Timeline of San Juan, Puerto Rico

The following is a timeline of the history of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

16th–18th centuries

Porto Rico, 17th century[1]

• 1511 – First Catholic Diocese established in San Juan[2]
• 1521 – "Ciudad de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico" founded by Spanish colonists from nearby Caparra.[3]
• 1523 – Convento de Santo Tomas de Aquino founded.[4]
• 1524 – Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion hospital built.[4]
• 1526 – October 4: St. Francis Hurricane occurs.[3]
• 1529 – October 18: Harbor attack by Caribs.[4]
• 1530
  • August 5: Hurricane occurs.[3]
  • Casa Blanca built.[4]
• 1532 – San José Church construction begins.[5]
• 1540 – La Fortaleza built.[4]
• 1542 – Cathedral of San Juan Bautista construction begins.[6]
• 1560 – City wall construction begins.[3]
• 1560s – San Antonio Bridge built across Condado Lagoon.[4]
• 1568 – September 7: Hurricane occurs.[3]
• 1582 – Population: 850 (approximate estimate).[4]
• 1591 – Castillo San Felipe del Morro construction begins.[5]
• 1595 – November 22: Battle of San Juan begins.[4]
• 1598 – June: San Juan taken by British forces; Boquerón battery sacked.[3]
• 1605 – Cabildo constructed in Plaza de San Juan.[5]
• 1615 – September 12: Hurricane occurs.[3]
• 1625 – September 24: Town besieged by Dutch forces.[4]
• 1733 – Palacio Episcopal construction begins (approximate date).[6]
• 1769 – Powder house built.
• 1780 – Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud (chapel) built.[6]
• 1783 – Castillo de San Cristóbal built.
• 1787
  • May 2: 1787 Boricua earthquake.
  • May 3: Fiesta de Cruz begins.[7]
• 1797 – April: San Juan besieged by British forces.[8]

19th century

• 1806 – Gaceta de Puerto Rico newspaper begins publication.[9]
• 1813 – Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País en Puerto Rico founded.
• 1820 – Population: 7,658.[10]
• 1822 – Board of charity established.[11]
• 1823 – Sociedad Filarmónica (philharmonic society) formed.[12]
• 1832
  • Real Audiencia de Puerto Rico established.[6]
  • Teatro Municipal (theatre) opens.
• 1840 – Colegio de Abogados founded.[6]
• 1845 – Town divided into barrios San Francisco, San Juan, Santa Barbara, Santo Domingo, and Ballaja.[13]
• 1848 – Cafe de La Mallorquina in business.[14]
• 1850 – Real Intendencia building constructed.[5]
• 1853
  • Cataño-San Juan steamship begins operating.[15]
  • Marketplace built in Santa Barbara barrio.[15]
• 1859 – Barrios De la Marina and Puerta de Tierra become part of San Juan.[16]
• 1863
  • Santurce becomes part of San Juan.[17]
  • Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery established.
• 1864 – Ballajá Barracks built.
• 1865 – Colegio de Párvulos built.
• 1873 – Slavery officially abolished in Puerto Rico.
• 1876 – Ateneo Puertorriqueño (cultural entity) founded.
• 1877 – Cárcel de la Princesa (prison) built.[18]
• 1879 – José Ramón Becerra y de Gárate becomes mayor.[19]
• 1882 – Ponce de León statue erected in the Plaza de San José.[20]
• 1885 – Civil Hospital built.
• 1888 – La Carbonera barrio becomes part of San Juan.[14]
• 1893
  • Sociedad Anónima de Economías y Préstamos (later Banco Popular de Puerto Rico) founded.
  • Christopher Columbus statue erected in the Plaza Colón.
• 1894 – Population: 23,414.[21]
• 1898
  • May 12: Bombardment of San Juan by United States forces.
  • June 22: Second Battle of San Juan.
  • June 28: Third Battle of San Juan.
  • August 12: End of hostilities between US and Spanish military forces. United States Military Government begins.
  • October: Francisco del Valle becomes mayor.[19]
  • Carretera Central (Ponce-San Juan road) built.
  • San Juan News begins publication.[22]
  • Railway built (approximate date).[23]
• 1899
  • April 11: Town becomes part of United States-annexed Puerto Rico per Treaty of Paris.
  • Chamber of commerce founded.[18]
  • Population: 32,048.[24]
• 1900
  • May 1: Foraker Act comes into force, civil government for Puerto Rico begins. United States Military Government ends.
  • Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico Department of Education headquartered in San Juan.
  • Insane asylum established.[11]
  • La Perla settlement begins (approximate date).

