Hatillo

Hatillo is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located on the island's Atlantic coast, famous for its carnival, vejigantes and its dairy industry.

Understand

Hatillo is a seaside town located along the Atlantic Coast between Arecibo and Camuy with a population of about 38,000. The town was founded by an immigrant from the Canary Islands and it retains much of its Canarian heritage as seen on the town festivals and vejigante costumes, a popular mask motif and folk character in many Puerto Rican carnivals that is the product of the mixture between the Canarian and Afro-Puerto Rican cultures. Other towns that also make use of this motif are Ponce and Loíza.

Get in

• San Juan: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
• Aguadilla: Rafael Hernández Airport
• Ponce: Mercedita Airport

By car

Hatillo is easily reached by car from Arecibo through PR-2 route. Camuy connects to Hatillo through PR-119.

See

• 1 Hatillo Pueblo (downtown Hatillo). See the historic Roman Catholic church, Spanish-style recreational plaza, and the municipal buildings surrounded by streets and shops.
  You can drive around the pueblo or park your car and walk around the square and into the plaza. The Spanish law, which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for celebrations and festivities. (updated Apr 2022)
  • Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish), 61 José Polonio Hernández Street (By the main town square and the city hall), ☏ +1 787-898-5300. Historic colonial-style Catholic parish listed on the National Register of Historical Places. (updated Oct 2021)
  • José A. Monrouzeau Cultural Center (Teatro José A. Monrouzeau) (Located by the main town square opposite to the parish church). (updated Oct 2021)
  • Paseo del Carmen, 110 C. Cosme Arana #116. Seafront esplanade located next to the beach. (updated Oct 2021)

Do

Sardinera Beach

Go to the beach:

• Mar Azul Beach. 24 hours. Sandy beach with rough waves ideal for surfing. (updated Oct 2021)
• Rio Grande Beach and Gran Parque del Norte, PR-119, ☏ +1 787-898-3840. Daily 6AM-6PM. Seafront park located by the Camuy River mouth with a beach, bathrooms, a playground and gazebos. (updated Oct 2021)
• Sardinera Beach. 24 hours. Small beach protected by a natural wavebreak protecting it from the rough Atlantic waves. (updated Oct 2021)

Buy

• 1 Walmart Supercenter, Calle Comercio Plaza Del Mar Shopping Center, ☏ +1 787-544-4851. 6AM-11PM. Department store and grocery store. (updated Apr 2022)
• Plaza del Norte, 506 Truncado Street, ☏ +1 787-878-0700. Daily 10AM-9PM. The largest shopping center in northwestern Puerto Rico, with over 130 stores and fast food restaurants. (updated Oct 2021)