Caparra is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
in the municipality of
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Guaynabo (, ) is a city, suburb of San Juan and municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas, south of Cataño, east of Bayamón, and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is spre ...
. It was declared a U.S.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in 1994. The site contains the remains of the first Spanish capital of the island, settled in 1508 and abandoned in 1521. It represents the oldest known European settlement on United States territory.
[
The site is on the grounds of the Museum of the Conquest and Colonization of Puerto Rico (Museo de la Conquista y Colonización), which features artifacts from the site and other archaeological sites in Puerto Rico.
]
History
In 1508, Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervás ...
founded the original Spanish settlement in Puerto Rico at Caparra, named after the abandoned ancient Roman village of Cáparra in the province of Cáceres, Spain, the birthplace of then-governor of Spain's Caribbean territories Nicolás de Ovando
Frey Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres (1460 – 29 May 1511 or 1518) was a Spanish soldier from a noble family and a Knight of the Order of Alcántara, a military order of Spain. He was Governor of the Indies (Hispaniola) from 1502 until 1509, sen ...
., Today it is known as the Pueblo Viejo barrio of Guaynabo, just to the west of the present San Juan metropolitan area.
The air was not wholesome and the mendicant friars insisted on moving the settlement closer to the bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a ...
and to the sea. They complained that the infants were dying. Their preferred area was that of the Islet of Puerto Rico ("rich port" or "good port"), because of its similar geographical features to the island of Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...
in the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mor ...
.
It was not until the end of Ponce de León's tenure as governor that they had their wish. By 1521, the move was complete and it was known as "Villa de Puerto Rico." With time the name of the island, ''San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico'', traded places with what is now the capital of Puerto Rico: San Juan.
According to Floyd, "Ponce built the only stone house in the village, which for years functioned additionally as the Casa de Contratación
The ''Casa de Contratación'' (, House of Trade) or ''Casa de la Contratación de las Indias'' ("House of Trade of the Indies") was established by the Crown of Castile, in 1503 in the port of Seville (and transferred to Cádiz in 1717) as a cro ...
, the archive, and the arsenal." It became his permanent home, where he was joined by his family in 1509.
Archaeological history
The Caparra Site was first identified as important during a survey in 1936, as part of a program to develop tourist facilities on the island. Preliminary excavations spearheaded by Puerto Rico's fifth official historian, Adolfo de Hostos, in 1936 and 1937, identified a large '' tapia'' structure, bisected by a two-lane highway, that matched de León's description of his own residence, the only non-wooden structure in the settlement. Further excavation identified the main plaza and the sites of other buildings.[
The property was acquired by the Puerto Rican government in 1948, which relocated the northern section of the house ruins in order to widen the road. The roadway was again widened in 1963, destroying the southern portion of the structure excavated in 1936. The museum was established in 1958; the site continues to be examined by archaeologists.]
In folklore
A story from 1530 says that two Spanish men, Diego Ramos de Orozco and Diego Guilarte de Salazar, were living in Caparra and searching for gold in Puerto Rico's rivers, for Spain. They each had at their disposal 40 Taíno slaves. Good friends, they elaborated a plan to travel to a hard to reach, secret place in order to excavate and find gold for themselves and their own fortunes.
Immediately upon finding a large piece of gold that they had originally agreed to share, their friendship was tested. In conniving to keep the gold, Orozco used fake dice, but then suffered a bad fall. Days later, when his friend Guilarte finally returned with help, Orozco lay dying, and confessed to having used fake dice and asked his friend for forgiveness. ''Sierra de Orozco'', a mountain located in the Cordillera Central is named after Orozco.
See also
*
* National Register of Historic Places listings in metropolitan San Juan, Puerto Rico
References
External links
Museo y Parque Histórico Ruinas de Caparra
- 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, prese ...
Caparra Ruins
- information
{{authority control
National Historic Landmarks in Puerto Rico
Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Archaeological museums in the United States
Natural history museums in Puerto Rico
Museums in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Populated places established in 1508