Fundación de la Ciudad

Cayey’s history reaches back through earlier forms of its name, including Cayer, Cahey, Caihey, Caihei, Calley, and Cayei. The land was inhabited by Cacique Cayeco, one of the leaders of the Taíno insurrection of 1511, by Yucayeque Toíta, and by immigrants in 1543 who were evading raids by pirates and corsairs. The city’s foundation is credited to Juan de Mata Vázquez, a military officer who arrived by order of King Carlos III of Spain, submitted a petition for the founding of Cayhei de Museas to Governor Miguel de Muesas, and received the license on August 17, 1773. He then set boundaries, distributed land to the first families, and served as the first mayor of the territory for 10 years. Between August 1773 and May 1774, the settlement became independent from the territory of Coama, was placed under the invocation of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, and took Saint Isidro Labrador as its patron saint. Cayey is ranked as the 27th of the ancient established towns, and the history of the city is closely associated with the work of Professor Pio López Martinez, whose Historia de Cayey is cited as a source on its origins and identity.

Cayey, Puerto Rico · United States