20th century

1900s–1950s

• 1901
  • Trolley de San Juan begins operating.
  • San Juan high school opens.[25]
• 1902 – City government formed into legislative and executive branches.[26]
• 1903
  • University of Puerto Rico established.
  • Roberto H. Todd Weels becomes mayor.[19]
• 1909 – Harbor enlarged.[27]
• 1910
  • Dos Hermanos Bridge opens.
  • Puerto Rico Ilustrado begins publication.[22][28]
  • Population: 48,716.[27]
• 1913 – Cine Luna opens.[29]
• 1918 – October 11: 1918 San Fermín earthquake.
• 1919
  • San Juan Asamblea Municipal (municipal assembly) and Concejo de Administración (administrative council) created.[26]
  • Condado Vanderbilt Hotel in business.
• 1920 – Population: 70,707.[30]
• 1921 – Academia del Perpetuo Socorro founded.
• 1922 – WKAQ radio begins broadcasting.[31]
• 1923
  • U.S. military Fort Buchanan established.
  • Mansion Georgetti (residence) built.[5]
• 1925 – Academia San Jorge founded.
• 1928
  • Luis Muñoz Rivera Park laid out.
  • September: San Felipe Segundo Hurricane occurs.
• 1929
  • Women's suffrage begins in Puerto Rico.[26]
  • Capitol of Puerto Rico building constructed.
• 1930 – Population: 114,715.[32]
• 1932 – September–October: San Ciprian hurricane.
• 1935 – Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration headquartered in San Juan.
• 1939 – Martín Peña Bridge built.
• 1940
  • United States Naval Air Station Isla Grande established.[33]
  • Population: 169,247.[32]
• 1946 – Felisa Rincón de Gautier becomes mayor.
• 1947 – WAPA, WIAC, WITA, and WRSJ radio begin broadcasting.[31]
• 1948 – City flag design adopted.
• 1949
  • Caribe Hilton Hotel built.[5]
  • San Juan National Historic Site United States National Park Service established.
• 1950
  • October 30: San Juan Nationalist revolt.
  • Residencial Las Casas housing complex built.
  • Population: 224,767.
• 1951 – Río Piedras becomes part of San Juan municipality.[17]
• 1952 – City becomes part of newly created Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• 1954
  • WAPA-TV and WKAQ-TV (television) begin broadcasting.[34]
  • Ballets de San Juan founded.[35]
• 1955
  • Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport opens.
  • Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and Archivo General de Puerto Rico headquartered in city.
• 1956 – Casals Festival of music begins.
• 1958
  • Supreme Court Building constructed.[5]
  • Casa del Libro established.[36][37]
• 1959
  • June: U.S. National Governors Association meets in San Juan.[38]
  • Regional Puerto Rico Metropolitan Bus Authority established.
  • The San Juan Star English-language newspaper begins publication.[22]

1960s–1990s

• 1960
  • Office of Secretario de la Asamblea Municipal (secretary of the municipal assembly) created.[26]
  • Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico opens.[12]
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico formed.[39]
  • Population: 451,658.
• 1962 – Hotel El Convento in business.
• 1966
  • Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and San Juan Children's Choir established.
  • July: 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games held.
• 1968 – Plaza Las Américas shopping mall in business.
• 1970
  • San Sebastián Street Festival active.
  • Population: 452,749.[40]
• 1971 – San Juan Botanical Garden inaugurated.[41]
• 1973 – Puerto Rico National Library headquartered in city.
• 1974 – April: Association of Caribbean Historians organized during meeting in San Juan.[42]
• 1976 – June: 2nd G7 summit held near city.
• 1979 – July: 1979 Pan American Games held.
• 1981 – Centro de Bellas Artes (opera house) opens.[12]
• 1983 – Old San Juan designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 1984 – Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art established.
• 1986
  • June: U.S. Conference of Mayors held in San Juan.
  • San Juan Philharmonic Chorale formed.
• 1988 – Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano de San Juan (archives) established.[17]
• 1989
  • September: Hurricane Hugo.
  • Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía headquartered in San Juan.[43]
• 1991 – Autonomous Municipalities Act of 1991 created.[26]
• 1992
  • Plaza del Quinto Centenario built.
  • Museo de Las Américas established in the former Ballajá Barracks.[44]
• 1994 – Teodoro Moscoso Bridge opens.
• 2000 – Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico established.

