Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico resulted in the 19th century from widespread economic and political changes in Europe that made life difficult for the peasant and agricultural classes in Corsica and other territories.
In the early nineteenth century, Spain lost most of its possessions in the so-called "New World" as its colonies won independence.
[4][5][6][7] [8] [9][10] Pedro Antonio de Paula Antonetti was a Corsican who settled in the town of Yauco and married Isabel Rodriguez on May 2, 1787.
With the Second Industrial Revolution, many former agricultural workers began to move to the larger cities with hopes of finding better-paying jobs and making better lives.
[15] The resulting widespread political discontent erupted in bitter armed conflict between the people and their governments, particularly in the Revolutions of 1848.
[16] All this came about at a time when Spain was growing fearful of the possibility of a rebellion in her Caribbean colonies, Puerto Rico and Cuba.
It decided to encourage immigration to the islands by European Catholics, for instance from Ireland, Corsica, and Italy, thinking they could establish a loyal base grateful for the opportunity.
In 1815, the Spanish Crown had issued the Royal Decree of Graces (Real Cédula de Gracias) which fostered the immigration of non-Spanish European Catholics to its Caribbean colonies.
The first Spanish settlers had settled and owned the land in the coastal areas, as they wanted access to the sea.
The Corsicans tended to settle the mountainous southwestern region of the island, primarily in the towns of Adjuntas, Lares, Utuado, Ponce, Coamo, Yauco, Guayanilla, and Guánica.
First, they converted a cotton gin in order to use it for mechanical de-husking of coffee cherries, a labor-intensive process.
Second, they sent two of their family as representatives to visit the important European coffee buying centers and establish connections.
The visit to Europe was a success and Mariania led Puerto Rico to become an important member of the worldwide coffee industry.
Historian Colonel Héctor A. Negroni, (USAF-Retired), researched the Corsican-Puerto Rican connection and has documented substantial information about Puerto Rico's ties with Corsica.
[25] Several properties in Yauco and Ponce, which once belonged to Corsican immigrants, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico.
The Césari Antongiorgi family was instrumental in the development of the sugar industry in the southern region of the island.
Antongiorgi Paoli gave the chalet to his daughter Ana Lucía as a wedding gift when she married Juan Amill Rodríguez.
Ángel Pedro Agostini Natali, a member of the family, is credited with inventing the coffee grinder.
As a consequence, the island was able to meet the huge demand for Puerto Rican coffee, which resulted in the "Golden Age" of Yauco's economy.
This house was acquired for use by the Holy Rosary School in Yauco, and a bronze plaque describes its history.
It is nationally significant as the birthplace of Antonio Paoli Marcano, who became an internationally acclaimed tenor and opera singer.
(His maternal grandfather had initially opposed the marriage because his daughter was much wealthier than Paoli's immigrant Corsican father.
He was the first operatic artist to record an entire opera when he participated in a performance of Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo in Italy in 1907.
[44] The following is a list of some of the surnames of the first Corsican families who immigrated to the Adjuntas, Yauco, Guayanilla, and Guánica areas of Puerto Rico in the 19th Century.
