Saint John The Baptist Parish

[photo of the second church, 1884]

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The town of Barros did not have a church/parish during the first 13 years. The services were held in a barn on the property of the Captain Settler Don Juan Rivera de Santiago and these were carried out by a parish priest from Barranquitas who was paid a salary.

By 1833 the construction of the first church had already begun (in the same place where the current one is located) and it was not until 1838 that the Saint John The Baptist Parish was finally founded, with the first parish priest being Don José Rafael Rodríguez y Suárez.

​The first church deteriorated quite quickly and by the late 1860s it was no longer usable. They had to build a barn in the square that served as a temporary church. This was used for many years due to the obstacles they had in building the new church. Then came the fire of 1875 and the barn in the square disappeared. After the fire, a warehouse owned by Doña Dolores Arroyo was used and then a warehouse owned by her brother, and mayor, José Sabino Arroyo.

The town's second church was finally built in 1884 (photo above) and lasted just over half a century. It was replaced in 1937 by the current one.