Spanish rule (1493–1898) History of Puerto Rico

1 spanish rule (1493–1898)

1.1 beginning of colonization
1.2 european threats
1.3 19th century
1.4 struggle sovereignty
1.5 invasion of 1898

spanish rule (1493–1898)
beginning of colonization

christopher columbus, explorer credited discovery of puerto rico



juan ponce de león (santervás de campos, valladolid, spain), first governor of puerto rico. grandson juan ponce de leon ii first indigenous governor of puerto rico.

on september 24, 1493, christopher columbus set sail on second voyage 17 ships , 1,200 1,500 soldiers cádiz. on november 19, 1493 landed on island, naming san juan bautista in honor of saint john baptist. first european colony, caparra, founded on august 8, 1508 juan ponce de león, lieutenant under columbus, greeted taíno cacique agüeybaná , later became first governor of island. ponce de leon actively involved in higuey massacre of 1503 in puerto rico. in 1508, sir ponce de leon chosen spanish crown lead conquest , slavery of taíno indians gold mining operations. following year, colony abandoned in favor of nearby islet on coast, named puerto rico (rich port), had suitable harbor. in 1511, second settlement, san germán established in southwestern part of island. according 500th florida discovery council round table , on march 3, 1513, juan ponce de león, organized , commenced expedition (with crew of 200, including women , free blacks) departing punta aguada puerto rico. puerto rico historic first gateway discovery of florida, opened door settlement of southeastern united states. introduced christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, spanish language , more land (florida) later became united states of america. settlement occurred 107 years before pilgrims landed. during 1520s, island took name of puerto rico while port became san juan.

the spanish settlers established first repartimiento system, under natives distributed spanish officials used slave labor. on december 27, 1512, under pressure roman catholic church, ferdinand ii of aragon issued burgos laws, modified repartimiento system called encomiendas, aimed @ ending exploitation. laws prohibited use of form of punishment toward indigenous people, regulated work hours, pay, hygiene, , care, , ordered them catechized. in 1511, taínos revolted against spanish; cacique urayoán, planned agüeybaná ii, ordered warriors drown spanish soldier diego salcedo determine whether spaniards immortal. after drowning salcedo, kept watch on body 3 days confirm death. revolt crushed ponce de león , within few decades of native population had been decimated disease, violence, , high occurrence of suicide. result, taíno culture, language, , traditions destroyed, , claimed have vanished 50 years after christopher columbus arrived. since 21st century, efforts have been made revive , rebuild taíno culture.

the roman catholic church of chappel, realizing opportunity expand influence, participated in colonizing island. on august 8, 1511, pope julius ii established 3 dioceses in new world, 1 in puerto rico , 2 on island of hispaniola under archbishop of seville. canon of salamanca, alonso manso, appointed bishop of puerto rican diocese. on september 26, 1512, before arrival on island, first school of advanced studies established bishop. taking possession in 1513, became first bishop arrive in americas. puerto rico become first ecclesiastical headquarters in new world during reign of pope leo x , general headquarters of spanish inquisition in new world.

as part of colonization process, african slaves brought island in 1513. following decline of taíno population, more slaves brought puerto rico; however, number of slaves on island paled in comparison in neighboring islands. also, in colonization of puerto rico, attempts made wrest control of puerto rico spain. caribs, raiding tribe of caribbean, attacked spanish settlements along banks of daguao , macao rivers in 1514 , again in 1521 each time repelled superior spanish firepower. however, these not last attempts @ control of puerto rico. european powers realized potential of newly discovered lands , attempted gain control of them.

the first school in puerto rico , first school in united states after puerto rico became territory, escuela de gramatica (grammar school). school established bishop alonso manso in 1513, in area cathedral of san juan constructed. school free of charge , courses taught latin language, literature, history, science, art, philosophy , theology.

