Estado de el “Old Spanish Archive” y Creacion del Archivo de Puerto Rico en 1919
Report of the Executive Secretary of Porto Rico. Report of the Governor of Porto Rico. 1919. pp 92, 402.
Old Spanish archives
Year after year this office has been earnestly urging that these old archives be saved from the lamentable condition in which they have been kept almost since the American occupation of the island, and at last something is going to be done in accordance with our recommendations.
One of the first bills introduced in the last regular session of the legislature was bill No. 10, by Senator Abril, to create the Historical Archive of Porto Rico. It was promptly referred to the committee on education, but the last days of the session were reached without said committee having taken any action on it Apparently any effort theretofore made to convince the legislators of the significance and necessity of this measure had failed, when, by a resolution of both branches of the legislature, a steering committee was designated to select, among the numberless bills that were still pending, those which, by their importance, should be considered and passed, if possible, before the end of the session.
I decided then to make an effort, with a view of avoiding that the bill in question should be pigeonholed. Thus a letter was written by me to the president of the senate, who was at the same time chairman of the steering committee, making a brief history of all the facts connected with these archives; its cession by Spain to the United States in accordance with the stipulations of the treaty of peace; the books and documents forming them; the deplorable condition in which they have been kept, first in the office of the commissioner of the interior, and then under the secretary of Porto Rico, for lack of sufficient personnel and also of suitable rooms, with light and ventilation enough, to preserve them from destruction by the moisture and the insects; and the unsuccessful efforts previously made for the creation of a bureau of archives.
I said that it was the duty of all of us to adopt urgently some measure in order that these archives might be kept for the use and benefit of the next generations, and to avoid the just criticism of future historians who would be prevented from using such valuable source of information in the reconstruction of the history of Porto Rico during the last centuries of the Spanish sovereignty. I also recommended the passage of bill No. 10 with some amendments necessary to assure the establishment of the archive and its good management.
Said letter was read to the steering committee and to the house of representatives, and immediately awakened the interest of all the members of the legislature. Bill No.10 was readily passed, and it was approved by the governor on June 20, 1919. It creates the Historical Archive of Porto Rico; determines its object; assigns the public building where it should be installed; appropriates some money to start the work; provides the necessary personnel therefor and some rules for the keeping therein of of all the documents appertaining to the time of the Spanish règime; and to guarantee a satisfactory management of the institution.
Now the principal thing is done, and it is hoped that the persons to whom this work is to be entrusted will meet the expectations of the public and will make of this Spanish archive a complete success, provided of course they may always count upon a liberal pecuniary help from the legislators.
During the last fiscal year 17 new files were formed, with 1,641 classified expedientes, the total number of new files now being 352 with 28,610 expedientes.
It would be interesting to give some statistical data relative to the period between the years 1888-1898, as has been done for the years 1871-1888, but we have not been able to find any records for this period in the archives of this department. It is known that during this period 63 kilometers of road were built, at an approximate cost of $1,062,000. With reference to this incompleteness of our records, it is worth while to repeat here the statement of the commissioner of the interior made in his annual report for the year 1906, which explains: that about the time of the American occupation of Porto Rico a large number of boxes containing these documents were sent by the civil secretary to Washington. They were subsequently returned to Porto Rico by way of Cuba. At Cuba
some 89 boxes were sent ashore by mistake and have never been returned to this department. As some of these documents are of great value and interest to the people of the island and many are absolutely necessary for the settlement of Crown lands, I
would respectfully suggest that the Federal Government take some steps to have them returned to this department.”
There are indications which would make us believe that these documents found their way to Manila, where Brig. Gen. George W. Davis worked on a long and interesting report of Porto Rico, already mentioned herein, and which extends from the day of the occupation by the American Army up to May 1, 1900. On this date the government of the island was turned over to the civil authorities, taking office by virtue of the Foraker Act.