Gaceta de Puerto Rico was the first newspaper published on the island of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Scholars believe the founding of the ''Gaceta'' marks the first instance of a

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...

on the island, although

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Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

dates back to the mid-16th century. ''Gaceta'' was an official newspaper of the Spanish government in Puerto Rico and was created in 1807 under the governorship of Toribio Montes.

Content

Gaceta_del_Gobierno_de_Puerto-Rico,_1836

''Gaceta'' was the primary mode of public information dissemination to the people of Puerto Rico from the Spanish colonial government. It included governmental reports,

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

es, political news and royal decrees. In addition to official reportage, the ''Gaceta'' also provided general news about life on the island, including arrests, cultural events, arriving ships and other related materials.

Life

When the ''Gaceta'' was created in 1807, the issues were four pages long and published on Wednesdays and Saturdays under the name ''La Gazeta de Puerto-Rico''. By the 1820s the publication went by the name ''Gaceta del Gobierno de Puerto-Rico'' and was published on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In 1859 the newspaper's title was shortened to ''Gaceta de Puerto-Rico''. It was a daily newspaper from 1897 to 1902. 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 ...

. After that

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of e ...

, the ''Gaceta'' continued to operate and published statements from the U.S. military appointed governor

John R. Brooke John Rutter Brooke (July 21, 1838 – September 5, 1926) was one of the last surviving Union generals of the American Civil War when he died at the age of 88. Early life Brooke was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and was educated in nearby Coll ...

and his administration in both Spanish and English. The Gazette's final issue was published on September 30, 1902.

References

{{Reflist

External links

1836 issue of the ''Gaceta del Gobierno de Puerto-Rico.''

Final issue of the ''Gaceta de Puerto-Rico''.

Digitized issues of the ''Gaceta de Puerto-Rico'' at the Library of Congress.

Digitized issues of the ''Gaceta de Puerto-Rico'' at the Colección Puertorriqueña UPR RP.
Newspapers published in Puerto Rico 1800s in Puerto Rico