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.

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Pilón

This mortar and pestle were used to grind coffee beans after they were dried and roasted. Coffee was a major cash crop in Puerto Rico, second only to sugar. It grows well in the low mountains of the island, like the fertile area around the town of Yauco in the southwest.
Description
This mortar and pestle were used to grind coffee beans after they were dried and roasted. Coffee was a major cash crop in Puerto Rico, second only to sugar. It grows well in the low mountains of the island, like the fertile area around the town of Yauco in the southwest. In the 19th century many Corsicans settled in this region and played a significant role in developing the island's coffee economy, both as growers and exporters.
Description (Spanish)
El pilón se usaba para machacar los granos de café una vez secos y tostados. El café constituía un cultivo comercial de gran relevancia en Puerto Rico, el segundo en importancia después del azúcar. Se da bien en las montañas bajas de la isla, como por ejemplo en la zona fértil alrededor de la ciudad de Yauco, en el sudoeste. Durante el siglo XIX se establecieron en esta región muchos colonos oriundos de Córcega, quienes desempeñaron un papel esencial en el desarrollo de la economía de la isla en torno al café, impulsando tanto la producción como la exportación.
Date made
ca 1970
ID Number
1997.0097.0129
catalog number
1997.0097.0129
accession number
1997.0097

Slave shackles

In the 15th century, decades before they sailed into the Caribbean, Spanish merchants, captains, and adventurers had already conquered and enslaved the people of the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Description
In the 15th century, decades before they sailed into the Caribbean, Spanish merchants, captains, and adventurers had already conquered and enslaved the people of the Canary Islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. On the western coast of continental Africa, the Portuguese had been cultivating a slavery-based economic policy. This legacy of conquest and slavery shaped the colonization of Puerto Rico and other islands in the Caribbean. Some of the first American encounters between Europeans, Indians, and Africans took place in Puerto Rico, and its early history of genocidal violence and physical exploitation was repeated throughout the Americas.
Description (Spanish)
En el siglo XV, décadas antes de las navegaciones al Caribe, los mercaderes, capitanes y aventureros españoles ya habían conquistado y esclavizado a los pueblos de las Islas Canarias en el Océano Atlántico oriental. Asimismo, en la costa oeste del África continental, los portugueses habían desarrollado una política económica basada en la esclavitud. Este legado de conquista y esclavitud se trasladó a las colonias de Puerto Rico e islas del Caribe. Algunos de los primeros encuentros que tuvieron lugar en América entre europeos, indios y africanos sucedieron en Puerto Rico, repitiéndose allí como a lo largo de toda América, una temprana historia de violencia genocida y explotación física.
Date made
19th century
ID Number
1997.0097.0370
catalog number
1997.0097.0370
accession number
1997.0097

Los Tres Reyes Magos

On the Catholic calendar, the Three Kings are celebrated on the 6th of January. On this date Puerto Rican children traditionally expected their Christmas gifts, not from Santa Claus, but from the Three Kings.
Description
On the Catholic calendar, the Three Kings are celebrated on the 6th of January. On this date Puerto Rican children traditionally expected their Christmas gifts, not from Santa Claus, but from the Three Kings. In Puerto Rico, the Three Kings, (in Spanish called Reyes Magos) are depicted as riding horses, not camels. According to the Bible, these kings are said to come from the east, although popular tradition identifies one of the kings as Melchor and depicts him as African in origin. The figure of Melchor is one of the first representations of a black person in Puerto Rican art. This set of Three Kings is from the town of Morovis, probably crafted around 1990 by a member of the Rivera family.
Description (Spanish)
El calendario católico fija la celebración del Día de Reyes para el 6 de enero. Los niños puertorriqueños esperaban que este día los Reyes Magos, y no Santa Claus, les trajeran sus regalos de Navidad. En Puerto Rico, los Reyes Magos se representan montados a caballo en vez de en camellos. A pesar de que la Biblia dice que estos reyes venían del este, la tradición popular describe a uno de los reyes, Melchor, con características de origen africano. La figura de Melchor es una de las primeras representaciones de una persona de raza negra en el arte puertorriqueño. Esta artesanía de los Reyes Magos proviene del pueblo de Morovis y es probable que su creador haya sido uno de los miembros de la familia Rivera.
Date made
late 19th century
maker
Rivera Group
ID Number
1997.0097.0506
catalog number
1997.0097.0506
accession number
1997.0097

