San Lorenzo (Spanish pronunciation: [san loˈɾenso], Saint Lawrence) is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas and Yabucoa; south of Gurabo; east of Caguas and Cayey; and west of Juncos and Las Piedras. San Lorenzo is spread over twelve wards and San Lorenzo Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

San Lorenzo is called El Pueblo de los Samaritanos or La Tierra de Leyendas. The patron of the municipality is Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes. The surrounding areas produce tobacco and sugar cane.

San Lorenzo was founded in 1737 and the church was erected in 1811, the original name San Miguel de Hato Grande was changed to San Lorenzo. According to tradition it was because the latter saint appeared to several neighbors in the river valley. San Lorenzo is known as "The People of the Samaritans" because of the following story; "By 1920, in the barrio Hato of San Lorenzo according to the media available at the time and verbal testimonies of people who are still alive, crowds of people climbed a mountain where a young girl of 12 years of age lived. This young girl named Julia Vazquez Torres, according to some sources, had a supernatural power that repeatedly gave healing to people in need. These undeniable achievements were not present at the time, she used home remedies applied with medicinal plants and minerals and the purity of the water from a well, near the mountain where people came to see her. As time passed, she became an adult, but her reputation for integrity and dedication to the wellbeing of the people accompanied her every day her life".

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