21st century

• 2004
  • September: Hurricane Jeanne occurs.
  • Tren Urbano (regional transit) begins operating.
  • Martín Peña Channel "G-8" group formed.
• 2008 – September: Hurricane Kyle occurs.
• 2009 – May: Economic protest.[45]
• 2010 – Population: 395,326.[46]
• 2012 – November 6: Territorial Puerto Rican status referendum, 2012 held.
• 2013 – Carmen Yulín Cruz becomes mayor.
• 2017 - September 20: Hurricane Maria occurs and is covered extensively by CBS journalist David Begnaud[47]
• 2019 - July 8 - August 12: Protests throughout San Juan in response to Telegramgate [48]

See also

• San Juan history
• List of mayors of San Juan, Puerto Rico
• List of bishops of San Juan, since 1511
• Subdivisions of San Juan, Puerto Rico
• National Register of Historic Places listings in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Timelines of other municipalities in Puerto Rico: municipalities in Puerto Rico: Bayamón, Hormigueros (in Spanish), Mayagüez, Ponce

References

1. Montanus 1671.
2. Matovina, Timothy (March 4, 2016). "American Latino Theme Study: Religion (U.S. National Park Service)". NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved July 30, 2019.
3. Federal Writers' Project 1940, p. 387-391: "Chronology"
4. Marley 2005.
5. "Puerto Rico", Oxford Art Online. Retrieved May 24, 2017
6. Pabón-Charneco 2012.
7. Davis 1972.
8. Forts 1998.
9. "US Newspaper Directory: Puerto Rico: San Juan". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
10. Kinsbruner 1978.
11. Annual Report of the Insane Asylum of San Juan Porto Rico 1906. NY. hdl:2027/mdp.39015068580359.
12. Malena Kuss, ed. (2007). "Puerto Rico". Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: an Encyclopedic History. University of Texas Press. pp. 151–188. ISBN 978-0-292-78498-7.
13. Joseph 1992.
14. Pabón-Charneco 2017.
15. Matos Rodríguez 1999.
16. Kinsbruner 1990.
17. "Encyclopedia of Puerto Rico" (in English and Spanish). San Juan: Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades. OCLC 234072526. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
18. Adolfo de Hostos; Oficina del Historiador Oficial, eds. (1949). Tesauro de datos historicos (in Spanish). San Juan: Imprenta del Gobierno de Puerto Rico.
19. "Municipalities: San Juan: Mayors". Encyclopedia of Puerto Rico (in English and Spanish). San Juan: Fundación Puertorriqueña de las Humanidades. OCLC 234072526. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
20. Paul G. Miller (1922). Historia de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Rand, McNally.
21. "Spain: Colonies: Cuba and Porto Rico". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1895. hdl:2027/njp.32101072368325.
22. "San Juan (P.R.) Newspapers". WorldCat. USA: Online Computer Library Center. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
23. Sanchez 1991.
24. Baedeker 1909.
25. Governor, Puerto Rico (1902). Annual Report of the Governor of Porto Rico. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
26. "Breve historia de la Asamblea Municipal" [Brief history of the Municipal Assembly] (in Spanish). Legislatura Municipal de San Juan. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
27. Britannica 1910.
28. "Porto Rico". Nelson Chesman & Co.'s Newspaper Rate Book. USA. 1922.
29. "Movie Theaters in San Juan, Puerto Rico". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
30. "United States of America: Outlying Territories: Porto Rico". Statesman's Year-Book. London: Macmillan and Co. 1921. hdl:2027/njp.32101072368440.
31. "United States AM Stations: Puerto Rico", Yearbook of Radio and Television, New York: Radio Television Daily, 1964, OCLC 7469377 – via Internet Archive
32. U.S. Bureau of the Census (1943), Leon E. Truesdell (ed.), "Puerto Rico: Housing, General Characteristics", Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940 (in English and Spanish), Washington DC: Government Printing Office, hdl:2027/umn.31951p00820205t
33. "Bases in South America and the Caribbean Area, Including Bermuda". Building the Navy's Bases in World War II. Washington DC: U.S. Govt. Printing Office. 1947. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
34. "United States TV Stations: Puerto Rico", Yearbook of Radio and Television, New York: Radio Television Daily, 1964, OCLC 7469377
35. Don Rubin; Carlos Solórzano, eds. (1996). "Puerto Rico". World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre. 2: The Americas. Routledge. pp. 377+. ISBN 978-1-136-35928-6.
36. "Pynson Printers records, 1927–1933". Research Collections. New York Public Library. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
37. "Casa del Libro". San Juan. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
38. "About: Meetings". Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
39. "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: Puerto Rico". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
40. "General Population Characteristics: Puerto Rico", 1970 Census of Population (in English and Spanish), Washington DC: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1971, hdl:2027/txu.059173012521967
41. "Garden Search: Puerto Rico". London: Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
42. "History" (in English, Spanish, and French). Association of Caribbean Historians. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
43. "Historia de la SPG". Genealogiapr.com (in Spanish). Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
44. "Orígenes, Historia y Misión" (in Spanish). Museo de Las Américas. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
45. "Timeline: Puerto Rico". BBC News. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
46. "San Juan Municipio, Puerto Rico". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
47. https://prpop.org/2019/07/david-begnaud-aliado-boricua/
48. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/puerto-rico-protests-timeline.html

