Diego de Torres Vargas
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Father Diego de Torres Vargas was a priest from Puerto Rico. It is not known exactly when he was born, but it is believed to be either during the late 16th or early 17th century in San Juan. He is considered to be the first Puerto Rican to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico.
Torres Vargas studied and graduated from the University of Salamanca in Spain and returned to Puerto Rico where he was ordained a priest. He held many important positions in the Cathederal and in the Bishop's house in San Juan.
In 1647 he wrote "Descripción de la Ciudad e Isla de Puerto Rico" ("Description of the Island and City of Puerto Rico") - the book contained a detailed geographic description of the island including a survey of all fruits, commerce, mines, churches, and hospitals, notices on the State and Capital and an extensive and erudite bibliography. This is considered to be the first attempt at writing an organized history of Puerto Rico.
On March 8, 1948 the city government of San Juan officially adopted as the city's first flag an orange field, in the center of which is the Coat of Arms of the City. The orange color was based and taken from Father Diego de Torres Vargas' text and it reads : "Escudo de armas dado a Puerto Rico por los Reyes Católicos en el año de 1511, siendo Procurador un vecino llamado Pedro Moreno. Son : un cordero blanco con su banderilla colorada, sobre un libro, y todo sobre una isla verde, que es la de Puerto Rico, y por los lados una F y una I, que quiere decir Fernando e Isabel, los Reyes Católicos que se las dieron, y hoy se conservan en el estandarte real, que es de damasco anaranjado, con que se ganó la ciudad" ("Coat of Arms given to Puerto Rico by the Catholic Kings in the year 1511 being Procurator a neighbor named Pedro Moreno. They are: a white lamb with its red flag, on top of a book, and everything above a green island, which is Puerto Rico...which is an orange damask, with which the city was won"). It appears that this orange was changed to white at some point.
