| Ricardo Alegría | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 14, 1921 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Died | July 7, 2011 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation | Cultural anthropologist and archeologist |
| Notes
His father José S. Alegría was a co-founder of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
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Ricardo Alegría (April 14, 1921 – July 7, 2011) was a Puerto Rican scholar, cultural anthropologist and archeologist known as the "Father of Modern Puerto Rican Archaeology".[1]
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Alegría was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. He was motivated by his father, José S. Alegría, who taught him to love Puerto Rico and to be proud of its history and culture. In 1941 at the University of Puerto Rico, he founded the Puerto Rican Fraternity Alpha Beta Chi in search of a fraternity that based its principles in equality, fairness and acceptance of all that wanted to join. In 1942, Alegría earned his Bachelors of Science degree in archeology from the University of Puerto Rico. He continued his academic education in the University of Chicago where in 1947 he earned his Masters in Antropology and History. In 1954, Alegría earned his PhD. (doctorate) in Antropology from Harvard University.[2]
Alegría was named the first director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture by Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico's first elected governor. He was responsible for the creation of the "Archaeological Center of Investigation of the University of Puerto Rico". Alegría also created the "Center of Popular Arts of the Puerto Rican Cultural Institute", the program of publication of books of the institute, and created the logo for the Institute of Neurobiology in Puerto Rico.
Alegría was responsible for the renovation and restoration of historical Old San Juan under the leadership of then San Juan mayor Felisa Rincón de Gautier. He is also responsible for the restoration of the ruins of "Caparra" and "Fort San Jeronimo". As a result of his work "Old San Juan" was declared a "Historical World Treasure". In 1976, Alegría opened the "Center of Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean". In 1992, he established the "Museum of the Americas".[3]
Alegría is credited with being a pioneer in the anthropologic studies of the Taino culture and the African heritage in Puerto Rico. His extensive studies have helped historians understand how the Taínos lived and suffered, before and after the Spanish Conquistadores arrived in the island. Alegría estimated that about one third of all Puerto Ricans (2 million out of 6 million) have Taíno blood and therefore the Taínos were not completely extinct and some had to survive. Recently, the results of recent DNA studies have proved him right.[4]
The following is a list of books which Alegría has either authored or co-authored.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton presented Alegría with the "Charles Frankel Prize" for his contributions in the field of archaeology. In 1996, he was awarded the "James Smithson Bicentennial Medal". In 2001, Alegría received from the hands of Nancy Morejon "The Haydee Santamaria Medal" in Havana, Cuba. In 2002, Alegría received the "Luis Muñoz Marín Medal" in recognition of his life achievements from Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderón. Puerto Rican artist Lorenzo Homar honored Alegría by making an artistic graphic poster of him.[4]
Alegría also received recognition from cultural and architectural organizations in Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where he also received an honorary doctorate. The city of Havana recognized his influence in the project to remodel the city's historical district (similar to Alegría's work in Old San Juan) by honoring him with a plaque, which, while he was alive, was the only monument honoring a living Puerto Rican in the entire city.
Puerto Rican folk duo Los Niños Estelares dedicated a tribute song to Alegría, named "Alegría, Doctor Alegría", in their 2010 album, Namasté. In it they describe many of Alegría's accomplishments, his educational background, and -partly in jest, due to Alegría's impressive credentials- likened him to Indiana Jones. In the lyrics, they name Alegría "the last Puerto Rican hero."
Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa became inspired by Alegría's work and incorporated a fictional character based on him, named Ricardo Santurce, in his play El loco de los balcones. "I admire him a lot; his work was extraordinary. Not only did he resuscitate a barrio, Old San Juan, which is very beautiful, but he did it without allowing it to be turned into a museum. He gave it a great vitality and integrated it to current life, showing in a quite concrete way that the past can be a very rich and stimulating element for the present. I wish all Latin American countries had a Ricardo Alegría”.
Ricardo Alegría lived in Old San Juan in his later years, until his death on July 7, 2011. He had been hospitalized in San Juan's Centro Medico (Medical Center Hospital) a few weeks before his death. After a brief recovery, he relapsed, and was returned to the medical center, where he died of heart failure.[5]