Casa Natal de Luis Muñoz Rivera located in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico is a structure of great political and cultural significance. Built in 1850, it is the place where

Luis Muñoz Rivera Luis Muñoz Rivera (July 17, 1859 – November 15, 1916) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico in union with Spain. In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part ...

was born in 1859. The residence is representative of how middle-class Puerto Ricans lived at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. It is a political and cultural symbol, not only for the people of Barranquitas, but for all of Puerto Rico. In addition to its political and historical value, the structure is a good example of the Creole residential architecture of the interior of the island of Puerto Rico at that time. The house is characterized by the simplicity of its architectural components and by the use of wood, both in the structure as in the details. Its plant is rectangular in shape and has a pitched roof. The main facade stands on a podium, and consists of a balcony adorned by a continuous balustrade and four columns that support the roof of the balcony. In 1959, it was restored and transformed into a library-museum by the

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( es, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña), or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preser ...

Luis Muñoz Rivera

A Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician as well as a major figure in Puerto Rico's struggle for

political autonomy Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and F ...

, Muñoz Rivera founded the important newspaper La Democracia and collaborated on El Pueblo, El Clamor del País and El Buscapié, among others. As a politician, he served his country as Secretary of State during the autonomic period between 1897 and 1898. After the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

took control of Puerto Rico from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...

, Muñoz Rivera founded the Liberal Party and the Union Party of Puerto Rico and from 1911 to 1916 he was appointed Resident Commissioner in Washington D.C. With

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico

Muñoz Rivera Muñoz Rivera is a barrio in the municipality of Patillas, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 673. Sectors Barrios (which are, in contemporary times, roughly comparable to minor civil divisions A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used ...

Houses completed in 1850 Barranquitas, Puerto Rico 1850 establishments in Puerto Rico Creole architecture Birthplaces of individual people