pueblo is often used locally as analogous to the concept of downtown in U.S. cities.^[1] Pueblos are officially called barrio-pueblo by the United States Census since 1990.^[2]

The Spanish word pueblo^[3] translates to town in English, since many of these correspond to the original European-founded settlements in their respective contemporary municipalities; however, its usage in Puerto Rican Spanish today corresponds more closely to the concept of downtown in English.^[4][5] In some cases, the concept of pueblo might also refer to municipality, but the term municipality never applies to pueblos.^[1] With a few exceptions, the barrio-pueblo is also the historic district of the municipality and usually contains the main town square (plaza, and in some cases, plaza de armas) surrounded by the municipal administrative buildings (alcaldía) and the main Catholic church in town (either a cathedral or parish church).^[2]

The central plaza or square, is a place for official and unofficial recreational events and a place where people can gather and socialize. The Laws of the Indies, the Spanish law which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for celebrations and festivities (Spanish: a propósito para las fiestas), most notably the town patron saint festivals (fiestas patronales), and that the square should be proportionally large enough for the number of neighbors (Spanish: 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.^[6]

As of the 2010 census, Mayagüez is the most populated pueblo in Puerto Rico with a population of 26,903, while Las Marías has the lowest population with 262 inhabitants. The largest barrio-pueblo in Puerto Rico is Fajardo with a total area of 3.23 square miles, while Toa Alta is the smallest with an area of 0.03 square miles.^[7]

Although the urban zones that today are designated as barrio-pueblo have existed since the Spanish colonization of Puerto Rico, the concept of barrio was first used in the island during the 19th century. Historians have speculated the creation of barrios as administrative units may have been related to the Puerto Rican representation at the Cortes of Cádiz.^[14] All municipalities in the island had a distinct barrio officially called pueblo (this is where the contemporary usage of pueblo in Puerto Rico comes from). Many of these pueblos used to have a certain degree of autonomy and local governance in the form of councils. Today barrios and barrio-pueblos have no political autonomy, and their designation is now for statistical and municipal management purposes. In 1980, they were still referred to as pueblos on the US Census.^[15] Beginning with the 1990 census, these pueblos have been officially referred to as barrio-pueblos by the United States Census Bureau.^[2]

The following list includes all barrio-pueblos and equivalent barrios in Puerto Rico.^[16][17][18] The municipality of Florida is not included in the list as it has no barrios nor barrio-pueblos.^[9] Ponce today has no official barrio-pueblo designations, however six of its barrios (all given cardinal names, i.e., 'first', 'second', 'sixth') correspond to the original core equivalent to the concept of barrio-pueblo today.^[10][11] The municipality of San Juan today, originally consisted of two separate municipalities with a barrio-pueblo each: San Juan Antiguo for the municipality of San Juan, and Pueblo for the former municipality of Río Piedras.^[8]

The song "Me voy pa'l pueblo" by El Trío Los Panchos sings of going to the pueblo.^[19]

• Aguadilla Pueblo and its harbor.
• Plaza or main town square of the Arecibo Pueblo.
• View of Barranquitas Pueblo from PR-152 (2013).
• Historic architecture in Caguas Pueblo.
• Cayey Pueblo from PR-52.
• Coamo Pueblo, the third oldest settlement in Puerto Rico.
• Typical street scene in Culebra Pueblo (Dewey).
• Casa Cautiño in Guayama Pueblo. Pueblos often contain rich architectural, cultural and historic heritage.
• El Cerro step streets in Gurabo Pueblo.
• Humacao Pueblo skyline from the new city hall.
• Mayagüez Pueblo is the most populated barrio-pueblo of Puerto Rico.
• Ponce Pueblo from Cerro El Vigía.
• Historic house in Sabana Grande Pueblo.
• San Germán Pueblo is the second oldest settlement in Puerto Rico, and a designated National Historic District.
• Although no longer a municipality, Río Piedras Pueblo still stands in the modern-day municipality of San Juan.
• Eclectic architecture in Santa Isabel Pueblo.
• View of Utuado Pueblo.
• City hall of the island-municipality of Vieques at the Isabel II Pueblo.
• Public art at Yauco Pueblo.

• Barrios of Puerto Rico
• Municipalities of Puerto Rico