Virgen de Monserrate

Based on lore and church documents, this figure illustrates the Miracle of Hormigueros. In 1599, Our Lady of Montserrat appeared to Gerardo González, a farmer near Hormigueros in southwestern Puerto Rico. Attacked by a bull, González invoked the name of the Virgin.
Description
Based on lore and church documents, this figure illustrates the Miracle of Hormigueros. In 1599, Our Lady of Montserrat appeared to Gerardo González, a farmer near Hormigueros in southwestern Puerto Rico. Attacked by a bull, González invoked the name of the Virgin. Immediately, the beast fell, its legs broken and its forehead touching the ground as if in prayer. In gratitude, González built and dedicated a church to Our Lady of Montserrat. This figure dates from the beginning of the 19th century.
Description (Spanish)
Esta figura describe el Milagro de Hormigueros basándose en la tradición y documentación de la iglesia. En 1599 la Virgen de Montserrate se le apareció a Gerardo González, un granjero, cerca de Hormigueros, en el suroeste de Puerto Rico. Se cuenta que González fue atacado por un toro e invocó el nombre de la Virgen, luego de lo cual la bestia se desplomó de inmediato con las patas quebradas y la frente apoyada en el suelo como en posición de plegaria. En agradecimiento, González construyó una iglesia y se la dedicó a la Virgen de Montserrate. Esta figura data de principios del siglo XIX.
Date made
late 18th or early 19th century
ID Number
1997.0097.0721
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.0721

Ladle

This cucharón, or ladle, is constructed from a gourd bowl with wood handle. Teodoro Vidal went to great lengths to research and document the objects that he collected.
Description
This cucharón, or ladle, is constructed from a gourd bowl with wood handle. Teodoro Vidal went to great lengths to research and document the objects that he collected. The notes written by him upon acquiring this ladle read, "Hataca, or Jataca (word of Indian origin), large spoon or vessel made of gourd. Often used to get water from the tinajero (water filter). This one was acquired in 1958 in the town of Anasco."
Description (Spanish)
Este cucharón está hecho de una vasija de calabaza con mango de madera. Teodoro Vidal invirtió gran esfuerzo en la investigación y documentación de los objetos de su colección. Las notas que escribió en oportunidad de la compra de este objeto decían "Hataca, o Jataca (palabra de origen indígena), cuchara grande o vasija hecha de calabaza. A menudo empleada para recoger agua del tinajero (recipiente para filtrar el agua). Este objeto fue adquirido en 1958 en el pueblo de Anasco".
Date made
mid 20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.0955
catalog number
1997.0097.0955
accession number
1997.0097

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

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

Tiple

The tiple, the smallest string instrument in Puerto Rico, may be the one with the most regional variety. Small guitar or ukulele-like instruments are found throughout Latin America with the name tiple.
Description
The tiple, the smallest string instrument in Puerto Rico, may be the one with the most regional variety. Small guitar or ukulele-like instruments are found throughout Latin America with the name tiple. The Puerto Rican tiple is derived from an instrument of the same name brought by settlers from the Canary Islands.
Description (Spanish)
El tiple es el instrumento de cuerdas más pequeño de Puerto Rico y, podría decirse, el que presenta la mayor cantidad de variaciones regionales. Es posible hallar bajo el nombre de tiple guitarras pequeñas o instrumentos similares al ukulele en toda América Latina. El tiple puertorriqueño se derivó de un instrumento del mismo nombre introducido a Puerto Rico por colonos provenientes de las Islas Canarias.
Date made
early 20th century
ID Number
1997.0097.1081
accession number
1997.0097
catalog number
1997.0097.1081

Carnival Mask

Carnival celebrations featuring performers dressed as devils are found across Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America. The presence of these characters during Carnival is understood by many as an ancient reference to the contest between good and evil.
Description
Carnival celebrations featuring performers dressed as devils are found across Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America. The presence of these characters during Carnival is understood by many as an ancient reference to the contest between good and evil. This devilish mask shows the characteristic style of its maker, Leonardo Pagán. Born in 1929, Pagán was the student of a renowned mask maker, Juan Careta, who worked from the 1890s until the 1950s. After his mentor's death, Pagán masks became highly prized. Pagán died in 2000.
Description (Spanish)
Las celebraciones de carnaval durante las cuales se observan individuos disfrazados de diablos son comunes en Puerto Rico y el resto de América Latina. Muchos interpretan la presencia de estos personajes durante el Carnaval como una antigua referencia a la contienda entre el bien y el mal. Esta máscara diabólica representa el estilo característico de su creador, Leonardo Pagán. Nacido en 1929, Pagán fue estudiante del renombrado artesano de máscaras, Juan Careta, cuyo trabajo se extendió desde la década de 1890 hasta la de 1950. Luego de la muerte de su mentor, las máscaras de Pagán se volvieron muy preciadas. Pagán falleció en el año 2000.
Date made
1997-04
maker
Pagan, Leonardo
ID Number
1997.0097.1215
catalog number
1997.0097.1215
accession number
1997.0097

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