Reviewed by Dr. Thomas Mathews in The Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 74, No. 4, Nov., 1994.
Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra (1745–1813), born in Estadilla, Spain, was a Benedictine monk and the first historian to extensively document Puerto Rico's history, nationality, and culture. (…) While living in Puerto Rico he observed and recorded every day Puerto Rican life. In 1788, ten years after leaving Puerto Rico, he published the first comprehensive history of Puerto Rico titled Historia geográfica, civil y natural de la isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico (Geographic, civil and natural history of the island of Saint John the Baptist of Puerto Rico). In his book he described, in detail, a wide array of aspects of Puerto Rican life. Among the topics discussed are San Juan's fortifications and defenses, Taíno customs, and Puerto Rican history, society, clothing, flora, fauna, socio-economic peculiarities, and personality. He also proposes several reforms such as free commerce and the promotion of agriculture and other industries. Even though Abbad's book is the most complete historical account of Puerto Rico from 1493 to 1783, many of the historical accounts presented were obtained from second-hand sources.
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