The Convicts

1. The Convicts The convicts were part of the thousands of people who were forced to move to Puerto Rico Came from Spain & Spanish America Between 1763 and 1783 they performed the hard labor that turned San Juan into a indestructible fortress In 1774 the crown decided to settle on the Island the convicts who had already served their sentences instead of returning them to Spain One of the problems with these former prisoners who could not return to Spain is that they become semi nomadic squatters or smugglers

2. The Irish • Not as numerous as the convicts, they left the English Caribbean colonies where they had been taken and indentured servants for about 6-7 years or to serve sentences for political activities • They formed a circle of Hacendados and merchants and were responsible for the sugar boom in areas of Rio Piedras and Guaynabo • They took root in Puerto Rico and they are an important part of Puerto Rican Society • Surnames creolized as Solivan (Sullivan), Morfi (Murphy), Clas (Class)

3. The Africans • The Africans were the most numerous and significant people that arrived in Puerto Rico • Many stayed and intermarried with Spaniards and Amerindians • Did not come from the Coastal areas of West Africa but from the interior • Estimated fifteen thousand came arrived between 1774 and 1807 many of which were children and adolescents • Enormous influence came from the Minas, Lucumis, Wolofs, Angolans, Carabalisand others