Román Baldorioty de Castro
Encyclopedia
Román Baldorioty de Castro (February 23, 1822 – September 30, 1889) distinguished himself as one of Puerto Rico
's foremost abolitionists
and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination
. He received his primary and secondary education in San Juan
and after completing his elementary education, received a scholarship and moved to Spain, where he continued his studies at the University of Madrid
. In 1853, he returned to Puerto Rico and began working as a professor at the island's School of Commerce and the Seminario Concilar. Baldorioty de Castro was selected to represent Puerto Rico at the 1867 Universal Fair, which was organized in Paris, France. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales
, the Spanish parliament, where he promoted abolition of slavery. Baldorioty de Castro founded the Partido Autonomista in 1887, but he was only able to work within it for a few months before being imprisoned in Fort San Felipe del Morro
, after being accused of publishing propaganda
that affected the Spanish government's image. He was released after a brief period in jail, but his time in prison affected his health, which contributed to his death on September 30, 1889.
to a poor family. His family moved to San Juan
when he was young, where he received his primary education as a student of the noted educator, Rafael Cordero
. After completing his elementary education, he enrolled in El Seminario Conciliar de Idelfonso, which at that time was the most organized institution in Puerto Rico. He spent most of his adolescent years studying and finished with one of the best averages in his class. Following this, Baldorioty de Castro was granted a scholarship
, which he used for his studies in Spain. He then collected the money necessary to travel and departed to Spain in the company of three fellow Puerto Ricans, two students and a professor. Before establishing a permanent residence in Madrid
, the group traveled to several Spanish provinces, where they visited some of the country's tourist sites. Among the places visited were locations in Cordoba
, Seville
, Andújar
and Bailén
where they met Alberto Lista, one of Spain's most renowned educators. The three other students (who traveled with Baldorioty de Castro) contracted smallpox
, shortly after beginning their academic studies in the Central University of Madrid. Baldorioty de Castro provided them with medical attention, however two of them died from complications of the disease. Baldorioty de Castro was given an offer to return to Puerto Rico which he declined. He continued his studies along with the only survivor and graduated with a degree in physics
and mathematical sciences
from the university. Dr. José Gualberto Padilla
together with Román Baldorioty de Castro, founded the Puerto Rican chapter of the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País
and called it "La Sociedad de Amigos del País de Puerto Rico" (the Economic Friends of Puerto Rico). In 1847 the Sociedad de Amigos del País de Puerto Rico named Baldorioty de Castro the organization's correspondent in Spain. On March 21, 1851 he was granted permission to transfer to France, to continue his studies. Baldorioty de Castro then relocated to Paris
, where he attended the Central School of Arts
.
In 1853, after seven years of absence, Baldorioty de Castro returned to Puerto Rico and married Isabel Matilde Díaz y Ruiz, the granddaughter of Lieutenant Francisco Díaz
, hero of the Battle of San Juan of 1797. Upon his return, he noticed that there was political tension, because of the differences between the governor in office and the political and educational groups in Puerto Rico. Baldorioty de Castro then began promoting the restructuring of the social, political and educational establishments. These contributions led to Fernando Norzagaray, the colony's
incumbent governor to offer him the position of mayor of one of the island's municipalities (towns). Baldorioty de Castro declined the offer, based on his ideals. At the moment, the government displayed no interest in promoting education among the Criollos
of the island. Two years earlier, the governor had imposed the Reglamento del Jornalero, which promoted a more ample labor base by reducing the amount of unemployed citizens. However, the establishment of this measure created criticism when some of the proposal's aspects were used to increase the wealth of employers. As a consequence, the law's status was reconsidered and a group led by Baldorioty de Castro was selected to decide its validity. In 1853, he became a member of the Liberal Reform Party of Puerto Rico. Besides politics, Baldorioty de Castro also loved teaching. He taught Botany and Maritime Sciences at the School of Commerce, Agriculture and Maritime Studies in San Juan.
