Our Local Area
Cabrera and Rio San Juan are the two towns closest to Playa Grande. Both are located in the province of Maria Trinidad Sanchez.
Cabrera
Cabrera, fifteen kilometers east of Playa Grande, was originally named Tres Amarras, the name it used to be called since its foundation day on July 1, 1891. The city was renamed Cabrera in honor of the hero of the Capotillo Battle, General José Cabrera. Today Cabrera has a territorial area of 276 km². With a population of over 39,000, Cabrera unlike most towns located on the coasts does not depend so much on tourism though there is a small enclave of villas that provide employment. Cabrera’s main source of income is cattle, meat, and milk. In the agricultural aspect, production of coconuts and rice are noticeable sources as well.
Cabrera's prevalent religion is Christian Evangelic; this is not true for most towns in the island since Catholicism (95% of the population) is the official religion in the Dominican Republic. However, Cabrera does have a prominent Catholic church located in the town square. Every year, the Playa Grande Foundation, our philanthropic entity, sponsors fireworks in the town square on New Year’s Eve.
Rio San Juan
Rio San Juan is nine kilometers west of Playa Grande and made up of many of the same families from Cabrera. This town's fishermen provide the majority of this region's fish supply. You can see the boats leaving from the end of Calle Sanchez and purchase some of their daily catch from the pescaderos (fishermen) along this same street. The town has three charming beaches, one of them home to a turn-of-the-century cemetery, giving it its name, Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead). The most remarkable scenery in town is the Gri Gri Lagoon. You can take boat tours through this lagoon's clear waters and see unusual rock formations entirely surrounded by magnificent mangrove trees to hidden caves and beaches. The town is currently undergoing a beautification project with ceramic murals adorning municipal buildings and other important town areas.
