Juan Cortada y Quintana
| Juan Cortada y Quintana | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico | |
| In office 1873 – 1874 |
|
| Preceded by | Alejandro Albizu |
| Succeeded by | Rafael León y García |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ca. 1820 |
| Died | August 22, 1889 |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Spouse(s) | Mercedes Tirado (d. 1871) Vicenta Albizu Providencia Martorell[1] |
| Children | With Mercedes Tirado: Juan (b. 1864) Eduardo With Vicenta Albizu: Vicente José Antonio With Providencia Martorell: Joaquín Dora Providencia[2] |
| Residence | Puerto Rico |
| Occupation | Plantation farmer |
Juan Cortada y Quintana (b. ca. 1820 - d. 1889) was a Puerto Rican politician, businessman, and landowner. He served as Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1873 to 1874.
Contents |
[edit] Hacendado
Cortada and his brother Ramón, were hacendados, landowners who owned several sugar cane haciendas like Hacienda Descalabrado (then known as Central Cortada), Las Mercedes, La Palmarito, and La Mallorquina, among others. They were located in the region between Ponce and Santa Isabel.[3]
The workers in such estates were almost always slaves. Thus it is likely that Cortada owned slaves in working his sugar cane farm.[4] Some sources confirm that Cortada in fact owned 28 slaves in 1872, one year before the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico.[5]
Since 1868, Cortada's estate had irrigation problems, which led Cortada to ask for permits to use the waters of Río Descalabrado river to irrigate his land. After some financial troubles, and with the death of his first wife, Cortada ceded the ownership of the Hacienda Descalabrado to his two young sons, Juan and Eduardo. However, this change wasn't registered. Cortada also had debts for the mortgage of the land where Hacienda Palmarito was established. In 1874, he had to sell Hacienda Descalabrado, but he recovered it in 1884.[6]
[edit] Lender
Cortada, together with his brother Ramón, was also in the money-lending business, lending capital to 11 other hacendados in the area. By 1870 Cortada owned five haciendas in the municipality of Ponce.[7]
[edit] Mayoral term
Cortada served as Mayor of Ponce from 1873 to 1874.[8]
[edit] Personal life
Juan Cortada y Quintana married three times. His first marriage was to Mercedes Tirado, with whom he procreated two sons: Juan (b. 1864) and Eduardo. Mercedes died in 1871. Cortada's second marriage was to Vicenta Albizu, with whom he had two more children: Vicente and José Antonio. His third marriage was with Providencia Martorell. They had a son and a daughter: Joaquín and Dora Providencia.[9] Cortada y Quintana died on August 22, 1889.[10]
[edit] Legacy
There is a street in a Ponce neighborhood, Urbanización Las Delicias, of Barrio Magueyes named after him.
[edit] References
- ^ La Estancia Descalabrado y los Cortada. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ La Estancia Descalabrado y los Cortada. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Central Cortada: El fin de la producción azucarera. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Terratenientes Extranjeros. Melvin Rivera Velazaquez. SantaIsabelPR. 27 January 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Propietarios de esclavos en los barrios rurales de Ponce. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ La Estancia Descalabrado y los Cortada. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Terratenientes Extranjeros. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Alcaldes de Ponce. Government of the Autonomous Minicipality of Ponce. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ La Estancia Descalabrado y los Cortada. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ La Estancia Descalabrado y los Cortada. Melvin Rivera Velázquez. SantaIsabelPR. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
[edit] See also
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alejandro Albizu |
Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico 1873–1874 |
Succeeded by Rafael León y García |