On January 1854, the Councilor Seminar named Baldorioty de Castro the institution's botany professor. On November of that year, Puerto Rico's Commerce and Foment Joint selected him to be work as a professor in a Nautical School, where he taught Maritime Studies. The colonial government discovered that there was fertile terrain in the islands of Mona
and Monito
in 1856. After the discovery, they selected Baldorioty de Castro as the supervisor of a series of experiments to determine the terrain's components.
In 1857, the cattle industry in Puerto Rico began experiencing difficulties, when the number of animals diminished significantly. To resolve this problem, the island's Economic Society formed a commission composed of Baldorioty de Castro, José Julián Acosta and Juan Hernández Arbizu.
Baldorioty de Castro proposed that geometry
classes be included in the curriculum of elementary schools in Puerto Rico, which was accepted by the pertinent authority. On January 2, 1858, the Economic Society unanimously named him the Secretary of the Studies Commission. On June 4, 1860, the organization named him vocal of a commission in charge of promoting conservation of the island's natural resources. Later that year, Baldorioty de Castro represented Puerto Rico as a delegate in the Spanish Parliament, until 1865. On September 17, 1864, he was certified as an applied mechanics
professor and worked for a salary of thirty-five dollars a month.
While working in the Spanish Parliament, he made the most of his position and voiced his views about the abolishment of slavery and the establishment of a constitution which would guarantee Puerto Ricans more political rights. On November 4, 1866, he was named Puerto Rico's representative in Paris' 1867 Universal Exposition. He served as a critic and subsequently wrote a review titled Exposición Universal de París en 1967. Memoria presentada a la Comisión Provincial de Puerto Rico. After completing his participation in Paris, Baldorioty de Castro returned to Puerto Rico, at the moment when there was political instability between groups with supported the abolition of slavery in the island and the Spanish colonial government. This led to protests and demands by the local Criollo population and influenced several revolutionaries which led to the Grito de Lares
. Baldorioty de Castro did not promote the armed revolution, instead he choose to debate the several conflicts and issues on diplomatic venues. After the revolution attempts, a new superior provisional government was established in the island. This government promoted a union between the conflicting parties in order to establish reforms in the government's structure. In line with the proposed solution, Baldorioty de Castro proposed a conciliation of these groups, but the efforts to unify the opposing views was unsuccessful. After this, he traveled to Madrid, under political pressure, and presented the island's status situation to the respective authorities. He began writing several documents containing strong criticism towards the colonial government and wrote a report listing the elements that he felt were being used by the administration that were affecting the island's social and economic aspects. In January 1867, Baldorioty de Castro received a communication from Puerto Rico's Superior Instruction Juncture, notifying him that he was selected as a member of the Test Commission, where he was in charge of monitoring tests being issued in physics and the natural sciences.
In 1870, he was named deputy to the Spanish Parliament, after the governor in office had revoked all of the recognitions which accredited him as an educator. There he continued to speak about his cause. Baldorioty de Castro became known as "The Father of Puerto Rican Autonomy". On November 19, 1872, Ramon Baldorioty de Castro together with Luis Padial
, Julio Vizcarrondo
and the Spanish Minister of Overseas Affairs, Segismundo Moret
, presented a proposal for the abolition of slavery. On March 22, 1873, the Spanish Government approved the proposal which became known as the Moret Law
.
Baldorioty de Castro returned to Puerto Rico in 1873 and went to live in the City of Ponce
. There, he became the founder of the newspaper El Derecho (The Law). He was also the founder of a weekly paper called La Crónica in which he was able to express his ideas on autonomy for the island. In 1887, Baldorioty de Castro co-founded, along with José de Diego
, the Autonomist Party of Puerto Rico. He named a young and upcoming politician, Antonio R. Barceló
, the position of party Secretary. The Autonomist Party of Puerto Rico became one of Puerto Rico's first political parties. Its credo was that Puerto Rico should pick its own government and should have a representative in the Spanish Parliament. The Spanish government, however, considered Baldorioty de Castro a dangerous person and a dissenter and had him jailed in Fort San Felipe del Morro
in San Juan. Although he was not in jail for long and was soon released, his health suffered greatly during this brief imprisonment. Román Baldorioty de Castro died September 30, 1889 in Ponce. He is buried in Ponce's Cementerio Viejo cemetery which was renamed "Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
".
