San Germán (sän hārmänˈ) [key], town (1990 pop. 34,962), SW Puerto Rico, in an agricultural area producing coffee, sugar, tobacco, and fruit. The original village was founded in 1511, but it was early raided by the French; the fleeing residents established a new settlement in the nearby hills. The town is a center for art and needlework and retains a colonial atmosphere. It is the site of the 17th-century Porta Coeli Convent, one of the oldest churches in the Americas (now a museum). San Germán is the seat of the Inter-American Univ. of Puerto Rico, with its International Institute of Music.
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