Teodoro Vidal Collection of Puerto Rican History

Explore Puerto Rico’s history, from the 16th to the 20th centuries, through the eyes of collector Teodoro Vidal. Vidal captured the island’s history by collecting thousands of objects. Over 80 artifacts are featured here.

Place: Puerto Rico

Milagros

Ex-votos, called milagros in Spanish, are offerings to a particular saint for help in curing an ailment. Many milagros are in the shape of specific body parts. Usually made of silver or tin, they can also be found in wax, gold, and other metals.
Description
Ex-votos, called milagros in Spanish, are offerings to a particular saint for help in curing an ailment. Many milagros are in the shape of specific body parts. Usually made of silver or tin, they can also be found in wax, gold, and other metals. Santos and milagros in the Vidal Collection date from the 1700s.
Description (Spanish)
Los milagros son ofrendas hechas a un santo en particular para rogarle por la cura de alguna afección. Muchos milagros representan partes del cuerpo específicas. Por lo general se confeccionan de plata u hojalata, pero pueden hallarse también de cera, oro y otros metales. Los santos y los milagros de la Colección Vidal datan del siglo XVIII.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1006.001
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1006.001

Canasta Colgante

This basket was bought in Luquillo in 1979. The hanging supports are made of bejuco, processed fiber from the century plant, or maguey. A large metal disk was placed around the top to keep rodents from crawling into it from above.
Description
This basket was bought in Luquillo in 1979. The hanging supports are made of bejuco, processed fiber from the century plant, or maguey. A large metal disk was placed around the top to keep rodents from crawling into it from above. Widely used in rural kitchens, it is called a canestillo in the center of the island and a barandillo in the north.
Description (Spanish)
Esta canasta colgante fue adquirida en Luquillo en 1979. Los soportes están hechos de bejuco, fibra procesada del maguey. Se colocó un disco de metal grande alrededor de la parte superior para evitar que se introdujeran los roedores. Se utiliza mucho en las cocinas rurales y se la conoce como canestillo en el centro de la isla y como barandillo en el norte.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ca 1979
ID Number
1997.0097.1012
catalog number
1997.0097.1012
accession number
1997.0097

Mourning Fan

This collapsible woman's fan, made from wood and cloth, is painted black to show that the user was in mourning. In the 1800s, regardless of class, most people with families died at home, not in hospitals.
Description
This collapsible woman's fan, made from wood and cloth, is painted black to show that the user was in mourning. In the 1800s, regardless of class, most people with families died at home, not in hospitals. There, the deceased would be laid out in a room for friends and relatives to view the body and pay their respects. Family and friends then carried the coffin to the church and to burial.
Description (Spanish)
Este abanico plegable de mujer, hecho de madera y género, está pintado de negro para indicar que quien lo usa está de luto. A lo largo del siglo XIX, sin excepción de clase social, la mayoría de la gente con familia moría en la casa, no en el hospital. Se los acostaba en una sala donde los amigos y familiares podían ver el cuerpo y presentar sus respetos. Luego la familia y los amigos llevaban el ataúd hasta la iglesia y el lugar del entierro.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th-early 20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1037
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1037

Oil lamp

This red painted tinware oil lamp was acquired in the town of Lares in 1959. Popular lore says that small oil lamps like this were used by women to meet at night and gossip.
Description
This red painted tinware oil lamp was acquired in the town of Lares in 1959. Popular lore says that small oil lamps like this were used by women to meet at night and gossip. Chisme, means gossip, therefore the lamp was named a chismosa, or gossiper.
Description (Spanish)
Esta lámpara de aceite de latón fue adquirida en la ciudad de Lares en 1959. Es la creencia popular que lámparas pequeñas como estas eran usadas por mujeres que se reunían por la noche a chismear. Por esta razón este tipo de lámparas se llaman chismosas.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1959
ID Number
1997.0097.1067
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1067