The cities of Bayamón, Juana Díaz
and San Germán
have honored the memory of Baldorioty de Castro by naming plazas after him. Puerto Rico Highway 26, called the Román Baldorioty de Castro Expressway, is the main highway to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. In Puerto Rico’s capital city, where the Baldorioty de Castro Expressway meets the Condado Lagoon
in the Miramar neighborhood of Santurce
, an obelisk was constructed in the center of the city park surrounding the lagoon. The obelisk is in honor of Baldorioty de Castro. A bronze statue of Baldority de Castro stands at the base of the statue as a gift of the people of Puerto Rico. There are schools named after him in other areas of Puerto Rico. The province of Azua de Compostela
, Dominican Republic, honored him by naming one of the capital city's secondary education institutions after him: Liceo de Estudios Secundarios Román Baldorioty de Castro.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's foremost abolitionists
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
. He received his primary and secondary education in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
and after completing his elementary education, received a scholarship and moved to Spain, where he continued his studies at the University of Madrid
University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a public university in Madrid, Spain, and one of the oldest universities in the world.The University of Madrid may also refer to:* The Autonomous University of Madrid, a public university founded in 1968...
. In 1853, he returned to Puerto Rico and began working as a professor at the island's School of Commerce and the Seminario Concilar. Baldorioty de Castro was selected to represent Puerto Rico at the 1867 Universal Fair, which was organized in Paris, France. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
, the Spanish parliament, where he promoted abolition of slavery. Baldorioty de Castro founded the Partido Autonomista in 1887, but he was only able to work within it for a few months before being imprisoned in Fort San Felipe del Morro
Fort San Felipe del Morro
Also known as Fort San Felipe del Morro or Morro Castle, is a 16th-century citadel located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.- Rundown :Lies on the northwestern-most point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico...
, after being accused of publishing propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
that affected the Spanish government's image. He was released after a brief period in jail, but his time in prison affected his health, which contributed to his death on September 30, 1889.
Early years
Baldorioty de Castro was born in GuaynaboGuaynabo, Puerto Rico
Guaynabo is a municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas; south of Cataño; east of Bayamón; and west of San Juan...
to a poor family. His family moved to San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
when he was young, where he received his primary education as a student of the noted educator, Rafael Cordero
Rafael Cordero (educator)
Rafael Cordero , known as "The Father of Public Education in Puerto Rico", was a self-educated Puerto Rican who provided free schooling to children regardless of their race or social standing.-Early years:...
. After completing his elementary education, he enrolled in El Seminario Conciliar de Idelfonso, which at that time was the most organized institution in Puerto Rico. He spent most of his adolescent years studying and finished with one of the best averages in his class. Following this, Baldorioty de Castro was granted a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, which he used for his studies in Spain. He then collected the money necessary to travel and departed to Spain in the company of three fellow Puerto Ricans, two students and a professor. Before establishing a permanent residence in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, the group traveled to several Spanish provinces, where they visited some of the country's tourist sites. Among the places visited were locations in Cordoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
, Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Andújar
Andújar
Andújar is a Spanish municipality of 38,539 people in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar is situated. To the south are agricultural fields and...
and Bailén
Bailen
Bailen may refer to:* Bailén, a town in Jaén, Spain* Battle of Bailén of 1808* General Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite, a town in the Philippines, which was formerly known as Bailen...
