Museo de la Historia de Ponce
Encyclopedia
The Museo de la Historia de Ponce (Museum of the History of Ponce) is a museum in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico
, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. The Museum was inaugurated under the administration of Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
, as part of the tricentennial celebration of the founding of the city. The Museum seeks to promote the research, conservation, and dissemination of the historic heritage of Ponce and Puerto Rico. It is located in the historic district
of the city, a short two-block walk from the central Plaza Las Delicias
town square, at the southeast corner of Isabel and Mayor Cantera streets. The Museum is housed in the historic Salazar-Candal House
and the neighboring Zapater house in addition the empty lot that once held the residence of the Schuck Gelpí family.
The plan was revived once again, but with modifications, at the end of the 1980s. This time the project came under the direction of Ms. Maruja Candal Salazar and Dr. Neysa Rodríguez Deynes (curator and founder). They worked in conjunction with a team of curators that included Lizette Cabrera Salcedo, Dr. José Molinelli, Alberto del Toro, and J. A. Figueroa Irizarry, as well as museum specialists Aníbal Sepúlveda, Néstor Barretto, and Jorge Carbonell, members of the Carimar Research Center. The four-year period from 1989 to 1992 saw the restoration of the Salazar and Zapater houses to serve as home to the Museum, and the completion of the research, planning, and design of its first four permanent exhibit halls of the museum, namely, ecology, panorama, economic activity, and architecture.
In 1994, the second phase of the project was initiated, under the direction of Lizette Cabrera Salcedo: the creation of two permanent exhibits, one focused on health and one entitled "Ponce in Puerto Rican Political Life, in addition to a multimedia presentation "Ponce is Ponce." In 1998, the Ernesto Ramos Antonini
auditorium, designed by architect José Bermúdez, was inaugurated under the direction of Lizette Cabrera Salcedo, at the location of the old Shuck Gelpí House.
in an eclectic neoclassical style. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
. The Zapater home, on the other hand, represents the criollo townhouse typology. It was built in 1880 and rebuilt in 1925. The Zapater residence was home to some of Ponce's most notable families, including the Clausells
, Dapena, Zapater, and Rosaly families. It was also designed by Blas Silva.
. The curator in charge of this exhibit was Dr. José Mollinelli, with sponsorship by CARIMAR.
and Rafael Hernández Colón
, as well as Roberto Sánchez Vilella
, who claimed Ponce as his adoptive city. Among the most significant pieces in this exhibition hall is the Prince of Asturias of Literature Prize (Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras), a small bronze statue created by the famous Spanish sculptor Juan Miró
.
, and institutional architecture, public works and the evolution of open space
that define this city as a traditional urban center of importance. The hall includes a scale model of the city's urban development, and a photographic montage including plans, buildings, architects, and art installations. The curator in charge of this exhibit was Architect Alberto del Toro, with sponsorship by CARIMAR.
(local ancylostomiasis) to the country's first kidney transplant. Included in this exhibit are documents, photographs, prescriptions, professional awards, and personal artifacts once belonging to various Ponce physicians.
The most important collections include:
in Ponce during the early to middle 20th century.
, social
, cultural and economic daily life of Ponce during the second half of the 20th century.
physician, Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand. Dr. Pérez Marchand was also one of the first three female physician in Puerto Rico. This collection provides a valuable resource for studying the role of women during the early 20th century, and the development of health and medicine in Puerto Rico in general.
succession. These offer a visual panorama of Ponce’s streets, public and private buildings, plazas, and businesses in the first two decades of the 20th century.
activities in Ponce between 1949 and 1970.
and events in Ponce between 1960 and 1980.
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, depicting the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. Inaugurated in 1992, it was the first museum in Puerto Rico established to cover the history of the people of a town or city. It traces the city's history from the Taino Indians to today. The Museum was inaugurated under the administration of Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
, as part of the tricentennial celebration of the founding of the city. The Museum seeks to promote the research, conservation, and dissemination of the historic heritage of Ponce and Puerto Rico. It is located in the historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
of the city, a short two-block walk from the central Plaza Las Delicias
Plaza Las Delicias
Plaza Las Delicias is the main plaza in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The square is notable for its fountains and for the various monuments it contains. The historic Parque de Bombas and Ponce Cathedral buildings are located within Plaza Las Delicias. Plaza Las Delicias is actually composed of...
town square, at the southeast corner of Isabel and Mayor Cantera streets. The Museum is housed in the historic Salazar-Candal House
Salazar-Candal House
Casa Salazar-Candal is a historic building located on the southeast corner of Isabel and Mayor Cantera streets in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the city's historic district. The building dates from 1911. It was designed by the architect Blas Silva. The architecture consists of 19th Classical revival,...
and the neighboring Zapater house in addition the empty lot that once held the residence of the Schuck Gelpí family.