european threats


view across bay of san juan of fort san felipe del morro

sparked possibility of immense wealth, many european powers made attempts wrest control of americas spain in 16th, 17th , 18th centuries. success in invasion varied, , spanish opponents failed maintain permanent control of island. in 1528, french, recognizing strategic value of puerto rico, sacked , burned southwestern town of san germán. destroyed many of island s first settlements, including guánica, sotomayor, daguao , loíza before local militia forced them retreat. settlement remained capital, san juan. french corsairs again sack san germán in 1538 , 1554.

spain, determined defend possession, began fortification of inlet of san juan in 16th century. in 1532, construction of first fortifications began la fortaleza (the fortress) near entrance san juan bay. 7 years later construction of massive defenses around san juan began, including fort san felipe del morro astride entrance san juan bay. later, fort san cristóbal , fort san jerónimo—built financial subsidy mexican mines—garrisoned troops , defended against land attacks. in 1587, engineers juan de tejada , juan bautista antonelli redesigned fort san felipe del morro; these changes endure. politically, puerto rico reorganized in 1580 captaincy general provide more autonomy , quick administrative responses military threats.

on november 22, 1595, english privateer sir francis drake—with 27 vessels , 2,500 troops—sailed san juan bay intending loot city. however, unable defeat forces entrenched in forts. knowing drake had failed overcome city s defenses sea, on june 15, 1598, royal navy, led george clifford, 3rd earl of cumberland, landed troops 21 ships east in santurce. clifford , men met spanish resistance while attempting cross san antonio bridge (from area known today condado) islet of san juan. nonetheless, english conquered island , held several months. forced abandon island owing outbreak of dysentery among troops. following year spain sent soldiers, cannons, , new governor, alonso de mercado, rebuild city of san juan.

the 17th , 18th centuries saw more attacks on island. on september 25, 1625, dutch, under leadership of boudewijn hendrick (balduino enrico), attacked san juan, besieging fort san felipe del morro , la fortaleza. residents fled city spanish, led governor juan de haro, able repel dutch troops fort san felipe del morro. fortification of san juan continued; in 1634, philip iv of spain fortified fort san cristóbal, along 6 fortresses linked line of sandstone walls surrounding city. in 1702, english assaulted town of arecibo, located on north coast, west of san juan, no success. in 1797, french , spanish declared war on united kingdom. british attempted again conquer island, attacking san juan invasion force of 7,000 troops , armada consisting of 64 warships under command of general ralph abercromby. captain general don ramón de castro , army resisted attack.

amidst constant attacks, first threads of puerto rican society emerged. 1765 census conducted lt. general alejandro o reilly showed total population of 44,883, of 5,037 (11.2%) slaves, low percentage compared other spanish colonies in caribbean. in 1786 first comprehensive history of puerto rico—historia geográfica, civil y política de puerto rico fray iñigo abbad y lasierra—was published in madrid, documenting history of puerto rico time of columbus landing in 1493 until 1783. book presents first hand account of puerto rican identity, including music, clothing, personality , nationality.

in 1779, puerto ricans fought in american revolutionary war under command of bernardo de gálvez, named field marshal of spanish colonial army in north america. puerto ricans participated in capture of pensacola, capital of british colony of west florida , cities of baton rouge, st. louis , mobile. puerto rican troops, commanded brigadier general ramón de castro, helped defeat british , indian army of 2,500 soldiers , british warships in pensacola.

early 19th century


royal decree of graces, 1815, allowed foreigners enter puerto rico

the 19th century brought many changes puerto rico, both political , social. in 1809, spanish government, in opposition napoleon, convened in cádiz in southern spain. while still swearing allegiance king, supreme central junta invited voting representatives colonies. ramón power y giralt nominated local delegate cádiz cortes. ley power ( power act ) followed, designated 5 ports free commerce—fajardo, mayagüez, aguadilla, cabo rojo , ponce—and established economic reforms goal of developing more efficient economy. in 1812, cádiz constitution adopted, dividing spain , territories provinces, each local corporation or council promote prosperity , defend interests; granted puerto ricans conditional citizenship.

