Diego de Torres Vargas
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| Diego de Torres Vargas | |
|---|---|
 Father Diego de Torres Vargas |
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| Born | c.1600 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Died | c.1700 |
| Occupation | priest |
| Writing period | 1640s |
| Notable work(s) | Descripción de la Ciudad e Isla de Puerto Rico |
Father Diego de Torres Vargas, a priest born in Puerto Rico, was the first person to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico.
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[edit] Early years
Torres Vargas was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, however it is not known exactly when he was born. It is believed that he was born either during the late 16th or early 17th century.
[edit] Academic education
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.
[edit] "Description of the Island and
City of Puerto Rico"
In 1647 he wrote "Descripción de la Ciudad e Isla de Puerto Rico" ("Description of the Island and City of Puerto Rico"). This historical book was the first to make a detailed geographic description of the island. [1]
The book described all the fruits and commercial establishemnts. It also listed and described every mine, church, and hospital in the island at the time. The book contained notices on the State and Capital, plus an extensive and erudite bibliography. This is considered to be the first attempt by a Puerto Rican at writing an organized history of Puerto Rico.[1]
[edit] Coat of Arms
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.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
- Coat of Arms of Puerto Rico
