The cult of Manglaria or Our Lady of the Mangroves has been consigned to oblivion. This patron saint of crabs, of saline and aerial roots, was deconsecrated time and again by landowner speculation and the immoderate expansion of Santurce. Oh, the erosion, the dispossessed pelicans, some bemoan, while others celebrate the sea view. But she doesn’t turn a hair; she knows that sooner or later she’ll reclaim her kingdom. Since she is also the patroness of mosquitoes, she occasionally gifts us with an outbreak of dengue or chikungunya.

One—they say— of her many marvels.