Dorado

Dorado is a town on the north coast of Puerto Rico. Founded in 1842 by Jacinto Lopez. Also known as “Paradise of Puerto Rico,” “Where Life is Beautiful,” “Exemplary City” and “The Cleaner of Puerto Rico.”

It is not in any document why this community is named Dorado. There are two theories relating to this designation.  It is believed that the sand of the place at certain times of day under sunlight gives them a gold look. Others believe that the name Dorado, is after a Spanish family that inhabited this land, but which is now only memories.

There is evidence that by 1830 several inhabitants of the town of Toa Baja, decided to move to another site and build their houses there and cultivate the land. The site was later called Dorado.

The reasons for this amongst others were for the superior condition of the soil and the other town had almost no flooding, as well as the fact it was simply more picturesque.  A landowner, Jacinto Lopez Martínez, together with other friends, started a civic movement for independence of the district town of Toa Baja.

There were several requirements for achieving this separation of the Spanish Government. They had to make a Catholic church, the Casa del Rey (mayor), a house for the priests of the church, a cemetery, a public plaza and a division of townships.

In 1842 all these projects were completed. This was organized by the people of Dorado. In 1848 first Mass was held and attending were the same high ecclesiastical hierarchy, the bishop and his priests.

This event was celebrated with a splendid patron saint festival. Cockfights and horse races were the most important games. The municipality was divided into the central town of Dorado and its neighborhoods: Espinosa; Maguayo; Higuillar; Rio Lajas; Maguayo later became Maguayo and Santa Rosa Higuillar was divided into Higuillar and Mameyal.

There followed a newspaper and a secondary school in which lessons were taught in French, English, Metric, Speech, Music, Fencing and other disciplines. On March 1^st 1902, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico approved a law for the consolidation of certain municipalities of Puerto Rico.

The first section of this law stipulated that on the first day of July 1902 the City of Gold, amongst others, would be abolished as such and his council, the mayor and the municipal territory would be annexed to the Municipality of Toa Baja. This situation lasted from 1902 to 1905.

In March this year the legislation of Puerto Rico approved a law which had been passed in March 1902 and Dorado was revamped and went back to the same municipality boundaries and territorial organization that it was before being annexed by Toa Alta.

Since the beginning of Spanish colonization, Dorado was within the party of Toa Baja. Later, at the founding of the Municipality of Toa Baja in 1745, Golden became a new town.  In 1812 most of the population lived in Toabajena, Dorado.

Since 1826 there has been an idea of founding a town in El Dorado.  Jose Canales, attorney and landowner in Toabajeno, undertook the commitment to build part of the government departments in Dorado.  But it was not until July 1841 that they started the proceedings to establish the new town.

Don Jacinto Lopez Martinez was the main offering, together with Don Jose, FOLGUERA, a resident physician.  Gov. Don Santiago Mendez Vigo signed the decree founding the new town of Dorado on November 22^nd 1842. The official name of the town is San Antonio del Dorado, but for brevity only mentions “El Dorado.”

Don Jacinto Lopez was the first mayor with the title “Captain Poblador.”  The Catholic Church was consecrated on July 1^st 1848 and on that occasion he sang a solemn Te Deum in thanksgiving.

The town was divided into the central town of Dorado and its neighborhoods: Espinosa; Higuillar; Mameyal; Rio Lajas and Maguayo. Due to a reorganization of government from 1902 to 1905, several villages were annexed to others.  El Dorado became Toa Alta.

In 1905 it once again became an independent municipality. El Dorado is located in the northern part of the island, near the capital of Puerto Rico. Its villages are adjacent to Catano, Toa Baja, Bayamon, Toa Alta, Vega Alta and Vega Baja. Gold has large valleys used in the planting of ornamental plants, fruits and young fruit trees. It also has large areas dedicated to both beef and horses to aquaculture.