Bibliography

Published in 17th–19th centuries

in English

• Antonio de Alcedo; G.A. Thompson (1812), "Puerto Rico", Geographical and Historical Dictionary of America and the West Indies [Diccionario geográfico-historico de las Indias Occidentales o América], London: Printed for James Carpenter, Puerto Rico, the capital
• Jedidiah Morse; Richard C. Morse (1823), "Porto Rico", A New Universal Gazetteer (4th ed.), New Haven: S. Converse
• William Drysdale (January 18, 1891). "In Porto Rico's Capital". New York Times.
• M. de Magalhães (1898). "San Juan". Colonial Business Directory of the Island of Puerto Rico. New York. OCLC 39940968.
• Frederick A. Ober (1899), "San Juan, the Capital", Puerto Rico and its Resources, New York: D. Appleton and Co.
• Robert Thomas Hill (1899), "Cities of Porto Rico: (San Juan)", Cuba and Porto Rico (2nd ed.), New York: Century Company

in Spanish

• Antonio de Alcedo (1788), "Puertorico", Diccionario geográfico-historico de las Indias Occidentales o América (in Spanish), Madrid: Manuel Gonzalez
• Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra (1866), Historia geográfica, civil y natural de la Isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico [Geographic, civil and natural history of the island of Saint John the Baptist of Puerto Rico] (in Spanish), Puerto-Rico: Imp. y Librería de Acosta, OCLC 82511773, OL 20590535M
• Waldo Jiménez de la Romera (1887), "La capital", Cuba, Puerto-Rico y Filipinas (in Spanish), Barcelona: Daniel Cortezo y C.ª, OCLC 3153821
• Rafael del Castillo, ed. (1891), "San Juan de Puerto Rico", Gran Diccionario geográfico, estadístico e histórico de España y sus provincias (in Spanish), 3, Barcelona: Henrich y Compañía en Comandita
• "San Juan de Puerto Rico". Diccionario enciclopédico hispano-americano de literatura, ciencias y artes (in Spanish). 18. Barcelona: Montaner y Simon. 1896. hdl:2027/mdp.35112203983350.

in other languages

• Joannes de Laet (1625), "St. Juan de Porto Rico", Nieuwe wereldt, ofte, Beschrijvinghe van West-Indien [New World, Description of the West Indies] (in Dutch), Tot Leyden: Isaack Elzevier
• Arnoldus Montanus (1671). "Porto Rico". De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld [The New and Unknown World: or Description of America and the Southland]. Antwerp: J. Meurs.

