Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Advisor's Name
Noble David Cook
Advisor's Title
Committee Chair
Advisor's Name
M. Sherry Johnson
Advisor's Name
Astrid Arrarás
Keywords
Puerto Rico, Public Health, Public Works, San Juan, Sanitation, Cabildo, Caribbean, Environment
Date of Defense
3-30-2012
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate and understand the growth of public works as part of urban development in San Juan, Puerto Rico, between 1765 and 1823. In San Juan, attaining basic provisions was complicated by distinctive circumstances such as the increasing population, administrative decisions, and financial limitations. This thesis draws from demography, medicine, urban studies, and primary documents to understand how the changes in San Juan’s established political, economic, demographic, and environmental systems allowed for the growth of public works to support the city’s population. With the introduction of economic and military Bourbon Reforms, the existing colonial system fractured, collapsing in the first decade of the nineteenth century from financial burdens, internal infrastructure decay, and the abdication of the Spanish king. Imperial loyalty and intra-monarchial attention to the general public altered Puerto Rico’s imperial role, establishing a new system that allowed public work and sanitation to thrive.
Recommended Citation
Crowe, Monica Lynn, "Rise of Public Works and Sanitation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1765-1823" (2012). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 592.
http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/592