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Established | 7 September 2006 [1] |
---|---|
Location | Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro, Calle Torre # 1 at Calle Frontispicio, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
Coordinates | 18°0′14″N66°37′1″W / 18.00389°N 66.61694°W |
Type | Political history museum |
Curator | Dra. Neysa Rodríguez Deynes [1] |
Owner | Ponce Municipal Government |
The Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño (English: Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism) is a small museum in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that showcases the political history of Puerto Rico with an emphasis on the contributions made by the municipality of Ponce and its residents. The museum was established on 7 September 2006. [2]
The museum was established in 2006 under the municipal administration of Mayor Francisco Zayas Seijo. [3]
The museum is located within the grounds of the Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro (English: Román Baldorioty de Castro National Pantheon). The Panteon 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 (and only) national pantheon. [4] [5] It is the only cemetery dedicated as a museum in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. [6] The pantheon, and its Museum of Puerto Rican Autonomism, is located at Number 1 Calle Torres at Calle Frontispicio in Barrio Segundo, Ponce. [7]
The purpose of the museum is to trace the history of autonomism in the Island. [8] In 2009, the municipality also commissioned the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture to perform a study to determine the viability and cost for the total reconstruction of the Pantheon.
The museum has three main permanent collections. The first one portrays Puerto Rico's quest for national autonomy during the 19th century. The second collection displays Puerto Rico's national autonomy during the 20th century, and the third wing is dedicated to the autonomy of the Ponce municipal government. [1] Each display area pinpoints the role of the city of Ponce as the cradle of Puerto Rican autonomism, in particular, the Executive Orders of former governor Rafael Hernández Colón in the development of national autonomism during the second half of the twentieth century, and his leading role of the establishment of Puerto Rico's Law of Autonomous Municipalities of 1991 and the development of municipal autonomy. [1]
The cemetery adjacent to the museum distinguishes itself because various illustrious Puerto Ricans of transcendental importance are buried here. The most important personage buried in this historic cemetery is Don Ramon Baldorioty de Castro, distinguished Puerto Rican patriot, journalist, educator, writer, orator, and abolitionist. In 1870, he was elected delegate to the Cortes of Cádiz, where he attacked the slavery system of the time, being responsible for most of the liberty amendments. Afterward, on 23 March 1873, the abolition of slavery was proclaimed, being Baldorioty de Castro responsible for such proclamation. He is known as the father of Puerto Rican autonomism. [9] The late mayor of Ponce, Churumba, also an autonomist, has a mausoleum here also. [10] The remains of nationalist heroe Casimiro Berenguer are buried here as well. [11]
José Louis "Chegüi" Torres was a Puerto Rican-born professional boxer who fought representing the United States. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the middleweight division at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he defeated Willie Pastrano to win the WBC, WBA, and lineal light-heavyweight championships. Torres trained with the legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato. In 1997, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Román Baldorioty de Castro was a leading Puerto Rican abolitionist and spokesman for the right to self-determination of Puerto Rico. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, where he promoted abolition of slavery. In 1887, Baldorioty de Castro was the founder of the Partido Autonomista, also known as "Partido Autonomista Puro", "Partido Histórico", and "Partido Ortodoxo".
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 "El León Mayor", an allusion to the city's official symbol, the lion. Mayor Cordero was a firm believer in the government decentralization process.
Alejandro Tapia y Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, essayist and writer. Tapia is considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature and as the person who has contributed the most to the cultural advancement of Puerto Rico's literature. In addition to his writing, he was also an abolitionist and a women's rights advocate.
Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, also known as Ico, is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. During his 4-year mayoral term, Zayas Seijo established the Mariana Suárez de Longo Library and Historical Archive of Ponce, the Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño, the Centro Ponceño de Autismo, the Agüeybaná II "El Bravo" Plaza, and also expanded the Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park. He initiated to the concept of the Centro de Convenciones de Ponce and the Ponce Aquarium; however, neither one of these two saw fruition before he completed his term in January 2009. He was, however, instrumental in the development of the Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador, as well as the Río Portugués Dam and the expansion of the Ponce Municipal Police. During his administration, the Municipal Police acquired, installed, and put into operation 106 street cameras and a video command center. These were complemented by 130 additional cameras installed by the Puerto Rico Police.
The Museo de la Historia de Ponce is a local history museum located in the historic Casa Salazar-Candal in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The museum depicts the city's ecology, economy, architecture, government, and elements of daily life. It seeks to promote the research, conservation, and dissemination of the historic heritage of Ponce and Puerto Rico.
Olimpio Otero Vergés was a merchant, attorney, composer, musical editor, and a civic leader in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
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. It is the only cemetery dedicated as a museum in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Prior to being dedicated as a Panteón Nacional, it was known as Cementerio Viejo or as Cementerio Antiguo de Ponce, and is listed under that name on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Pantheon is named after Román Baldorioty de Castro, a prolific Puerto Rican politician, and firm believer of Puerto Rican autonomy and independence. His remains are located here. The Pantheon also houses a small museum about the history of autonomism in the Island, and it is currently used both as a park and a venue for the expression of culture and the arts. It is called the Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño.
Juan Rondón Martínez was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1843.
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 of the municipality's six core urban barrios. It was organized in 1878. Barrio Segundo has 3 subbarrios: Baldority de Castro, Clausells, and Reparada.
Casimiro Berenguer Padilla was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the military instructor of the Cadets of the Republic who received permission from Ponce Mayor Tormos Diego to celebrate a parade on March 21, 1937, in commemoration of the abolition of slavery and to protest the jailing of its leaders, including Pedro Albizu Campos. The parade resulted in the police riot known as the Ponce massacre.
Romualdo Palacios González was a Spanish general and governor of Puerto Rico in 1887. He is best remembered for his political persecution of Puerto Rican Autonomistas called Componte, a term that means "to rectify" or "to pacify". His favorite detention centers were the jails at the Ponce Military Barracks in Ponce and the Fort San Felipe del Morro in San Juan. Amongst his most notable persecutions was that of Román Baldorioty de Castro. Palacios was removed from office by the Spanish Government and returned to Spain on 11 November 1887. His political prisoners were released on 24 December 1887.
Rafael Pujals Cárdenas was a late 19th-century Puerto Rican physician practicing in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that excelled as a civic leader.
Valentín Tricoche was a Puerto Rican land owner and philanthropist from Ponce, Puerto Rico. He is best remembered for his generous donation that made possible the building of Hospital Tricoche.
Cementerio Civil de Ponce, a.k.a., Cementerio Municipal de Ponce, is a historic burial ground in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1901. It was designed by Manuel V. Domenech. Some of the people buried at Cementerio Civil include Ruth Fernández, Isabel la Negra and Héctor Lavoe. It is believed to be the largest cemetery in Puerto Rico.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Juan Morel Campos is a statue to the memory of a Puerto Rican composer and danza master Juan Morel Campos located at Plaza Las Delicias in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The statue's large marble pedestal follows in the Beaux Arts architectural tradition. Within the pedestal are the mortal remains of the composer.
Tomás de Renovales was a Spanish military commander for the southern region of Puerto Rico in the first half of the 19th century and de facto Mayor of the city of Ponce in 1831. He held the rank of colonel.
Fundación Biblioteca Rafael Hernández Colón is a gubernatorial library and museum that records the political life of three-term governor of Puerto Rico, Rafael Hernández Colón. It was founded in 1992 and in September 2015 it moved to its current location at the southeast corner of Calle Mayor and Calle Castillo in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in the Ponce Historic Zone.