Ricardo E. Alegría Gallardo (April 14, 1921 – July 7, 2011) was a
Puerto Rican scholar
A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researc ...
, cultural
anthropologist and
archaeologist known as the "father of modern Puerto Rican
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...
".
Early years
Alegría was born in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...
where he received his primary and secondary education. His father,
José S. Alegría, was a former vice president and founding member of the
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico, PNPR) is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17, 1922, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The P ...
. It was Alegría's father who instilled in him a sense of love and pride for Puerto Rico,
its history, and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
. In 1941 at the
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...
, together with Yamil Galib, Alegría founded a new fraternity, Alpha Beta Chi. In 1942, Alegría earned his Bachelor of Science degree in archeology from the University of Puerto Rico. He continued his academic education in the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
where in 1947 he earned his master's in Anthropology and History. In 1954, Alegría earned his Ph.D (doctorate) in Anthropology from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
.
Legacy and death
Alegría was named the first director of 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 ...
by
Luis Muñoz Marín
José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth."
In 1948 he ...
, Puerto Rico's first elected governor. He was responsible for the creation of the "Archaeological Center of Investigation of the University of Puerto Rico"(UPR). Alegría also created the "Center of Popular Arts of the Puerto Rican Cultural Institute", the program of publication of books of the institute, and created the logo for the Institute of Neurobiology in Puerto Rico.
Alegría was responsible for the renovation and restoration of historical
Old San Juan
Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (s ...
under the leadership of then San Juan mayor
Felisa Rincón de Gautier
Felisa Rincón de Gautier (born Felisa Rincón Marrero)This name uses Spanish marriage naming customs; the first is the maiden family name '' "Rincón"'' and the second or matrimonial family name is ''"Gautier"''. (also known as Doña Fela) (Janua ...
. He is also responsible for the restoration of the ruins of "
Caparra" and "Fort San Jeronimo". As a result of his work "Old San Juan" was declared a "Historical World Treasure". In 1976, Alegría opened the "Center of Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean". In 1992, he established the "Museum of the Americas".
Alegría is considered a pioneer in the
anthropologic studies of the
Taino culture and the African heritage in Puerto Rico by the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
. ''
Caribbean Business'' points out that, "His extensive studies have helped historians understand how the Taínos lived and suffered, before and after the Spanish conquistadors arrived on the island."
Alegría estimated that about one third of all Puerto Ricans have Taíno blood—results of recent
DNA studies have proved him right.
Nobel laureate
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...
became inspired by Alegría's work and incorporated a fictional character based on him, named Ricardo Santurce, in his play ''El loco de los balcones''.
Ricardo Alegría lived in
Old San Juan
Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (s ...
in his later years, until his death on July 7, 2011. He had been hospitalized in San Juan's ''Centro Medico'' (Medical Center Hospital) a few weeks before his death. After a brief recovery, he relapsed, and was returned to the medical center, where he died of heart failure.
Awards and recognitions
In 1993, President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
presented Alegría with the "''
Charles Frankel Prize
The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...
''" for his contributions in the field of archaeology. In 1996, he was awarded the "''James Smithson Bicentennial Medal''". In 2001, Alegría received from the hands of
Nancy Morejon
Nancy may refer to:
Places France
* Nancy, France, a city in the northeastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle and formerly the capital of the duchy of Lorraine
** Arrondissement of Nancy, surrounding and including the city of Nancy ...
"''The Haydee Santamaria Medal''" in
Havana, Cuba. In 2002, Alegría received the "''Luis Muñoz Marín Medal''" in recognition of his life achievements from Puerto Rican Governor
Sila Calderón
Sila may refer to :
Places and jurisdictions
; Asia
* Silla, one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea
* Sila, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
; Europe
* La Sila, a mountainous area of Calabria, Italy
** Sila National Park
* Siła, Warmian-Mas ...
. Puerto Rican artist
Lorenzo Homar
Lorenzo Homar Gelabert (September 10, 1913 – February 16, 2004) was a Puerto Rican printmaker, painter, and calligrapher whose artwork stretches to three main workshops: (CPA), DIVEDCO (), and the of the (ICP). Homar was also the designer of ...
honored Alegría by making an artistic graphic poster of him.
Alegría also received recognition from cultural and architectural organizations in Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where he also received an honorary doctorate. The city of Havana recognized his influence in the project to remodel the city's historical district (similar to Alegría's work in Old San Juan) by honoring him with a plaque, which, while he was alive, was the only monument honoring a living Puerto Rican in the entire city.
Puerto Rican folk duo ''Los Niños Estelares'' dedicated a tribute song to Alegría, named ''"Alegría, Doctor Alegría"'', in their 2010 album, ''Namasté''. In it they describe many of Alegría's accomplishments, his educational background, and -partly in jest, due to Alegría's impressive credentials- likened him to
Indiana Jones. In the lyrics, they name Alegría ''"the last Puerto Rican hero."''
Works
The following is a list of books which Alegría has either authored or co-authored.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
Puerto Rican scientists and inventors
Before Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Conquistadors landed on the island of "Borikén" (Puerto Rico), the Tainos who inhabited the island depended on their astronomical observations for the cultivation of their crops.
In 1581, Jua ...
Notes
References
External links
Jornada Centenario - Ricardo E. Alegría Gallardo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alegria, Ricardo
1921 births
2011 deaths
Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
Puerto Rican archaeologists
Cultural anthropologists
Puerto Rican anthropologists
Puerto Rican scientists
Puerto Rican educators
Puerto Rican non-fiction writers
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
People from San Juan, Puerto Rico
University of Chicago alumni
National Humanities Medal recipients
American Folklorists of Color