I recently returned from a joyful trip visiting my family in Rincon, Puerto Rico.
On this trip, I brought a very early draft of my genealogy “books” to review with some close family members. I had a great time discussing the family stories I heard from my mom and learned new details about the stories and new ones.
I am also getting a lot of help from my cousins on editing since my “Spanish” grammar is not up to snuff. I am thrilled that Tia Tita, a retired Spanish teacher, will also be helping with editing!
Lesson: Want to have family members read your genealogy work? Let go of ego, and let everyone give all the input and as much rewriting advice possible.
One of the great insights I learned on this trip came from my cousin Rolando. He succinctly describes that our ancestors lived in a feudalistic society in Rincon and most of Puerto Rico. The analogy immediately made sense to me. Of course, I knew that most of my ancestors were subsistence farmers, and per the 1910 US Census of Rincon, most rented the land they lived on. I also knew that some of my ancestors were black and indigenous slaves. With Rolando’s insight, my quick internet search led me to the terms Encomienda and latifundio.
Latifundio
The latifundio system in Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America refers to the large landholdings common during the Spanish colonial period and into the early 20th century. These estates were typically owned by a few wealthy individuals or families. Tenant farmers, known as “jíbaros,” worked the estates, often living in poverty and under harsh conditions. This concentration of land ownership led to social and economic inequality, as tenant farmers had limited access to land and resources.
The origins of the latifundio system in Puerto Rico can be traced back to Spanish colonial policies that encouraged the establishment of large agricultural estates. These estates were initially used for sugar cane cultivation, a lucrative industry for the island. Over time, the latifundio system expanded to include other crops such as coffee, tobacco, and fruits.
Latifundio comes from the Latin Latifundium, which means large ancient Roman agricultural estates that employed a large number of peasant or slave laborers. So we can blame the Romans for this, not just the Spanish.
Also, note that this practice was common in Europe. The term latifundium is synonymous with other terms commonly used for large estate systems: Russia’s pomiestny, Prussia’s Junkerdom, Poland’s magnate estate, and Latin America’s hacienda (fazenda in Brazil, estancia in Argentina, fundo in Chile, finca in Bolivia and Peru).
Encomienda
The term encomienda is a feudal term that refers to a grant of land and Native Americans or Filipinos to Spanish colonists or adventurers in the Spanish Empire’s American colonies. The term comes from the Spanish verb encomendar, which means “to entrust”
The encomienda system permitted the Spanish Crown to convert its invading army of conquistadors into colonial settlers, but the system’s flaws – maltreatment and significant population reductions from diseases – meant that it was eventually replaced by a system of low-paid labor and large estate management.
Sources
- HONDURAS COUNTRY BRIEF: PROPERTY RIGHTS AND LAND MARKETS
- Land Ownership in Mexico, From the Colonial Era to the End of the 20th Century
- https://www.worldhistory.org/Encomienda/
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/latifundium
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/sociology-and-social-reform/sociology-general-terms-and-concepts/latifundia
Divine Coincidence and Dr. Ferandez-Sacco
Returning from my trip inspired to do more reading and research, I started reading the latest edition of Hereditas: Revista de Genealogía Puertorriqueña, which arrived before our trip. Hereditas is a magazine published by the Puerto Rican Society of Genealogy in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sociedad Puertoriquena de Genealogia . Back issues are available at the New York Public Library as well as through WorldCat: Hereditas: Revista de genealogía Puertorriqueña.
I support the work of the Sociedad Puertoriquena de Genealogia by being a member. As a member, you receive two editions of the Hereditas magazine yearly.
In Volume 23, I discovered the article “Reconstructing District 3’s Missing Volume of Registro de Esclavos for Northwest Puerto Rico: Part 4″ by Dr. Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, PHD. For the English-speaking Puerto Rican genealogists (like myself) you will enjoy the article in English, which provides a thorough process of how she researches the French plantation owners Laguer, Dona Luisa Navarro Doudins (Widow, Enslaver & Business woman in Aguadilla) and the Hacienda San Esteban in Ceiba Baja, Aguadilla. Fair warning, this article is dense with information, that I keep reviewing over and over to understand the details, but it is totally worth it!
My To-Dos
I will order the past Hereditas magazines for parts 1, 2, and 3 of Dr. Fernandez-Sacco’s work since I have misplaced them among my library’s hoards of books. You can order the magazines at https://genealogiapr.com/quiosco/.
In addition to reading about Dr Fernandez-Sacco’s research journey in this series, she has an impressive website, https://latinogenealogyandbeyond.com/, which provides insight into her research and a link to her publications.
Her recent blog post on PUERTO RICO LINK LIST: RESOURCES BEYOND THE REGISTRO CIVIL & US CENSUS, her most used sources.
Hope this inspires your family roots journey.
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I will be coming back to see your posts. I have not seen much genealogy work about Rincón and I think it’s very important to cover that side of the Island.
Thank you.