Puerto Rico on stamps
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Puerto Rico topics have been featured on the stamps of Spain and of the United States. Spanish stamps are found at
Postage stamps and postal history of Puerto Rico The postal history of Puerto Rico began around 1518, at least for official mail, when Spain adopted general postal regulations; although the first documentation of Spanish postal regulations specific to the Caribbean was 1794. The first postage sta ...
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On United States stamps


U.S. possession

An independent postal service under U.S. authority was established March 15, 1899. But with the
Foraker Act The Foraker Act, , officially known as the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian (albeit limited popular) government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had recently become a possession of the United State ...
of 1900, the postal service of Puerto Rico ceased to be a separate adjunct of the U.S. and was assimilated into the United States postal system.Krieger, George T.; ''The Postal Stationery of the Possessions and Administrative Areas of the United States of America''; United Postal Stationery Society, 2009, . Stamps were originally
overprint An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative pur ...
ed with the spelling Anglicized to "PORTO RICO" and later, in 1900, with "PUERTO RICO". Likewise, postal cards and stamped envelopes were also initially overprinted "PORTO RICO" and later "PUERTO RICO". U.S. stamps are now used on the island.


Commonwealth

* In the “Flags of our nation series” 2008-2012, of the fifty-five, five territorial flags were featured for Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Forever stamps included the Puerto Rico Flag illustrated by a bird issued 2011. The flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has five alternating red and white horizontal stripes; a five-pointed star is centered on the blue triangle on the left. “Snapshot art” shows a Puerto Rican
tody The todies are a family, Todidae, of tiny Caribbean birds in the order Coraciiformes, which also includes the kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers. The family has one living genus, ''Todus'', and one genus known from the fossil record, '' Palaeoto ...
, a colorful bird found on the main island. * The USPS Crested Honeycreeper stamp viewable at Arago, was issued as a 32-cent in the Tropical Birds commemorative set on July 29, 1998 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.


Historic places and events

Insular Territories were commemorated over three months of October to December 1937, in four 3-cent stamps commemorating Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The third stamp honored Puerto Rico featuring '
La Fortaleza La Fortaleza (lit., "The Fortress" ) is the official residence of the governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine's Pala ...
', the Spanish Governor's Palace. Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in an 1898 treaty ending the Spanish–American War. Though some thought the stamp was limited to Puerto Rico, it was valid throughout the U.S. and its territories. The first free election for governor of the US territory of Puerto Rico was honored with a 3-cent stamp on April 27, 1949, at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Prior to January 2, 1949, the US president appointed Puerto Rico's governors. The stamp's shows a rural Puerto Rican holding a cogwheel for industry and a box representing the election. The stamp was inspired by a sketch prepared by Irene Delano of the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico. 'Inauguration' refers to the election of
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 ...
, the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico. The United States issued a 5-cent definitive stamp in Muñoz Marin's honor on February 18, 1990.Rod, Steven J
Puerto Rico Election Issue
Arago: people, postage & the post. Viewed March 4, 2014.
San Juan, Puerto Rico was commemorated with an 8-cent stamp on its 450th anniversary issued September 12, 1971. The vignette pictures a sentry box from
Castillo San Felipe del Morro Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico.ww ...
. San Juan was founded in 1519, and fortress construction began in 1539. A Spanish commemorative postage stamp was issued on the occasion of the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in Puerto Rico in 1493, issued in 1893 when the island was still under Spanish rule. It is the only colonial-era Puerto Rican stamp that does not bear the face of the King of Spain. *
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
landing in Puerto Rico was commemorated the 500th anniversary with a 29-cent stamp on November 19, 1993. The stamp depicts two caravel ships approaching land. Selected post offices in Puerto Rico participated in local stamp ceremonies and offered special 500th anniversary pictorial cancellations. Designed by artist Richard Schlecht. *
Ponce de Leon Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 * USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * British sla ...
was commemorated on a USPS 20-cent stamp on October 12, 1982 in San Juan PR. It was the opening day of the major international philatelic exhibition ESPAMER ’82 held there from October 12–17. Ponce de Leon was named governor of Puerto Rico in 1509, having accompanied Columbus on his voyage to Puerto Rico in 1493. Royal orders to search for new lands led him to discover Florida in 1513. * The
Arecibo Observatory The Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) and formerly known as the Arecibo Ionosphere Observatory, is an observatory in Barrio Esperanza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico owned by the US National Science F ...
was commemorated on July 10, 2000. Located at Arecibo PR, it is the world’s largest radar/radio telescope.