on august 10, 1815, royal decree of grace issued, allowing foreigners enter puerto rico (including french refugees hispaniola), , opening port trade nations other spain. beginning of agriculture-based economic growth, sugar, tobacco , coffee being main products. decree gave free land swore loyalty spanish crown , allegiance roman catholic church. thousands of families regions of spain (particularly asturias, catalonia, majorca , galicia), germany, corsica, ireland, france, portugal, canary islands , other locations, escaping harsh economic times in europe , lured offer of free land, immigrated puerto rico. however, these small gains in autonomy , rights short lived. after fall of napoleon, absolute power returned spain, revoked cádiz constitution , reinstated puerto rico former condition colony, subject unrestricted power of spanish monarch.

the integration of immigrants puerto rican culture , other events changed puerto rican society. on june 25, 1835, queen maría cristina abolished slave trade spanish colonies. in 1851, governor juan de la pezuela cevallos founded royal academy of belles letters. academy licensed primary school teachers, formulated school methods, , held literary contests promoted intellectual , literary progress of island.

in 1858, samuel morse introduced wired communication latin america when established telegraph system in puerto rico. morse s oldest daughter susan walker morse (1821–1885), visit uncle charles pickering walker owned hacienda concordia in town of guayama. morse, spent winters @ hacienda daughter , son-in-law, lived , owned hacienda henriqueta, set two-mile telegraph line connecting son-in-law s hacienda house in arroyo. line inaugurated on march 1, 1859 in ceremony flanked spanish , american flags. first lines transmitted morse day in puerto rico were:

puerto rico, beautiful jewel! when linked other jewels of antilles in necklace of world s telegraph, yours not shine less brilliantly in crown of queen!

minor slave revolts had occurred in island during period, revolt planned , organized marcos xiorro in 1821, important of them all. though conspiracy unsuccessful, achieved legendary status among slaves , part of puerto rico s folklore.

struggle sovereignty

the last half of 19th century marked puerto rican struggle sovereignty. census conducted in 1860 revealed population of 583,308. of these, 300,406 (51.5%) white , 282,775 (48.5%) persons of color, latter including people of african heritage, mulattos , mestizos. majority of population in puerto rico illiterate (83.7%) , lived in poverty, , agricultural industry—at time, main source of income—was hampered lack of road infrastructure, adequate tools , equipment, , natural disasters, including hurricanes , droughts. economy suffered increasing tariffs , taxes imposed spanish crown. furthermore, spain had begun exile or jail person called liberal reforms.

the revolutionary flag of lares

first puerto rican flag used in unsuccessful grito de lares (lares uprising)

on september 23, 1868, hundreds of men , women in town of lares—stricken poverty , politically estranged spain—revolted against spanish rule, seeking puerto rican independence. grito de lares ( lares cry or lares uprising ) planned group led dr. ramón emeterio betances, @ time exiled dominican republic, , segundo ruiz belvis. dr. betances had founded comité revolucionario de puerto rico (revolutionary committee of puerto rico) in january 1868. important figures in uprising manuel rojas, mathias brugman, mariana bracetti, francisco ramírez medina , lola rodríguez de tió. uprising, although significant, controlled spanish authorities.

following grito de lares revolt, political , social reforms occurred toward end of 19th century. on june 4, 1870, due efforts of román baldorioty de castro, luis padial , julio vizcarrondo, moret law approved, giving freedom slaves born after september 17, 1868 or on 60 years old; on march 22, 1873, spanish national assembly officially abolished, few special clauses, slavery in puerto rico. in 1870, first political organizations on island formed 2 factions emerged. traditionalists, known partido liberal conservador (liberal conservative party) led josé r. fernández, pablo ubarri , francisco paula acuña , advocated assimilation political party system of spain. autonomists, known partido liberal reformista (liberal reformist party) led román baldorioty de castro, josé julián acosta, nicolás aguayo , pedro gerónimo goico , advocated decentralization away spanish control. both parties later change names partido incondicional español (unconditional spanish party) , partido federal reformista (reformist federal party), respectively. in march 1887, partido federal reformista reformed , named partido autonomista puertorriqueño (puerto rican autonomist party); tried create political , legal identity puerto rico while emulating spain in political matters. led román baldorioty de castro, josé celso barbosa, rosendo matienzo cintrón , luis muñoz rivera.