Published in 20th century

in English

• A.P.C. Griffin; Library of Congress (1901). List of Books (with References to Periodicals) on Porto Rico. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. (Includes bibliographic information relevant to San Juan, p. 53+ etc.)
• "Porto Rico: San Juan". Official Commercial Directory of Cuba, Porto Rico and the Entire West Indies, with Bermuda. New York: Spanish-American Directories Company. 1901. pp. 340+.
• Charles Hartzell, ed. (1903), "Sketches of Cities, Towns, and Villages: San Juan", Register of Porto Rico for 1903, San Juan: Louis E. Tuzo and Co., pp. 200+
• "Porto Rico: San Juan Bautista", United States, with Excursions to Mexico, Cuba, Porto Rico, and Alaska (4th ed.), Leipzig: K. Baedeker, 1909, pp. 669+, OCLC 02338437
• "San Juan". Commercial Guide and Business Directory of Porto Rico. New York: F.E. Platt. 1910. pp. 17–66.
• "San Juan", Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.), New York, 1910, OCLC 14782424 – via Internet Archive
• A. Hyatt Verrill (1914), "San Juan", Porto Rico past and present and San Domingo of today, New York: Dodd, Mead
• Ernst B. Filsinger (1922), "San Juan", Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America, Washington, DC: Govt. Print. Office
• Federal Writers' Project (1940), "San Juan", Puerto Rico: a Guide to the Island of Boriquén, American Guide Series, New York: University Society, pp. 171–232, hdl:2027/mdp.39015030579083, OCLC 245805 – via HathiTrust
• Frank Otto Gatell (1959). "Puerto Rico in the 1830s; The Journal of Edward Bliss Emerson". The Americas. 16.
• Martha Ellen Davis (1972). "Social Organization of a Musical Event: The Fiesta de Cruz in San Juan, Puerto Rico". Ethnomusicology. 16.
• Jay Kinsbruner (1978). "The Pulperos of Caracas and San Juan during the First Half of the Nineteenth Century". Latin American Research Review. 13.
• Jay Kinsbruner (1990). "Caste and Capitalism in the Caribbean: Residential Patterns and House Ownership among the Free People of Color of San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1823–46". Hispanic American Historical Review. 70.
• Joseph P. Sanchez (1991). "Infrastructure of Puerto Rico in the 19th Century". Second International Symposium on Historic Preservation in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. San Juan, Puerto Rico: U.S. National Park Service, San Juan National Historic Site. hdl:2027/wu.89074121823.
• J. W. Joseph; Stephen C. Bryne (1992). "Socio-Economics and Trade in Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico: Observations from the Ballaja Archaeological Project". Historical Archaeology. 26: 45–58. doi:10.1007/BF03374159.
• Ramón Grosfoguel (1994). "World Cities in the Caribbean: The Rise of Miami and San Juan". Review. Fernand Braudel Center, State University of New York. 17 (3): 351–381. JSTOR 40241296. (Abstract)
• Forts of Old San Juan: San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico. Washington, D.C.: United States National Park Service. c. 1998. hdl:2027/pur1.32754067979769.
• Félix V. Matos Rodríguez (1999), Women and urban change in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1820–1868, Gainesville: University Press of Florida, ISBN 0813016762

in Spanish

• "Puerto Rico: San Juan". Anuario del comercio, de la industria, de la magistratura y de la administracion de España, sus colonias, Cuba, Puerto-Rico y Filipinas, estados hispano-americanos y Portugal (in Spanish). 4. Madrid: Bailly-Bailliere e Hijos. 1908. (Directory)
• Adolfo de Hostos (1966) [1948]. Historia de San Juan, ciudad murada [History of San Juan: Walled City, 1521–1898] (in Spanish). San Juan. OCLC 243313.
• José Seguinot Barbosa (1992). "Geografía histórica de la Ciudad de San Juan, Puerto Rico". Boletín de la Real Sociedad Geográfica (in Spanish). Madrid (128). ISSN 0210-8577.

Published in 21st century

in English

• David Marley (2005), "San Juan", Historic Cities of the Americas, Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, pp. 185+, ISBN 1576070271
• Arleen Pabón-Charneco (2012), "Old San Juan Historic District/ Distrito Histórico del Viejo San Juan" (PDF), National Historic Landmark Nomination, NPS Form 10-900
• Arleen Pabón-Charneco (2017). Architecture of San Juan de Puerto Rico: Five centuries of urban and architectural experimentation. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-42358-4.

in Spanish

• Silvia Álvarez Curbelo; Aníbal Sepúlveda-Rivera (2011). De vuelta a la ciudad: San Juan de Puerto Rico 1997–2001 [Back to the city: San Juan de Puerto Rico 1997–2001] (in Spanish). San Juan, P.R.: Fundación Sila M. Calderón. ISBN 9780982080603.

External links

• Items related to San Juan, various dates (via University of Puerto Rico's Biblioteca Digital Puertorriqueña)
• "(San Juan)" – via Digital Library of the Caribbean.
• Nancy Abreu Báez; et al. (eds.). "Indice de Temas: (San Juan (P.R.))" [Topic Index]. Conuco: Indice de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). OCLC 772645549. (Includes bibliographic information on San Juan history)
• "San Juan", American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection, USA – via University of Wisconsin, ca.1766–2003
• Materials related to San Juan, Puerto Rico, various dates (via U.S. Library of Congress, Prints & Photos Division)
• Works related to San Juan, PR, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).
• Map of San Juan, 1982
• Map of San Juan, 1940
• "Breve Historia del Desarrollo Urbano de la Ciudad de San Juan Bautista, Ciudad Capital de Puerto Rico" [Brief History of Urban Development of the City of San Juan Bautista, City Capital of Puerto Rico] (in Spanish). Legislatura Municipal de San Juan. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012.
• "Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano" [Historical Archive of the Archdiocese of San Juan] (in Spanish). Arquidiocesano de San Juan. Located in the Palacio Arzobispal on Calle San Sebastián
• Digitized materials related to San Juan in the Archivo Histórico Nacional of Spain, records of the Ministerio de Ultramar; via Portal de Archivos Españoles