Güiro

A traditional instrument of the Taínos, the unusual güiro is made from the seed pod of the native flamboyán, also know as the flame tree.
Description
A traditional instrument of the Taínos, the unusual güiro is made from the seed pod of the native flamboyán, also know as the flame tree. It is played by scraping the carved ridges with the tines of a special pick or scraper.
Description (Spanish)
Instrumento tradicional de los Taínos, habitantes originales de Puerto Rico. El güiro se hace con el fruto del higüero, Crescentia cujete, que es un árbol nativo de la región. Se ejecuta pasando un puyero o raspador contra las ranuras talladas en el frente.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1074
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1074

Güiro

A traditional güiro is made from gourd-like fruit of the higüero tree (Crescentia cujete) that is native to the region. This musical instrument, common throughout the Caribbean, takes on various forms and can be made from modern materials like metal or plastic.
Description
A traditional güiro is made from gourd-like fruit of the higüero tree (Crescentia cujete) that is native to the region. This musical instrument, common throughout the Caribbean, takes on various forms and can be made from modern materials like metal or plastic. A musical instrument of Pre-Columbian origin, it is played by scraping the carved ridges with the tines of a special pick or scraper.
Description (Spanish)
El güiro tradicional se hace con la calabaza del higüero, Crescentia cujete, que es un árbol nativo de la región. Este instrumento musical, común a todo el Caribe, se presenta de distintas formas y materiales, como de metal o plástico. Sus orígenes se remontan a la época precolombina. Se ejecuta raspando las ranuras talladas con las puntas de un puyero o raspador.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1077
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1077

Tiple

The tiple, Puerto Rico's smallest string instrument, shows great regional variations in how it is strung and tuned. It and its jumbo version, the bordonúa, were often played to accompany religious songs.
Description
The tiple, Puerto Rico's smallest string instrument, shows great regional variations in how it is strung and tuned. It and its jumbo version, the bordonúa, were often played to accompany religious songs. While the melodic cuatro has been embraced as a popular symbol of puertorriqueñidad (Puerto Ricanness), the tiple nearly disappeared in the 20th century.
Description (Spanish)
El tiple es el instrumento de cuerdas más pequeño de Puerto Rico, observándose un gran número de variaciones regionales respecto al modo en que se encorda y afina. El tiple y su versión gigante, el bordonúa, se tocaban a menudo para acompañar temas religiosos. Mientras que el cuatro melódico fue adoptado como símbolo popular de la puertorriqueñidad, el tiple prácticamente ha desaparecido en el siglo XX.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th-early 20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1078
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1078

Cuatro

The modern cuatro is a five double-string guitar-like instrument used to play música jíbara, Puerto Rican country music.
Description
The modern cuatro is a five double-string guitar-like instrument used to play música jíbara, Puerto Rican country music. In this unusual example, the dried, woody fruit of the higüero tree, a material more commonly used in the fabrication of maracas or güiros, comprises the main body of the instrument. The archaic cuatro had only four strings (sometimes doubled), like the example here. In the early 20th century, Puerto Rican musicians on the northern part of the island revamped the cuatro and added up to six more metal strings to allow for heightened virtuosity.
Description (Spanish)
El cuatro moderno es un instrumento parecido a la guitarra, con cinco cuerdas dobles, que se usa para tocar música jíbara, es decir, música campesina de Puerto Rico. En este ejemplo poco usual, el cuerpo principal del instrumento está hecho con el fruto seco del higüero, material que por lo general se emplea en la fabricación de maracas o güiros. El cuatro arcaico estaba dotado de solo cuatro cuerdas (a veces dobles), como en este caso. A principios del siglo XX, los músicos del norte de Puerto Rico modernizaron el cuatro y le agregaron hasta seis cuerdas más que permiten destacar el virtuosismo el intérprete.
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1082
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1082

