Gurabo coat of arms, Puerto Rico Coffee Mug

Gurabo's history dates as far back as the 17th century, when it was actually part of Caguas. Then, the area was known as Burabo. By 1700, transportation, medical and economic troubles were crippling the population of the Burabo area; traveling to Caguas' center for business and medical help was not easy and took hours. This led many of Burabo's citizens to seek autonomy for the area. It would be long, however, before Gurabo was separated from Caguas. The separation movement was brought forward by an 1812 meeting of all 168 family leaders in Gurabo, who decided to have Luis del Carmen Echevarría lead them in their quest for independence, based on the large number of residents in Burabo. In 1815, Gurabo became a municipality. In 1822, the first Catholic church in town was erected. In 1903, the first Baptist church opened its doors in Gurabo town. Gurabo is also known as "La Ciudad de las Escaleras", or the "City of Stairs". Located in the town center district of El Cerro, the stairs (step streets) are about twenty-two floors high, and they are painted in bright colors. Image attribution: By The Eloquent Peasant, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100496674.