History of the Museum
The idea of creating a Ponce history museum dates back to the 1930s, following a citizens group's initiative, but the project did not materialize then. Interest in the proposal revived years later under Ponce's Secretariat of Culture. The plan visualized a museum to be constructed on the block bordered by Isabel, Mayor, Cristina, and Salud streets, and Casa Salazar and Casa Zapater, two historic homes, were acquired, as was the empty lot where Casa Shuck Gelpí had once stood. However, the project came to a standstill once again.The plan was revived once again, but with modifications, at the end of the 1980s. This time the project came under the direction of Ms. Maruja Candal Salazar and Dr. Neysa Rodríguez Deynes (curator and founder). They worked in conjunction with a team of curators that included Lizette Cabrera Salcedo, Dr. José Molinelli, Alberto del Toro, and J. A. Figueroa Irizarry, as well as museum specialists Aníbal Sepúlveda, Néstor Barretto, and Jorge Carbonell, members of the Carimar Research Center. The four-year period from 1989 to 1992 saw the restoration of the Salazar and Zapater houses to serve as home to the Museum, and the completion of the research, planning, and design of its first four permanent exhibit halls of the museum, namely, ecology, panorama, economic activity, and architecture.
In 1994, the second phase of the project was initiated, under the direction of Lizette Cabrera Salcedo: the creation of two permanent exhibits, one focused on health and one entitled "Ponce in Puerto Rican Political Life, in addition to a multimedia presentation "Ponce is Ponce." In 1998, the Ernesto Ramos Antonini
Ernesto Ramos Antonini
Ernesto Ramos Antonini was the President of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico and co-founder of the Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico .-Early years:...
auditorium, designed by architect José Bermúdez, was inaugurated under the direction of Lizette Cabrera Salcedo, at the location of the old Shuck Gelpí House.
Currently
By 2002, ten years after its founding, the Museum of the History of Ponce had become one of Puerto Rico's most active cultural centers, and Puerto Rico's most complete history museum. The museum provides a variety of cultural offerings intended to strengthen and increase awareness of the study of Puerto Rican and Ponceño history. As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, the third and last phase of the museum's development was begun. It included two permanent exhibits on education and daily life, and the creation of a general museum catalog.Building
The main building that houses the museum has stained-glass windows, mosaics, and interior patios. Both buildings where the museum is housed are turn-of-the-20th-century homes. The Salazar House dates from 1911 and was designed by Blas Silva BoucherBlas C. Silva Boucher
Blas C. Silva Boucher was a prominent twentieth-century Puerto Rican engineer from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He is credited with the creation of the Ponce Creole architectural style.-Early years:Blas Silva was born in Hormigueros...
in an eclectic neoclassical style. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The Zapater home, on the other hand, represents the criollo townhouse typology. It was built in 1880 and rebuilt in 1925. The Zapater residence was home to some of Ponce's most notable families, including the Clausells
Segundo (Ponce)
Segundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one the municipality's six core urban barrios.-Location:...
, Dapena, Zapater, and Rosaly families. It was also designed by Blas Silva.
Contents
The museum consists of 10 exhibition halls. It showcases facts, documents, objects, and relics of Ponce's history, demonstrating the importance of the city in the development of the history of Puerto Rico, including its intellectual, political, social, cultural, and economic aspects. It also covers the role of the city in the artistic development of Puerto Rican culture in the areas of music, theater, opera, literature, and journalism. Included in the exhibits are depictions of the ethnic cultures that influenced southern Puerto Rico culture, such as Spanish, African and non-European immigrants.Ecology
The first exhibition hall depicts the land and climate of the municipality: its coast, plains, and mountains. It shows how the city's natural surroundings are the departure point for learning about its history. It includes a scale model of the municipality, with illustrations of its fertile soils, natural resources, and native faunaFauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. The curator in charge of this exhibit was Dr. José Mollinelli, with sponsorship by CARIMAR.
