Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra
Fray Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra (1745–1813), born in
Biography
Abbad arrived in Puerto Rico in 1771 at age 26 as
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
The earliest known reference to the güiro, an instrument used in traditional Puerto Rican music, is in his writings. He described the güiro as one of several instruments that were used to accompany dancers. The other instruments would typically include maracas, tambourine, and one or more guitars.
In 1785, Abbad wrote Relación de la Florida (Florida Relation), an account of the Spanish presence in the Florida peninsula beginning with its discovery by Juan Ponce de León up to the establishment of French and British colonies.
See also
References
- Puerto Rico en breve (in Spanish)
- Diario al Viaje de América (in Spanish)
Further reading
- Íñigo Abbad y Lasierra (1866), 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 Spanish), Puerto-Rico: Imp. y Librería de Acosta, OL 20590535M
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