Museo de la Masacre de Ponce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Casa de la Masacre
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Today the Ponce massacre building is a museum that honors the victims of the massacre and commemorates the infamous event
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 Location in Puerto Rico
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| Location | SE corner of Marina and Aurora Streets (32 Marina St.), Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Blas Silva |
| Architectural style | Ponce Creole |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001098 |
| Added to NRHP | October 20, 2005 |
The Museo de la Masacre de Ponce (the Ponce Massacre Museum) is a human rights museum and historic building in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It tells the story of the Ponce massacre, a sad event that happened in broad daylight on Palm Sunday in 1937. The museum is in the same building where the event took place. It also has a special part about Pedro Albizu Campos, a leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. You can also see photos and learn about how some Puerto Rican Nationalists were treated unfairly by the United States government.
The museum is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as Casa de la Masacre (the Massacre House).
Contents
Why the Massacre Happened
After the United States took over Puerto Rico in 1898, people on the island began to discuss its future. Many political groups formed. Each group had different ideas about how Puerto Rico should relate to the U.S.
There were three main ideas: becoming independent, becoming a U.S. state, or staying a commonwealth. The idea of independence was strongly supported by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.
A Time of Tension
In the early 1930s, more and more people in Puerto Rico wanted independence. At this time, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt chose a new governor for the island. His name was Blanton Winship, a former U.S. Army General.
General Winship appointed E. Francis Riggs as his Chief of Police. Winship was governor for five years (1934–1939). During this time, he was very strict with the Nationalist Party and its leaders. In October 1935, the police killed four Nationalist Party members at the University of Puerto Rico. This event was called the Río Piedras massacre.
The Nationalists responded by killing Police Chief Francis Riggs in February 1936. The two young Nationalists responsible were captured and killed by police without a trial. No police officer was ever punished for their deaths.
Riggs' death made Governor Winship very angry. He ordered police to search every Nationalist Party office on the island. He wanted to find proof that the party was involved in Riggs' death, but no proof was ever found.
Even without proof, Winship's government accused Albizu Campos and other party leaders of trying to overthrow the government. A jury, mostly made up of Puerto Ricans, found them not guilty. However, Governor Winship arranged for a new trial. This time, most of the jury members were from North America. Albizu Campos was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. Other leaders received six years. But even with their leaders gone, the Nationalists continued their fight, and Winship's strict actions continued. This led to the violent event in Ponce in 1937.
The Planned Parade
The Nationalist Party in Ponce had its main office at 32 Marina Street. This building was on a corner, next to Aurora Street. The party had used it as a meeting place for over 10 years. In 1937, the local group planned their yearly celebration of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico. Slavery had ended on March 22, 1873. They chose March 21, 1937, for the 64th anniversary celebration.
The Nationalists had received permission for the parade from Ponce Mayor José Tormos Diego. The parade was set for Palm Sunday. But at the last minute, Governor Winship told the new Police Chief, Colonel Enrique de Orbeta, to cancel the parade permit. He also ordered more police to Ponce. He told them to stop any Nationalist demonstration "by any means necessary."
The Tragic Day
The permit was canceled on the very morning of the parade. But the party decided not to cancel. They told their members to gather in front of their club house and go ahead with the event. The group included male members called the Cadets of the Republic, female members called the "Daughters of the Republic," and a small music band. These groups, along with their families, friends, and people watching, started to gather around the club house for the midday parade. At the same time, about 150 well-armed police officers surrounded the demonstrators.
Tomás López de Victoria, the Cadet Captain of Ponce, was in charge of the Cadets. Just before the march began, police Captain Soldevilla told López de Victoria to stop the Cadets from marching. López de Victoria then ordered the cadet band to play La Borinqueña, which is Puerto Rico's national anthem. He told his Cadets to start their march.
It is believed that a shot was fired by the police to start a conflict. This would give them a reason to shoot at the unarmed marchers. The police then fired many shots into the crowd. Fifteen to twenty policemen used machine guns for ten minutes. They wounded almost 200 people and killed fourteen right away. Five more people died from their injuries in the next few days.
The Investigation and Its Findings
The violent event in Ponce shocked everyone on the island, no matter their political views. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) came to Puerto Rico. They formed a group of respected citizens to investigate what happened. Dr. Arthur Garfield Hays, the ACLU President, led this group. After months of investigation, the ACLU group concluded that Governor Winship was directly responsible for the event. They also said that the Nationalists were simply using their basic rights of freedom of speech and assembly. The killing of unarmed party members and bystanders was officially called a "massacre."
The afternoon of March 21, 1937, became one of the saddest and most violent days in Puerto Rico's fight for independence.
The Museum Building
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Building History
The Ponce Massacre Museum is a two-story house. It is located where Marina and Aurora streets meet, and it's where the tragic events took place. The building is made of brick and wood. Records from the Municipality of Ponce show a house at this spot as early as 1886. However, the current building, which the Nationalist Party used, was built in the early 1900s.
Around 1906, the owners hired Blas Silva. He was a famous civil engineer from Ponce who designed other buildings like Casa Salazar and Casa Wiechers-Villaronga. He was asked to design a new look and inside layout for the property. The changes were finished in 1910, but only some of Blas's designs were used.
How the Museum Developed
When the Ponce massacre happened in 1937, the owners were Francisco de Jesus and Graciela Toro Vendrell. In 1945, the property was sold to Juan Riera Ginard and Carmen M. Toro de Riera. They never lived in the house. Instead, they rented it out. The first floor was for businesses, and the second floor was for living.
In 1987, the Puerto Rico Legislature passed a special law. This law made the property a national historic landmark. In 1988, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture bought the building. They fixed it up and turned it into the Museo de la Masacre de Ponce. The building's style is called Vernacular Creole.
Recent Changes to the Museum
The museum closed for a while in 2006 for repairs and updates. After a $275,000 renovation, the museum opened again in 2013.
Earthquake Damage
The building was damaged by the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la Masacre de Ponce para niños