where they met Alberto Lista, one of Spain's most renowned educators. The three other students (who traveled with Baldorioty de Castro) contracted smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, shortly after beginning their academic studies in the Central University of Madrid. Baldorioty de Castro provided them with medical attention, however two of them died from complications of the disease. Baldorioty de Castro was given an offer to return to Puerto Rico which he declined. He continued his studies along with the only survivor and graduated with a degree in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and mathematical sciences
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from the university. Dr. José Gualberto Padilla
José Gualberto Padilla
Dr. José Gualberto Padilla , also known as "El Caribe", was a poet, physician, journalist, politician and an advocate for Puerto Rico's independence...
together with Román Baldorioty de Castro, founded the Puerto Rican chapter of the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País
Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País
The Sociedades Económicas de Amigos del País were private associations established in various cities throughout Enlightenment Spain, and to a lesser degree in some of her colonies .-History:The Sociedades Económicas were founded as part of a movement to...
and called it "La Sociedad de Amigos del País de Puerto Rico" (the Economic Friends of Puerto Rico). In 1847 the Sociedad de Amigos del País de Puerto Rico named Baldorioty de Castro the organization's correspondent in Spain. On March 21, 1851 he was granted permission to transfer to France, to continue his studies. Baldorioty de Castro then relocated to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he attended the Central School of Arts
École Centrale Paris
École Centrale Paris is a French university-level institution in the field of engineering. It is also known by its original name École centrale des arts et manufactures, or ECP. Founded in 1829, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious engineering schools in France and has the special status...
.
Political and professional careers
Jose and Francisco Diaz
Sergeants José "Pepe" Díaz and Francisco Díaz were two cousins in the Toa Alta Militia who helped defeat Sir Ralph Abercromby and defend Puerto Rico from a British invasion in 1797.-Early years:...
, hero of the Battle of San Juan of 1797. Upon his return, he noticed that there was political tension, because of the differences between the governor in office and the political and educational groups in Puerto Rico. Baldorioty de Castro then began promoting the restructuring of the social, political and educational establishments. These contributions led to Fernando Norzagaray, the colony's
Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
The Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire, created in 1580 to provide better military management of the island of Puerto Rico, previously under the direct rule of a simple governor and the jurisdiction of Audiencia of Santo Domingo...
incumbent governor to offer him the position of mayor of one of the island's municipalities (towns). Baldorioty de Castro declined the offer, based on his ideals. At the moment, the government displayed no interest in promoting education among the Criollos
Criollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
of the island. Two years earlier, the governor had imposed the Reglamento del Jornalero, which promoted a more ample labor base by reducing the amount of unemployed citizens. However, the establishment of this measure created criticism when some of the proposal's aspects were used to increase the wealth of employers. As a consequence, the law's status was reconsidered and a group led by Baldorioty de Castro was selected to decide its validity. In 1853, he became a member of the Liberal Reform Party of Puerto Rico. Besides politics, Baldorioty de Castro also loved teaching. He taught Botany and Maritime Sciences at the School of Commerce, Agriculture and Maritime Studies in San Juan.
On January 1854, the Councilor Seminar named Baldorioty de Castro the institution's botany professor. On November of that year, Puerto Rico's Commerce and Foment Joint selected him to be work as a professor in a Nautical School, where he taught Maritime Studies. The colonial government discovered that there was fertile terrain in the islands of Mona
Mona, Puerto Rico
Mona is the third largest island of the archipelago of Puerto Rico, after the main island of Puerto Rico and Vieques. It is the largest of three islands located in the Mona Passage, a strait between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the others being Monito Island and Desecheo Island...
and Monito
Monito Island
Monito Island is an uninhabited island about 5 kilometers northwest of much larger Mona Island. Monito is the masculine diminutive form of Mona in Spanish. It is one of three islands in the Mona Passage, and part of the Isla de Mona e Islote Monito barrio, a subdivision of the municipality of...
in 1856. After the discovery, they selected Baldorioty de Castro as the supervisor of a series of experiments to determine the terrain's components.