Pandereta

This large, hand-held drum, known in Puerto Rico as a pandereta, is an essential instrument in the musical genre known as plena. The plena was developed by agricultural workers at the end of the 19th century on the southern coast of the island, around the city of Ponce.
Description
This large, hand-held drum, known in Puerto Rico as a pandereta, is an essential instrument in the musical genre known as plena. The plena was developed by agricultural workers at the end of the 19th century on the southern coast of the island, around the city of Ponce. Considered a national musical genre throughout the 20th century, the plena may have originally reflected musical traditions brought to Puerto Rico by immigrants from other Caribbean islands. This example is from the city of Mayagüez.
Description (Spanish)
Este gran tambor de mano, que en Puerto Rico se denomina pandereta, es un instrumento esencial dentro del género musical conocido como plena. La plena surgió entre los trabajadores del campo a fines del siglo XIX en la costa sureña de la isla, alrededor de la ciudad de Ponce. A lo largo del siglo XX se lo consideró un género de música nacional, si bien originalmente pudo haber reflejado tradiciones musicales llevadas a Puerto Rico por inmigrantes de otras islas del Caribe. Este ejemplo proviene de la ciudad de Mayagüez.
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1083
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1083

Maracas

This pair of maracas is made from the dried, gourd-like fruit of the calabash or higüero tree.
Description
This pair of maracas is made from the dried, gourd-like fruit of the calabash or higüero tree. Their construction and the painted words "Puerto Rico" indicate that they were produced as souvenirs or emblems of national identity rather than as functional musical instruments.
Description (Spanish)
Este par de maracas está hecho del fruto seco, en forma de calabaza, del higüero. Su construcción, así como las palabras pintadas "Puerto Rico", indican que se confeccionaron como recuerdos o emblemas de identidad nacional, más que con el fin de ejecutarse como instrumentos musicales.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1084
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1084

Rosary

The beads in this rosary are made from wood, and four large milagros, or "miracles" representing offerings to a particular saint, are attached to the rosary. Rosaries are strings of beads used by Catholics to repeat prayers such as the "Hail Mary" and the "Our Father".
Description
The beads in this rosary are made from wood, and four large milagros, or "miracles" representing offerings to a particular saint, are attached to the rosary. Rosaries are strings of beads used by Catholics to repeat prayers such as the "Hail Mary" and the "Our Father". Sometimes they are offered as tokens of special thanks to particular saints. Rosaries in the Vidal Collection are made from a wide variety of materials such as silver, gold, horn, seed, wood, and coral.
Description (Spanish)
Las cuentas de este rosario son de madera y llevan adheridos cuatro milagros de importante tamaño que representan ofrendas a determinados santos. Los rosarios son collares de cuentas que usan los católicos para repetir plegarias tales como el Ave María y el Padre Nuestro. A veces se ofrecen en señal de agradecimiento a ciertos santos. Los rosarios de la Colección Vidal se hallan confeccionados de una gran variedad de materiales, desde plata y oro, hasta cuerno, semillas, madera y coral.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1088.001
catalog number
1997.0097.1088.001
accession number
1997.0097

Puyero de Güiro

Known as a puyero or raspador, the pick or scraper used to play the güiro makes rhythmic patterns with combinations of downstrokes and upstrokes.Conocida también como púa o raspador, el puyero que se utiliza para tocar el güiro produce patrones rítmicos que se logran combinando g
Description
Known as a puyero or raspador, the pick or scraper used to play the güiro makes rhythmic patterns with combinations of downstrokes and upstrokes.
Description (Spanish)
Conocida también como púa o raspador, el puyero que se utiliza para tocar el güiro produce patrones rítmicos que se logran combinando golpes hacia arriba y hacia abajo.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1093
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1093

Güiro Pick

This güiro pick is in the shape of a cuatro, the national string instrument of Puerto Rico.
Description
This güiro pick is in the shape of a cuatro, the national string instrument of Puerto Rico. Both the güiro and cuatro feature prominently in the instrumentation of traditional Puerto Rican genres like the seis and plena.
Description (Spanish)
Este puyero de güiro tiene la forma de un cuatro, el instrumento nacional de cuerdas de Puerto Rico. Tanto el güiro como el cuatro ocupan un lugar prominente en la instrumentación de los géneros tradicionales puertorriqueños, tales como el seis y la plena.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1094
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1094

