Puerto Rico on stamps facts for kids

Puerto Rico has been featured on postage stamps from both Spain and the United States. You can find information about Spanish stamps related to Puerto Rico under Postage stamps and postal history of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico on U.S. Stamps

Early U.S. Stamps

An early U.S. postage due stamp overprinted "PORTO RICO" in 1899.

After the U.S. took control of Puerto Rico in 1898, a special postal service was set up on March 15, 1899. At first, U.S. stamps were printed with "PORTO RICO" on them. This was an older, English way of spelling the name. Later in 1900, the spelling was changed to "PUERTO RICO."

In 1900, Puerto Rico's postal service became part of the main United States postal system. Since then, regular U.S. stamps are used on the island, just like in any U.S. state.

Commonwealth Flag Stamps

• From 2008 to 2012, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released a "Flags of our Nation" series. This series included flags from U.S. territories like Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
• A "Forever" stamp featuring the Puerto Rico Flag was issued in 2011. It showed the flag with a colorful bird called a Puerto Rican tody. This bird is native to the main island. The flag itself has five red and white stripes, with a blue triangle and a white star on the left side.
• Another stamp, a 32-cent one, showed a Crested Honeycreeper. It was part of the Tropical Birds collection and came out on July 29, 1998, in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Historic Places and Events on Stamps

A 1937 stamp showing La Fortaleza in Puerto Rico.

In late 1937, the U.S. honored its territories with a series of four 3-cent stamps. These stamps featured Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Puerto Rico stamp showed 'La Fortaleza', which is the old Spanish Governor's Palace. Spain gave Puerto Rico to the U.S. in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Even though some people thought this stamp could only be used in Puerto Rico, it was valid across the entire U.S. and its territories.

A 1949 stamp celebrating the first free election in Puerto Rico.

On April 27, 1949, a 3-cent stamp was released in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It celebrated the first time Puerto Ricans could freely elect their own governor. Before 1949, the U.S. President chose the governor. The stamp shows a person from Puerto Rico's countryside holding a gear, which stands for industry, and a box, which represents the election. This stamp honored Luis Muñoz Marín, who became Puerto Rico's first democratically elected governor. Later, in 1990, the U.S. issued another stamp for Muñoz Marín.

A 1971 stamp marking San Juan's 450th anniversary.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, was honored with an 8-cent stamp on September 12, 1971, for its 450th anniversary. The stamp shows a sentry box from Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a famous old fort. San Juan was founded in 1519, and building the fortress began in 1539.

A Spanish stamp from 1893 celebrating Columbus's arrival in Puerto Rico.

Spain issued a special stamp in 1893 to mark 400 years since Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico in 1493. This was when the island was still under Spanish rule. It's special because it's the only Puerto Rican stamp from that time that doesn't show the King of Spain's face.

• The 500th anniversary of Columbus landing in Puerto Rico was also celebrated with a 29-cent U.S. stamp on November 19, 1993. The stamp shows two old ships approaching land.
• Juan Ponce de León, who explored Florida, was honored on a 20-cent USPS stamp on October 12, 1982, in San Juan. Ponce de Leon came to Puerto Rico with Columbus in 1493 and became its governor in 1509.
• The Arecibo Observatory, a huge radio telescope in Puerto Rico, was featured on a stamp on July 10, 2000.

Famous Puerto Rican Personalities on Stamps

Six U.S. postage stamps have featured five famous people from Puerto Rico:

• Roberto Clemente was a baseball superstar. He was honored with a 20-cent stamp on August 17, 1984, for his 50th birthday. The ceremony was held in Carolina, Puerto Rico, where he was born. Clemente played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 until he died in a plane crash in 1972. He was on his way to help earthquake victims. During his career, he won many awards, including eleven Golden Glove awards. He led the National League in batting four times and was named the league's most valuable player in 1966. He helped the Pirates win two World Series titles. Clemente was voted the most valuable player in the 1971 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. He was also featured in the "Legends of Baseball" series in 2000.

• Luis Muñoz Marín was the first elected Governor of Puerto Rico. A 5-cent stamp honoring him was issued on February 18, 1990, as part of the "Great Americans" series.

• Felicitas Mendez was honored on a 41-cent stamp on September 14, 2007. She was a leader in the fight for racial equality in American schools. This stamp marked 60 years since the Mendez v. Westminster court case. In this case, Hispanic parents in California successfully sued to end segregation in their schools.

• Julia de Burgos was a famous poet, writer, and journalist from Puerto Rico. A 44-cent stamp honoring her was released on November 15, 2010, as part of the "Literary Arts" series. The stamp shows her with blue water flowing behind her, which reminds people of one of her most famous poems, "Río Grande de Loíza." She wrote about love and freedom. She was also a supporter of Puerto Rico's independence movement.

• Tito Puente was a legendary Latin jazz and mambo musician. He was included in the USPS "Latin Legends" series, which celebrates American music and culture, on March 16, 2011.

• José Ferrer was a celebrated actor. He was honored in the "Distinguished American" series with a stamp issued in 2012.