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Juncos.- A monument symbolizing brotherhood, set between a pair of stairs, bears the name of El Cristo de la Fraternidad (“The Christ of Fraternity”) at one of the main tourist attractions in Juncos, a town in the central east area of the Island.

It is a sculpture that also represents the religious fervor of the people of Juncos, located on Paseo Fraternidad.

The figure of Christ with outstretched arms is located on a promontory of stairs, facing the Valenciano river. At his feet, the Virgin is washing clothes that—according to Department of Tourism director, Denisse Oyola— represents the women of Juncos who did this work on the banks of the river.

Although today it is surrounded by structures that obstruct the scenic view of the monument, when it was built in 1937, El Cristo de la Fraternidad could be seen from different areas in the town center.

A few steps from this place, right on José Julián Acosta street, is the Placita de las Banderas. The space was chosen by Villalba artist Héctor Collazo, where he painted the flag of Puerto Rico as part of the 78 pueblos, una bandera (“78 Towns, One Flag”) project.

“This was the 67th flag that Héctor painted. This used to be a terrible public nuisance and the municipality restored the place so that Héctor could paint the flag,” Oyola said.

Along with our monoestrellada flag, the Juncos flag was also painted.

Once inside the town center of this municipality, on the PR-9919 highway is the Paseo Escuté, named in honor of Francisco Escuté, who was mayor of Juncos from 1896 to 1900.

The site is home to the city hall, the municipality’s Department of Federal Affairs (former local hospital), the Centro de Envejecientes Renacer (senior center) and the José M. Gallardo Municipal Library.

The old buildings were made in a colonial style. In the case of the city hall, it was designed by architect Rafael Carmoega-Morales, who was the first to hold the position of State Architect in 1931. He was also in charge of the design of the Capitol of Puerto Rico, the Central High School, and the School of Tropical Medicine, among others.

The design of the building follows the French academic art style (or “Beaux-Arts”) and, just like many public structures from the first decades of the 20th century, it has an interior patio and arched galleries on its two floors.

In addition to its classic architecture, inside the foyer of the city hall there is an art piece by Juncos painter, Gregorio “Goyito” Sánchez. In it he captures the charms of the Valenciano River and typical elements from the countryside of Juncos.

In addition to having several kiosks and a large fountain, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Antonio R. Barceló recreational plaza in Juncos is transformed into an open-air skating rink, much like they did in the 80s and 90s.

During the Patinaje Urbano (“Urban Skating”) nights, which start at 6:00 p.m., music from these eras set the tone for the evening. Participants use four-wheeled roller-skates, just like people would back then.

Precisely in front of recreational plaza, on Almodóvar street, you can find the Parroquia Inmaculada Concepción. Its construction culminated in 1797 with the founding of the town.

According to historical documents currently in possession of the parish, the original temple consisted of a main chapel, two sacristies made of limestone and brick, and the main body of the church was made out of wood and tiles.

Kept in the temple is a bell with a manufacturing date of 1817, which is presumed to have been installed after an earthquake damaged the bell tower in 1818. However, it is certain that the structure was devastated by another earthquake in 1867.

As with other towns on the island, it is believed that under the parish there were tunnels that connected with La Casa del Rey (currently the Escuela Municipal Bellas Artes de Juncos or “Juncos Municipal School of Fine Arts”) and other buildings in the town center.