The ruins Hacienda Santa Lucia in Yabucoa

According to documentary sources and oral history, economic development of the southeast region was traditionally dominated by the production of sugar cane. Between 1853 and 1860 the Yabucoa Valley had six (6) sugar estates such as: 1. Laura, 2. Pilar, 3. Black, 4. El Nuevo Cerro, 5. The Union and 6. Lucia . These farms were the most important industries of the time. Therefore, they were linked to the social, economic, urban and cultural social growth of the municipality.