Salvador Brau
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Dr. Salvador Brau (January 11, 1842-November 5, 1912) born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, was a journalist, poet and writer. He was also a renowned historian.
Brau was born in Cabo Rojo, also known as the town of Cofresi, into a well-to-do family who taught him the importance of a good education. There he received his primary and secondary education in private schools. After he graduated from high school, he decided to continue his eduction in an institute of higher learning.
In 1861, Brau went to Spain and attended the University of Barcelona where he earned a degree in Letters. During his stay in Spain, he came into contact with the autonomist movement of Puerto Rico and became involved. Eventually, Brau earned his Doctorate in Letters. Brau was not a historian in the sense that he earned a degree in that field. However, his interest in finding out about the early history of the island led him to become a self-taught historian.
In 1870, Brau returned to Puerto Rico and became a journalist. Being a firm believer that Puerto Rico should be granted more powers by the Spanish Crown, he joined the Autonomist Party of Puerto Rico and became politically active. He also expressed his believes in his novels and plays.
In 1894, Brau was named Commissioner for the Provincial Deputation. He then moved back to Spain where he was to carry out the task of investigating the historical documents pertaining to Puerto Rico's past. These documents were stored and continue to be stored in the Indias Archives of Seville. In 1897, after three years of investigating the historical documents, Brau returned to the island.
Some of his findings in Seville were documents written by Fray Antonio de Montesinos, Fray In-nigo Abbad and many others. He uncovered important information about how the Tainos lived and how they where treated harshly by the Spanish settlers. During his investigation he also found an interesting reference to the Puerto Rican danza. According to a document written by Fray Iñgo Abad Lasierra, Bishop of Puerto Rico (1772-1778), there was a typical, fast and noisy shoe stomping dance in the island which he called "Puerto Rican danza". Brau, however claims that the authentic Puerto Rican danza was a popular creation that emerged in the 19th century.
In 1898, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States after the Spanish American War in accordance with the Treaty of Paris (1898). Brau continued to be politically active and on 1903 was named Official Historian of Puerto Rico by the U.S. appointed governor William Henry Hunt. This was a position which he held until the day that he died.
Among Braus written works are the following:
- Puerto Rico and its History
- The History of Puerto Rico
- The Colonization of Puerto Rico
- The Founding of Ponce
On November 5, 1912, Salvador Brau died in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The town of Cabo Rojo has honored his memory with a monument and by naming a hall in its amfitheater after him. The town of Aguada also has a bust of Brau in its plaza. He was also one of the few Puerto Ricans to be honored by the U.S. Navy when they named a ship after him, the S.S. Salvador Brau. The ship was built in 1944 and was eventually scraped in 1966.
