Gold Rush (1 ene 1508 año – 31 dic 1536 año)

Descripción:

Juan Ponce de Léon established the first gold mining operation on the northern coast the same year he was granted permission to explore the island by Queen Isabella.

The first samples of gold from Puerto Rico were taken from the river Manatuabon (likely Maunabo River) by Ponce, who learned of the location from the natives during his initial exploration visit. During that expedition, the explorer found enough gold in the northern part of the island in the Coa and Sibuco Rivers to warrant establishment of his headquarters there.

It is estimated that in the first few decades of Puerto Rico’s occupation by the Spanish, the gold produced was valued at over $4 million in Spanish currency. During this time, the Spanish explorers were all throughout the Caribbean and Latin America in search of gold, and they were finding that gold was being used by nearly all of the civilizations that they encountered.

The Spaniards dealt with uprisings from locals in many instances throughout the 16th century including in Puerto Rico. In some instances, the local villagers were enslaved to work the mines.

Streams in the area of San Germán, located on the southern coast of the island, proved to be equally rich. Rivers that have their sources in the mountains of Luquillo are auriferous, and include the Rio Prieto, the Fajardo, the Rio Grande, the Espiritu Santo, and particularly the Mameyes River.

During those first years, the production of gold fluctuated, but continued steadily until around 1530, when the placer gold deposits were beginning to become exhausted. In 1536, the Spanish king received his last portion of Puerto Rican gold.

Some sources claimed there was no more gold to be found, others would say there was no one left to work the mines. During this time, the natives were susceptible to diseases brought over by the Spanish, and many of the local villagers that worked the mines died.

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