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Spanish Settlement in Puerto Rico

Type Event Region Caribbean Time 1511–1512

In 1511 Spain established its second major colonial outpost, San Germán, in southwestern Puerto Rico as the island's southern administrative center, …

Timeline

  1. 1511Near Añasco (original site of San Germán) · Puerto RicoAfter Juan Ponce de León founded Caparra (Puerto Rico's first capital) in 1508, Spain established San Germán in the island's southwest in 1511 as the capital of the southern district, creating a dual-center governance pattern alongside northern Caparra.
  2. c. 1511Original site of San Germán · Puerto RicoA Taíno uprising that broke out in February 1511 attacked and destroyed the newly founded San Germán settlement, temporarily collapsing the colonial outpost and reflecting the indigenous resistance Spain faced when imposing colonial rule on Caribbean islands.
  3. 1512Guayanilla · Puerto RicoAfter the uprising, Miguel Díaz rebuilt San Germán at Guayanilla in 1512; the town was named for Queen Germaine of Foix of Castile and Saint Germanus, and became one of the longest-surviving Spanish colonial towns in Puerto Rico besides San Juan.

Sources