Puyero de Güiro

In Puerto Rico, the güiro provides an essential rhythmic element in genres as distinct as the street-oriented plena, and the salon-oriented danza.
Description
In Puerto Rico, the güiro provides an essential rhythmic element in genres as distinct as the street-oriented plena, and the salon-oriented danza. This unusual güiro pick is in the shape of a human head.
Description (Spanish)
En Puerto Rico, el güiro aporta un elemento rítmico esencial a géneros tan distintos como la plena, de orientación callejera, y la danza, más de salón. El singular puyero de este güiro tiene la forma de una cabeza.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1097
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1097

Pandereta

This large, hand-held drum, known in Puerto Rico as a pandereta, is an essential instrument in the musical genre known as plena. The plena was developed by agricultural workers at the end of the 19th century on the southern coast of the island, around the city of Ponce.
Description
This large, hand-held drum, known in Puerto Rico as a pandereta, is an essential instrument in the musical genre known as plena. The plena was developed by agricultural workers at the end of the 19th century on the southern coast of the island, around the city of Ponce. Considered a national musical genre throughout the 20th century, the plena may have originally reflected musical traditions brought to Puerto Rico by immigrants from other Caribbean islands.
Description (Spanish)
Este gran tambor de mano, conocido en Puerto Rico como pandereta, es un instrumento esencial dentro del género musical conocido como plena. La plena surgió entre los trabajadores del campo a fines del siglo XIX en la costa sureña de la isla, alrededor de la ciudad de Ponce. A lo largo del siglo XX se la consideró como género de música nacional, si bien originalmente puede haber reflejado tradiciones musicales llevadas a Puerto Rico por inmigrantes de otras islas del Caribe.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1095
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1095

Maracas

This variety of maracas, made of cow leather and sinew, is used in musical genres like guaracha, son, and salsa. They are of different sizes, so that one is pitched higher and the other, lower.
Description
This variety of maracas, made of cow leather and sinew, is used in musical genres like guaracha, son, and salsa. They are of different sizes, so that one is pitched higher and the other, lower. In contrast, the Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition known as bomba uses a larger, single maraca in its performances.
Description (Spanish)
Esta variedad de maracas, confeccionadas con cuero y tendón de vaca, se utiliza en la interpretación de géneros como la guaracha, el son y la salsa. Tienen distintos tamaños, de modo que una produce sonidos más agudos y la otra más graves. En contraste, para la interpretación de la música de tradición afro-puertorriqueña conocida como bomba se utiliza una sola maraca más grande.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
maker
Ramos, Ismael
ID Number
1997.0097.1098
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1098

Barril de Bomba

This is a miniature version of the barril de bomba, the kind of drum used in performances of the Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition known as bomba.
Description
This is a miniature version of the barril de bomba, the kind of drum used in performances of the Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition known as bomba. While bomba can be used as the generic name for a number of rhythms, its real meaning is about the encounter and creative relationship between dancers, percussionists, and singers. Bomba is a community affair that still thrives in its traditional centers of Loíza, Santurce, Mayagüez, Ponce, and New York City.
Description (Spanish)
Esta es una versión en miniatura del barril de bomba, la clase de tambor que se utiliza para ejecutar la tradición musical afro-puertorriqueña conocida como bomba. Mientras que el término bomba se emplea como denominación genérica para cierto número de ritmos, su significado real proviene del encuentro y la relación creativa entre los bailarines, percusionistas y cantantes. La bomba es un evento de carácter comunitario aún vigente en los centros tradicionales de Loíza, Santurce, Mayagüez, Ponce y la ciudad de Nueva York.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
early 20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1100
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1100

Carpenter's Tools

Pictured here are a carpenter's hammer and square. Carpentry was considered both skilled and semi-skilled labor. Many carpenters worked independently and traveled the countryside looking for work opportunities.En esta foto se observan un martillo y una escuadra de carpintero.
Description
Pictured here are a carpenter's hammer and square. Carpentry was considered both skilled and semi-skilled labor. Many carpenters worked independently and traveled the countryside looking for work opportunities.
Description (Spanish)
En esta foto se observan un martillo y una escuadra de carpintero. La carpintería se consideraba como mano de obra calificada y semi-calificada. Muchos carpinteros trabajaban en forma independiente y viajaban a lo largo del país buscando oportunidades de empleo.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1130
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1130