flag flown fidel vélez , men during intentona de yauco revolt

leaders of el grito de lares , in exile in new york city, joined puerto rican revolutionary committee, founded on december 8, 1895, , continued quest puerto rican independence. in 1897, antonio mattei lluberas , local leaders of independence movement of town of yauco, organized uprising, became known intentona de yauco . first time current puerto rican flag unfurled in puerto rican soil. local conservative political factions, believed such attempt threat struggle autonomy, opposed such action. rumors of planned event spread local spanish authorities acted swiftly , put end last major uprising in island spanish colonial rule.

the struggle autonomy came close achieving goal on november 25, 1897, when carta autonómica (charter of autonomy), conceded political , administrative autonomy island, approved in spain. in past 400-plus years, after centuries of colonial rule, práxedes mateo sagasta, prime minister of spain granted island autonomous government on november 25, 1897 in empire s legislative body in cádiz, spain, , trade opened united states , european colonies. charter maintained governor appointed spain, held power veto legislative decision disagreed with, , partially elected parliamentary structure. same year, partido autonomista ortodoxo (orthodox autonomist party), led josé celso barbosa , manuel fernández juncos, founded. on february 9, 1898, new government officially began. local legislature set own budget , taxes. accepted or rejected commercial treaties concluded spain. in february 1898, governor general manuel macías inaugurated new government of puerto rico under autonomous charter gave town councils complete autonomy in local matters. subsequently, governor had no authority intervene in civil , political matters unless authorized cabinet. general elections held in march , on july 17, 1898 puerto rico s autonomous government began function, not long.

invasion of 1898

in 1890, captain alfred thayer mahan, member of navy war board , leading u.s. strategic thinker, wrote book titled influence of sea power upon history in argued creation of large , powerful navy modeled after british royal navy. part of strategy called acquisition of colonies in caribbean sea; these serve coaling , naval stations, strategic points of defense after construction of canal in isthmus. since 1894, naval war college had been formulating plans war spain , 1896, office of naval intelligence had prepared plan included military operations in puerto rican waters.

on march 10, 1898, dr. julio j. henna , robert h. todd, leaders of puerto rican section of cuban revolutionary party, began correspond united states president william mckinley , united states senate in hopes consider including puerto rico in intervention planned cuba. henna , todd provided government information spanish military presence on island. on april 24, spanish minister of defense segismundo bermejo sent instructions spanish admiral cervera proceed fleet cape verde caribbean, cuba , puerto rico. in may, lt. henry h. whitney of united states fourth artillery sent puerto rico on reconnaissance mission. provided maps , information on spanish military forces government useful invasion.

the spanish–american war broke out in late april. american strategy seize spanish colonies in atlantic—puerto rico , cuba—and possessions in pacific—the philippines , guam. on may 10, spanish forces @ fort san cristóbal under command of capt. Ángel rivero méndez in san juan exchanged fire uss yale under command of capt. william c. wise. 2 days later, on may 12, squadron of 12 ships commanded rear admiral william t. sampson bombarded installations @ san juan. on june 25, uss yosemite blocked san juan harbor. on july 18, general nelson a. miles, commander of forces, received orders sail puerto rico , land troops. on july 21, convoy 9 transports , 3,300 soldiers, escorted uss massachusetts, sailed puerto rico guantánamo. general nelson miles landed unopposed @ guánica, located in southern coast of island, on july 25, 1898, first contingent of american troops. opposition met in southern , central regions of island end of august island under united states control.

on august 12, peace protocols signed in washington , spanish commissions met in san juan on september 9 discuss details of withdrawal of spanish troops , cession of island united states. on october 1, initial meeting held in paris draft peace treaty , on december 10, 1898, treaty of paris signed (ratified senate february 6, 1899). spain renounced claim cuba, ceded guam , puerto rico , dependent islets united states, , transferred sovereignty on philippines united states , in turn paid $20,000,000 ($580 million in 2016 dollars) u.s. general john r. brooke became first united states military governor of island.