Abolition of Slavery in Puerto Rico
Former slaves in Puerto Rico
Leaders of the Puerto Rican abolitionist movement, including José Julián Acosta, Francisco Mariano Quiñones, Julio L. de Vizcarrondo, Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis, waged a long struggle to end slavery on the island. On March 22, 1873, the Spanish National Assembly finally abolished slavery in Puerto Rico. The owners were compensated with 35 million pesetas per slave, and slaves were required to continue working for three more years.
Indemnity bond paid as compensation to owners of freed slaves as compensation.
Miller
Courtesy of the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/slaves.html
The Puerto Rican Flag
"Que bonita bandera. La Bandera Puertorriqueña." Definitely beautiful but where did that flag come from? Who designed it? And what does it mean?
The red stripes represent the brave warriors' blood while the white are symbolic of the victory and peace of gaining independence. The star represents the island, the triangle indicates three branches of government, and the blue field signifies the sky and coastal waters. Read the complete The Puerto Rican Flag article
El Descubrimiento de Puerto Rico
Encabezado por la nave Santa María la Galante (en honor a la zozobrada Santa María), el segundo viaje de Cristóbal Colón partió del puerto de Cádiz, el 25 de septiembre de 1493. La expedición contaba con el arzobispo de Sevilla, Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca, y otros religiosos quienes se harían cargo de la misión más importante de este viaje: la evangelización de los habitantes del Nuevo Mundo. Leer El Descubrimiento de Puerto Rico