Casa Natal de Luis Muñoz Rivera located in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, is a structure of great political and cultural significance. Built in 1850, it is the place where

Luis Muñoz Rivera Luis Muñoz Rivera (July 17, 1859 – November 15, 1916) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician. He was a major figure in the struggle for political autonomy of Puerto Rico in union with Spain. In 1887, Muñoz Rivera became part ...

was born in 1859. The residence is representative of how middle-class Puerto Ricans lived at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. In addition to its political and historical value, the structure is a good example of the Creole residential architecture of the interior of the island of Puerto Rico at that time. The house is characterized by the simplicity of its architectural components and by the use of wood, both in the structure as in the details. Its plant is rectangular in shape and has a pitched roof. The main facade stands on a podium, and consists of a balcony adorned by a continuous balustrade and four columns that support the roof of the balcony. In 1959, it was restored and transformed into a library-museum by the

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

Luis Muñoz Rivera

A Puerto Rican poet, journalist and politician as well as a major figure in Puerto Rico's struggle for

political autonomy Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and ...

, Muñoz Rivera founded the important newspaper La Democracia and collaborated on El Pueblo, El Clamor del País and El Buscapié, among others. As a politician, he served his country as Secretary of State during the autonomic period between 1897 and 1898. After the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

took control of Puerto Rico from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the aftermath of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

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, was signed by Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the ...

, Muñoz Rivera founded the Liberal Party and the Union Party of Puerto Rico and from 1911 to 1916 he was appointed Resident Commissioner in Washington, D.C. With

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Muñoz Rivera Houses completed in 1850 Barranquitas, Puerto Rico 1850 establishments in Puerto Rico Creole architecture Rivera, Luis Munoz