In 1857, the cattle industry in Puerto Rico began experiencing difficulties, when the number of animals diminished significantly. To resolve this problem, the island's Economic Society formed a commission composed of Baldorioty de Castro, José Julián Acosta and Juan Hernández Arbizu.
Baldorioty de Castro proposed that geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
classes be included in the curriculum of elementary schools in Puerto Rico, which was accepted by the pertinent authority. On January 2, 1858, the Economic Society unanimously named him the Secretary of the Studies Commission. On June 4, 1860, the organization named him vocal of a commission in charge of promoting conservation of the island's natural resources. Later that year, Baldorioty de Castro represented Puerto Rico as a delegate in the Spanish Parliament, until 1865. On September 17, 1864, he was certified as an applied mechanics
Applied mechanics
Applied mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences and the practical application of mechanics. Applied mechanics examines the response of bodies or systems of bodies to external forces...
professor and worked for a salary of thirty-five dollars a month.
While working in the Spanish Parliament, he made the most of his position and voiced his views about the abolishment of slavery and the establishment of a constitution which would guarantee Puerto Ricans more political rights. On November 4, 1866, he was named Puerto Rico's representative in Paris' 1867 Universal Exposition. He served as a critic and subsequently wrote a review titled Exposición Universal de París en 1967. Memoria presentada a la Comisión Provincial de Puerto Rico. After completing his participation in Paris, Baldorioty de Castro returned to Puerto Rico, at the moment when there was political instability between groups with supported the abolition of slavery in the island and the Spanish colonial government. This led to protests and demands by the local Criollo population and influenced several revolutionaries which led to the Grito de Lares
Grito de Lares
El Grito de Lares —also referred as the Lares uprising, the Lares revolt, Lares rebellion or even Lares Revolution—was the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico...
. Baldorioty de Castro did not promote the armed revolution, instead he choose to debate the several conflicts and issues on diplomatic venues. After the revolution attempts, a new superior provisional government was established in the island. This government promoted a union between the conflicting parties in order to establish reforms in the government's structure. In line with the proposed solution, Baldorioty de Castro proposed a conciliation of these groups, but the efforts to unify the opposing views was unsuccessful. After this, he traveled to Madrid, under political pressure, and presented the island's status situation to the respective authorities. He began writing several documents containing strong criticism towards the colonial government and wrote a report listing the elements that he felt were being used by the administration that were affecting the island's social and economic aspects. In January 1867, Baldorioty de Castro received a communication from Puerto Rico's Superior Instruction Juncture, notifying him that he was selected as a member of the Test Commission, where he was in charge of monitoring tests being issued in physics and the natural sciences.
In 1870, he was named deputy to the Spanish Parliament, after the governor in office had revoked all of the recognitions which accredited him as an educator. There he continued to speak about his cause. Baldorioty de Castro became known as "The Father of Puerto Rican Autonomy". On November 19, 1872, Ramon Baldorioty de Castro together with Luis Padial
Luis Padial
Brigadier General Luis Padial , was a soldier, politician and one of the most important figures who was responsible for the abolishment of slavery in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
, Julio Vizcarrondo
Julio Vizcarrondo
Julio Vizcarrondo Coronado was a Puerto Rican abolitionist, journalist, politician and religious leader. He played an instrumental role in the development and passage of the Moret Law which in 1873 abolished slavery in Puerto Rico...
and the Spanish Minister of Overseas Affairs, Segismundo Moret
Segismundo Moret
Segismundo Moret y Prendergast was a Spanish politician and writer.-Biography:He was born in Cádiz on 2 June 1833...
, presented a proposal for the abolition of slavery. On March 22, 1873, the Spanish Government approved the proposal which became known as the Moret Law
Moret Law
The Moret Law was a form of freedom of wombs approved in Spain on July 4, 1870 for application in the colonies as a result of the efforts of Roman Baldorioty de Castro, Luis Padial, Julio Vizcarrondo, and Segismundo Moret...