Modern personalities

Five Puerto Rican personalities have been featured on six USPS postage stamps. These include *
Roberto Clemente Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker (; August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After his early death, he was pos ...
in 1984 as an individual and in the Legends of Baseball series issued in 2000. The image at Arago of the Roberto Clemente single is one of 20 stamps issued in the Legends of Baseball series. :Roberto Clemente was honored on his 50th birthday with a 20-cent commemorative stamp for the baseball superstar on August 17, 1984, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, his birthplace. The First Day Ceremony was held at the Roberto Clemente Sport City facility. Clemente played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 until his death in a plane crash in 1972, on his way to distribute supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Over that career, he played in twelve All-Star games and won eleven Golden Glove awards as a right fielder. Holding a lifetime batting average of .317, he led the National League in batting four times, and was named the League's most valuable player in 1966. Clemente led the Pirates to two world titles in 1960 and 1971, voted most valuable player in the 1971 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. The stamp was designed by Juan Lopez-Bonilla, the gravure process was used for printing, issued in panes of fifty. *
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 ...
in the Great Americans series. The United States issued a 5-cent definitive stamp in Marin's honor as the first elected Governor of Puerto Rico on February 18, 1990. *
Felicitas Mendez In ancient Roman culture, ''felicitas'' (from the Latin adjective ''felix'', "fruitful, blessed, happy, lucky") is a condition of divinely inspired productivity, blessedness, or happiness. ''Felicitas'' could encompass both a woman's fertility an ...
, was honored for her leadership towards racial equality in American schools on a 41-cent stamp. The issue on September 14, 2007 marked the 60th anniversary of the Mendez v. Westminster case where Hispanic parents in California successfully sued to end segregation in their schools. According to Ethel Kessler, the stamp’s art director and designer, the illustrator Rafael Lopez “masterfully integrated the look of the Mexican muralists with the idea of looking forward to the light.” *
Julia de Burgos Julia de Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) was a Puerto Rican poet. As an advocate of Puerto Rican independence, she served as Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of the Puerto Rican National ...
was honored as a poet in the Literary Arts series issued 2010. The 44-cent stamp was released on Nov. 15, 2010 for National Hispanic Heritage Month. She was one of Puerto Rico's most celebrated poets, an award-winning writer and journalist. Hers is one of 75 other Hispanic-themed stamps. The stamp features a portrait of Julia de Burgos created by artist Jody Hewgill. The stamp features the poet with blue water flowing behind her, evoking one of her best known poems, “Río Grande de Loíza,” a sensuous ode to the Puerto Rican river where she was raised. She wrote of love and the search for personal and political freedom, perhaps best known for her feminist poems such as “Yo Misma Fui Mi Ruta” ("I was my own path”). She was a teacher, journalist and supporter of the Puerto Rican pro-independence movement in New York during the 1940s. She died there in East Harlem in 1953 at age 39 leaving behind 203 poems in Spanish published in four books. *
Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz c ...
is an exemplar of Latin jazz and mambo music included in the USPS Latin Legends series devoted to American music and culture issued on March 16, 2011. *
José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...
in the Distinguished American series, commemorated as an actor, issued 2012."Distinguished Americans" Scott's Specialized Catalogue, 2013, , p.317 For image of the stamp, se
Forever Jose Ferrer @ Arago.National Postal Museum


References


Further reading

* Dávila, Ovidio. ''Estudio del sello conmemorativo del cuarto centenario del descubrimiento de Puerto Rico, 1493-1893''. Madrid: Casa del Sello, 1991 , 112p. * González, Ronald H. ''First day cover catalogue of US stamps related to Puerto Rico''. 2004, 110p.


External links

* {{Commons category-inline Philately of Puerto Rico Philately of the United States Topical postage stamps