Panorama
Human beings make an entrance in this exhibit describing how humans interact with their environment. The Panorama hall presents the origins of the settlement at Ponce and the evolution of its population from pre-Hispanic times through the beginnings of the twentieth century. It includes the regions and countries from which the present inhabitants originated, emphasizing Ponce’s heterogeneous populace. A scale model of the city shows Ponce in its greatest era of development, at the end of the nineteenth century. The curator in charge of this exhibit was Dra. Neysa Rodríguez Deynes, with sponsorship by CARIMAR.Politics
This exhibit focuses on Ponce's role in Puerto Rico’s politics and the local political life of the people of Ponce. The exhibit occupies two rooms. The first illustrates the political development of Puerto Rico from 1508 until the 1950s. Photographic murals, documents, photographs, and objects reveal the most significant periods in Puerto Rican political life and Ponce’s leading role in this development. The second room explains the creation of the Estado Libre Asociado, and the life and work of governors native to Ponce: Luis A. FerréLuis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
and Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
, as well as Roberto Sánchez Vilella
Roberto Sánchez Vilella
Roberto Sánchez Vilella was the second Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1965 to 1969. He was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
, who claimed Ponce as his adoptive city. Among the most significant pieces in this exhibition hall is the Prince of Asturias of Literature Prize (Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras), a small bronze statue created by the famous Spanish sculptor Juan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
.
Finance and Economics
One of the most significant themes in the Museum, economic development, is the largest factor in the city's growth from its founding through the present day. The development of the port, agriculture, industry, and banking has supported Ponce's economic development, which in turn has significantly nourished its cultural, social, and intellectual development are evident in this exhibition hall. The curator in charge of this exhibit was Lizette Cabrera Salcedo, with sponsorship by CARIMAR.Architecture and Urban Development
The evolution of Ponce's urban landscape is illustrated in successive periods of development. The exhibit presents the city’s architects and highlights typical elements of Ponce's native architecture. It includes domestic, militaryMilitary
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
, and institutional architecture, public works and the evolution of open space
Public space
A public space is a social space such as a town square that is open and accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants...
that define this city as a traditional urban center of importance. The hall includes a scale model of the city's urban development, and a photographic montage including plans, buildings, architects, and art installations. The curator in charge of this exhibit was Architect Alberto del Toro, with sponsorship by CARIMAR.
Health and Medicine
This exhibit shows the creation and evolution of Ponce’s principal health institutions from 1863 until the present day and the medical community from the early twentieth century until the 1940s. It also presents significant events in health, such as Dr. Bailey K. Ashford's discovery of the parasite that causes uncinaria ancylostomiasisAncylostomiasis
Ancylostomiasis is the condition of infection by Ancylostoma hookworms. The name is derived from Greek ancylos αγκυλος "crooked, bent" and stoma στομα "mouth."...
(local ancylostomiasis) to the country's first kidney transplant. Included in this exhibit are documents, photographs, prescriptions, professional awards, and personal artifacts once belonging to various Ponce physicians.
Collections
The process of putting together the collections involved over 200 of Ponce's own citizens who lent or donated the photographs, documents, and objects that make up the collections. The current collection has over 3,000 photographs, documents, pieces of furniture, and objects on display in the exhibition halls, or conserved in the Museum's storage areas.The most important collections include:
The Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias collection
Covering the period from 1898 to 1950, this collection consists of documents, photographs, and personal objects of Dr. Manuel de la Pila Iglesias that show the evolution of health and medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Ponce during the early to middle 20th century.
The Juan Sisco Santiago collection
Covering the period from 1930 to 1980, this collection includes documents, publications, objects, and photographs by the famous Ponce photographer Juan Sisco Santiago, and illustrating the politicalPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, social
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, cultural and economic daily life of Ponce during the second half of the 20th century.
The Dr. Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand collection
Covering the period from 1911 to 1950, this collection includes photographs, documents, publications, and personal items of Ponce’s first femaleWoman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
physician, Ana Dolores Pérez Marchand. Dr. Pérez Marchand was also one of the first three female physician in Puerto Rico. This collection provides a valuable resource for studying the role of women during the early 20th century, and the development of health and medicine in Puerto Rico in general.
The Emilio J. Pasarell collection
Covering the period from 1900 to 1920, this collection includes postcards by Ponce photographer José Rodríguez Serra. The collection was donated by the Emilio J. PasarellEmilio J. Pasarell
Emilio J. Pasarell was a Puerto Rican short-story writer, novelist, and essayist. He was also an accomplished historian.-Origin:...
succession. These offer a visual panorama of Ponce’s streets, public and private buildings, plazas, and businesses in the first two decades of the 20th century.
The Mariana Suárez de Longo collection
This collection covers the period from 1949 to 1970. It consists of correspondence, invitations, graduation cards, newspaper clippings, telegrams, and photographs of educationalEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
activities in Ponce between 1949 and 1970.
The Ramón López Crespo collection
The Ramón López Crespo collection covers the period from 1960 to 1980. It consists of photographs, posters, programs of cultural events, magazines, letters, newspapers, postcards, flyers for musical and theatrical events, illustrating cultural lifeCulture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and events in Ponce between 1960 and 1980.
External links
- Museum of Ponce History - Travel Ponce