51�Թ�

It's commendable work, says Reniel Rodríguez Ramos, an archaeologist at the University of Puerto Rico at Utuado who was not involved with the study.

Ms. Collazo Torres, who grew up in Utuado, said that Road 605, which leads to town, has had little maintenance for at least two decades.

Still, since returning to Utuado, Ms. Collazo Torres has been able to help her family.

Mr. Montalvo Colón said he stopped expecting politicians to deliver on their promises a long time ago: Utuado — and the road to his house — began backsliding after Hurricane Georges in 1998, he said.

In Utuado’s Parcelas Riera community, where Ms. Collazo Torres lives, single-family homes are scattered along Road 605, a winding road that is not fully accessible by car.