This month is Black History Month, so I’ve decided to write a post briefly describing the history of African-Americans in Puerto Rico, or Afro-Puerto Ricans—a term I’ll be using from this point forward. I’m also going to mention some of the most notable Afro-Puerto Ricans.

The first free African man to arrive in Puerto Rico was Juan Garrido, an Afro-Spaniard conquistador who accompanied Juan Ponce de León during the exploration of Puerto Rico in 1508¹. He was part of the force led by Juan Ponce de León that fought the Taíno Indians on the island.

The Spanish conquistadors were searching for gold and enslaved the Taíno Indians to work the gold mines. The Taínos quickly started to die due to harsh servitude and the many epidemics, such as smallpox, brought by foreigners, and the labor force was significantly reduced². The lack of manpower led the conquistadors to introduce Africans to the island. The idea was sadly originated by a Spanish clergyman named Bartolomé de las Casas, who fought for the Taíno rights and supported their freedom. He suggested the use of African slaves instead of the Taínos.

African slaves started to arrive on the island in 1517, and the numbers rapidly increased. In 1530, there were 2,264 African slaves on the island, and many of them were sent to work in the gold mines and sugar cane fields³. By 1570, gold mines on the island were depleted, and eventually, agriculture and cattle-raising replaced mining as the main source of income⁴.

Over time, a diverse population started to form, and by 1795, there were 43,330 whites, 48,667 mixed (White, Black, and Indian), and 18,056 African slaves, totaling 110,053 people on the island⁵. Slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico on March 22, 1873, by the Spanish Royal Decree⁶.

African influence on Puerto Rican culture became instrumental as the island started to develop its unique characteristics. Music played a significant role with the integration of instruments such as the drums to form what we call ‘Bomba’ and ‘Plena.’

Watch a ‘Bomba’ dance:

Watch a ‘Plena’ dance:

Among the distinguished figures within the Afro-Puerto Rican community, we find:

• Rafael Cordero (1790 – 1868) – An educator who established a free school for all children, regardless of race or social standing⁷.
• José Campeche (1751 – 1809) – The first known Puerto Rican painter⁸.
• Pedro Albizu Campos (1893 – 1965) – A Puerto Rican attorney and politician who served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was a leading figure in the Puerto Rican Independence Party⁹.
• Rafael Cepeda (1910 – 1996) – Recognized as ‘The Patriarch of Bomba and Plena,’ he was the patriarch of the Cepeda family (a well-known Puerto Rican family) that promoted Afro-Puerto Rican folk music throughout the island¹⁰.

I’m proud of my Afro-Puerto Rican heritage, passed down to me through my grandmother’s lineage. Puerto Ricans are a diverse community, and we proudly embrace our uniqueness.

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1. https://www.nps.gov/people/juargarrido.htm ↩︎
2. Picó, Fernando. History of Puerto Rico A Panorama of Its People. (P. 38). Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2017. ↩︎
3. Jiménez de Wagenheim, Olga. Puerto Rico An Interpretive History from Pre-Columbian Times to 1900. (P. 51). Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2006.  ↩︎
4. Picó, Fernando. History of Puerto Rico A Panorama of Its People. (P. 47). Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2017. ↩︎
5. Jiménez de Wagenheim, Olga. Puerto Rico – An Interpretive History from Pre-Columbian Times to 1900. (P. 91). Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2006.  ↩︎
6. Picó, Fernando. History of Puerto Rico A Panorama of Its People. (P. 215). Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2017. ↩︎
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Cordero_(educator) ↩︎
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Campeche ↩︎
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Albizu_Campos ↩︎
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Cepeda ↩︎

• History