Located at the Lajas Valley, the town was founded in 1883 by the Xueta Teodoro Jacome Pagan. Xuetes were Majorcan Jews. Some families changed their names from Jacome to the Castilian form Santiago. Jacome is the Mallorquin form of James. Catalan Jews from Majorca were part of the early settlers in the South of . When after the Treaty of Paris, the U.S. conducted its first census of Puerto Rico, the population of Lajas was 8,789. The village of La Parguera is a popular tourist destination to see the famous Bahía Fosforescente and its keys and islet's. People from the El Combate community in barrio Boquerón are known as mata con hacha based on folklore about a fight over the salinas, where those from Cabo Rojo fought with axes against people from the adjacent town of Lajas. Because the people from Lajas apparently fought back by throwing stones they are known as tira piedras.
Like all municipalities of Puerto Rico, Lajas is subdivided into barrios. The municipal buildings, central square and large Catholic church are located in a small barrio referred to as "el pueblo".
Barrios in turn are further subdivided into smaller local populated place areas/units called sectores. The types of sectores may vary, from normally sector to urbanización to reparto to barriada to residencial, among others.
Special Communities
Of the 742 places on the list of Comunidades Especiales de Puerto Rico, the following barrios, communities, sectors, or neighborhoods were in Lajas: El Papayo, El Tendal, Sector Sabana Yeguas, La Haya, Las Cuevas, Los Jovillos, Maguayo, Piñalejos, and Tokio.
Demographics
Tourism
Lajas is famous for its main touristic attraction, Phosphorescent Bay, a place where bioluminescent dinoflagellates of different colors appear when the water moves. The origin of the colored lights is the object of many legends. Lajas is also a fishing town.
Landmarks and places of interest
There are 5 beaches in Lajas. Some of the main attractions of Lajas are:
Alien route, which is a landing strip developed by a local from Lajas to welcome extraterrestrial landings.
Culture
Festivals and events
Lajas celebrates its patron saint festival in February. The Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria is a religious and cultural celebration that generally features parades, games, artisans, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. Other festivals and events celebrated in Lajas include:
Kite Festival – February / March
Festival de Pesca de la Aguja Azul – May
Pineapple Festival - May or June, where up to 50,000 people come for arts, crafts, music and 30,000 lbs. of pineapple
The flag consists of three horizontal stripes; the superior one green, the center white and the bottom one yellow. A fourth cross. In the center of that cross we have two arms united with a ripe yellow pineapple. The cross is surrounded by eleven gold stars; five in the superior part and six in the inferior part of the cross forming a circle.
Coat of arms
It is gold with a green band crossing it diagonally right to left; gold stands for the wealth of the land and green for the beauty of the valley, which is a gift from mother nature to Lajas. The band is adorned, at each end, with a pineapple bordered in gold and black. In the center of the band, also in gold, a marine shell. In the top left there is a red cardinal's hat and in the bottom a red anchor with green; the shield has a 3 tower castle, each one with two windows and a door. On the bottom, outside the shield, a banner with the inscription "Ciudad Cardenalicia". The banner and the inscription appear in black.
