Rafael Rivera Esbrí (2 July 1870 – 9 November 1965) was

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

from 1915 to 1917.

Early years

Rivera Esbri was the son of Ramón Rivera Alvarado and Julia Esbri. He married Faneta Bengoa y Larrauri and had a daughter named Lili Belen, born around 1904. His great-grandson is actor

Benicio del Toro Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen A ...

El Polvorín

Rivera Esbri is best remembered for an incident that has little to do with his work as mayor. He is remembered as the only civilian who in the company of seven of Ponce's

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

s confronted and brought under control the fire of 25 January 1899 that took place at the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

munitions depot in the city of Ponce, located where the

Ponce High School The Ponce High School is public educational institution in Ponce, Puerto Rico, offering grades nine through twelve. The school's main building is a historic structure located on Cristina Street, in the Ponce Historic Zone. From its beginning t ...

is currently located. Rivera Esbri and the others did this in defiance of an order from the American military officials not to attempt to fight the fire. Their bravery is said to have saved the city from total destruction.

Obelisk

In 1906, the Legislature of Puerto Rico issued a

proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

to officially declare Rafael Rivera Esbri and the seven firefighters heroes. In time, the city of Ponce also built an

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

to their memory which is located at

Plaza Las Delicias Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within the plaza, ...

(See Monumento a los heroes de El Polvorín), and is dedicated to Rivera Esbri and the seven firefighters who risked their lives in the 25 January 1899 fire. Rivera Esbri's name, along with those of the firefighters are engraved on the obelisk.

Mayoral work

As mayor, Rivera Esbri founded, in 1916, the cemetery at Barrio

Coto Laurel Coto Laurel (''Barrio Coto Laurel'') is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Marueño, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limon, Real, and San Patricio, and the coastal barrios of Canas and Capitanejo, Coto Lau ...

in Ponce. Rivera Esbri founded Partido Ponceño, which was short-lived, and around 1950 he ran for mayor of Ponce.

Death and burial

Upon his death, Rafael Rivera Esbri was buried at the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

reserved for Ponce firefighters in the Monumento a los heroes de El Polvorín at

Cementerio Civil de Ponce Cementerio Civil de Ponce (Ponce Civil Cemetery), a.k.a., Cementerio Municipal de Ponce, is a historic burial ground in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1901. It was designed by Manuel V. Domenech. Some of the people buried at Cementerio ...

. He is the only civilian non-firefighter in the mausoleum. He died on 9 November 1965 at age 95.Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001.

Honors

In Ponce there is a street in Urbanización Las Delicias of

Barrio Magueyes Magueyes is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Cerrillos, Machuelo Arriba, Maragüez, Montes Llanos, Portugués, Sabanetas, and Tibes, Magueyes is one of the municipality's eight interior barrios. ...

named after him.

Early years

El Polvorín

Obelisk

Mayoral work

Death and burial

Honors

See also

References

Further reading