.
Final years and legacy
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...
. There, he became the founder of the newspaper El Derecho (The Law). He was also the founder of a weekly paper called La Crónica in which he was able to express his ideas on autonomy for the island. In 1887, Baldorioty de Castro co-founded, along with José de Diego
José de Diego
José de Diego y Martínez , known as "The Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement", was a statesman, journalist, poet, lawyer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence from Spain and from the United States....
, the Autonomist Party of Puerto Rico. He named a young and upcoming politician, Antonio R. Barceló
Antonio R. Barceló
Antonio Rafael Barceló y Martinez was a lawyer, businessman and the patriarch of what was to become one of Puerto Rico's most prominent political families...
, the position of party Secretary. The Autonomist Party of Puerto Rico became one of Puerto Rico's first political parties. Its credo was that Puerto Rico should pick its own government and should have a representative in the Spanish Parliament. The Spanish government, however, considered Baldorioty de Castro a dangerous person and a dissenter and had him jailed in Fort San Felipe del Morro
Fort San Felipe del Morro
Also known as Fort San Felipe del Morro or Morro Castle, is a 16th-century citadel located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.- Rundown :Lies on the northwestern-most point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico...
in San Juan. Although he was not in jail for long and was soon released, his health suffered greatly during this brief imprisonment. Román Baldorioty de Castro died September 30, 1889 in Ponce. He is buried in Ponce's Cementerio Viejo cemetery which was renamed "Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro
The Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...
".
The cities of Bayamón, Juana Díaz
Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Juana Díaz is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Jayuya, Ciales, Orocovis and Villalba; east of Ponce; and west of Coamo and Santa Isabel and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Juana Díaz is spread over 12 wards and Juana Diaz Pueblo...
and San Germán
San Germán, Puerto Rico
San Germán is a municipality located in the southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao; north of Lajas; east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo; and west of Sabana Grande. San Germán is spread over 18 wards and San Germán Pueblo...
have honored the memory of Baldorioty de Castro by naming plazas after him. Puerto Rico Highway 26, called the Román Baldorioty de Castro Expressway, is the main highway to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. In Puerto Rico’s capital city, where the Baldorioty de Castro Expressway meets the Condado Lagoon
Condado Lagoon
Condado Lagoon is an affluent body of water flowing freely between two neighborhoods of Santurce .-Background:...
in the Miramar neighborhood of Santurce
Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Santurce is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico.-Summary:Santurce is one of the top ten most populated areas of the island holding Miramar, Loíza, Isla Grande, Barrio Obrero, and Condado as main cultural hot spots for art, music, cuisine, fashion, hotels, technology, multimedia, film, textile and...
, an obelisk was constructed in the center of the city park surrounding the lagoon. The obelisk is in honor of Baldorioty de Castro. A bronze statue of Baldority de Castro stands at the base of the statue as a gift of the people of Puerto Rico. There are schools named after him in other areas of Puerto Rico. The province of Azua de Compostela
Azua de Compostela
Azua de Compostela, also known simply as Azua, is a municipality of the Azua province in the Dominican Republic. It is the capital of Azua province, and is located 100 kilometres west of the national capital, Santo Domingo....
, Dominican Republic, honored him by naming one of the capital city's secondary education institutions after him: Liceo de Estudios Secundarios Román Baldorioty de Castro.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Politics of Puerto RicoPolitics of Puerto RicoThe politics of Puerto Rico take place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States of America as an organized unincorporated territory....
- AutonomismAutonomismAutonomism refers to a set of left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. As an identifiable theoretical system it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerist communism...
- Panteon Nacional Roman Baldorioty de CastroPanteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de CastroThe Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro is a tract of land in Barrio Segundo of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, originally designed as the city's cemetery, but later converted into what has come to be a famous burial place. Established in 1842, it is Puerto Rico's first national pantheon...