Molinillo de Café

This manual coffee grinder from the late 1800s is a mechanized replacement for the mortar and pestle.
Description
This manual coffee grinder from the late 1800s is a mechanized replacement for the mortar and pestle. The covered grinding receptacle empties the ground beans into a wooden box in its base.
Description (Spanish)
Este molinillo de café manual data de fines del siglo XIX y representa el sustituto mecanizado del mortero con mano. Los granos se muelen en el receptáculo cubierto, desde donde se vierten a una caja de madera en la base.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1132
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1132

Maraca Yoyó

The yo-yo maraca is a Puerto Rican novelty that unites both a spinning top and a musical instrument of native origin called a maraca.
Description
The yo-yo maraca is a Puerto Rican novelty that unites both a spinning top and a musical instrument of native origin called a maraca. The name "yo-yo" is a misnomer, since the toy functions like a spinning top.
Description (Spanish)
La maraca yoyó es una novedad puertorriqueña en la que se observa la unión de un trompo con un instrumento musical de origen nativo, denominado maraca. Yoyó, sin embargo es un término erróneo, dado que el juguete funciona como trompo.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 20th century
maker
Matias, Artesania
Matias, Fernando
ID Number
1997.0097.1134
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1134

Tobacco Stand

Teodoro Vidal acquired this smart-looking smoking stand near Mayagüez, on the western shore of the island.
Description
Teodoro Vidal acquired this smart-looking smoking stand near Mayagüez, on the western shore of the island. It was made from local wood at the turn of the 20th century and has three separate containers, possibly for matches, cigarettes, and snuff, as well as space for an ash tray.
Description (Spanish)
Teodoro Vidal adquirió esta elegante mesita de tabaco cerca de Mayagüez, en la costa oeste de la isla. Fue fabricado a fines del siglo XX con madera nativa y tiene tres compartimientos, posiblemente para cerillas, cigarrillos y tabaco, junto con un espacio para cenicero.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th-early 20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1145
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1145

Spoon

This coconut shell spoon has the carved inscription "JMR 14." It is an example of a typical eating utensil in rural Puerto Rico during the 19th century.
Description
This coconut shell spoon has the carved inscription "JMR 14." It is an example of a typical eating utensil in rural Puerto Rico during the 19th century. Spoons like these were often hung in a row in the kitchen, one for each member of the family.
Description (Spanish)
Esta cuchara de cáscara de coco lleva una inscripción tallada que dice "JMR 14". Es un ejemplo de utensilio para comer típico de las áreas rurales de Puerto Rico durante el siglo XIX. Por lo general, estas cucharas se colgaban en la cocina, en fila, habiendo una para cada miembro de la familia.
Date made
late 19th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1159
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1159

Paila

This metal pot, used for making guava paste and other sweets at home, was acquired in Rio Piedras in 1953.Esta olla de metal, empleada para preparar pasta de guayaba y otros dulces caseros, fue adquirida en Río Piedras en 1953.Currently not on view
Description
This metal pot, used for making guava paste and other sweets at home, was acquired in Rio Piedras in 1953.
Description (Spanish)
Esta olla de metal, empleada para preparar pasta de guayaba y otros dulces caseros, fue adquirida en Río Piedras en 1953.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1177
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1177

Wood Planer

This carpenter's wood planer was bought from Juan Camarón, a cabinet maker from Barrio Obrero in San Juan. It was made by another cabinet maker many years earlier.
Description
This carpenter's wood planer was bought from Juan Camarón, a cabinet maker from Barrio Obrero in San Juan. It was made by another cabinet maker many years earlier. The objects collected by Teodoro Vidal illustrate many aspects of labor and production in Puerto Rico.
Description (Spanish)
Esta cepilladora de carpintero se obtuvo de Juan Camarón, un fabricante de armarios del Barrio Obrero de San Juan, pero ha sido fabricada años atrás por otro artesano de gabinetes.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th century
user
Camaron, Juan
ID Number
1997.0097.1190
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1190

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.