San Blas de Coamo Church Brief History
- 1579: Original church was built of wood, yaguas, and straw.
- The masonry church is inaugurated in 1661 but continued to expand until 1784.
- Renovation of the temple occurred during the 1840s and was repaired later due to damage caused by the earthquake of 1867.
- 1896: Vicente Miró designed the iron fence that surrounds the atrium.
Founded in 1579, San Blas de Coamo is the third-oldest settlement of the island’s post-Columbian period (after San Juan in the north and San Germán in the west). The church is initially known as Iglesia del Valle de San Blas Illescas de Coamo. By 1582, twenty families lived in Coamo, in the same area where the Tainos had had their village of Guayama. It officially became a town in 1616 and was given the title “Villa” by Spanish Royal Decree in 1778.
Coamo was the administrative center that encompassed most of the island’s southern half during the early colonial period. However, as the agricultural and sugar industries grew and became the mainstays of the colony’s economy, the province would eventually subdivide into several distinct municipalities. The region’s administrative center would later shift west to the coastal town of Ponce.
Observations of Parish Books
San Blas de Coamo is one of the oldest towns in Puerto Rico. In addition, and for quite some time, the most important in the south of the island. Besides the Cathedral of San Juan, its parish archive is the oldest in Puerto Rico. But unfortunately, it was not always well cared for. The priests in charge of the parish were planning new measures to safeguard the archives better. This conversation occurred in 1960, according to Lino Gomez’s observations.
Villa de San Blas de Coamo Baptisms
Priest visits are fascinating, starting with Pedro de Urtiaga’s (Bishop-Elect) visit on February 9, 1707. His dispositions are reminiscent of those in Arecibo.
The first baptisms began on January 23, 1701, and ended on December 23, 1773. The second book of baptisms (1774-1790) also contains much news about episcopal visits, parish priests, and those in charge of the parish. From December 1785 to August 1786, he performed several baptisms. His first with the parish priest’s permission and later as an interim priest, Fr. Juan Francisco Cuvillan.
The latter later became provincial minister of the Franciscan Province of Santa Cruz de Caracas. The third book in the same series (1790-1794) also contains baptisms made in the “Hermita” or “Sitio” of Juana Diaz- they began to appear in 1790 and became more and more frequent in the following years. The same happens in the next book in the series (1794-1802). But these activities in Juana Diaz are no longer recorded in the following books: one for the period 1802-1809, (1809 -1814), and (1814-1818.)
Villa de San Blas de Coamo Marriages
The books on marriages and burials are not as old as the baptisms. “Among the first, the oldest I have found is the book in which those who marry and watch in this Holy Parish Church of San Blas de Illescas de Coamo settle, dated by Ldo. don Miguel Rodriguez Feliciano, rector priest, foreign vicar, and ecclesiastical judge of these and other towns under his jurisdiction on October 1, 1778.” It concluded on March 26, 1798.
Another book includes the marriages of whites between May 5, 1813, and June 28, 1830. Finally, another book consists of blacks and pardos from January 1, 1814, through April 18, 1836.
Deaths
Regarding burials, the first one covers the period 1773-1810. Another for 1810-1815, and finally, a third titled: “Fifth parish book for the entry of the items of individuals of all classes buried in the Cemetery of “Nuestra Señora de Altagracia” of this Parish (1815-1820).”
Confirmations
There is also a book of confirmations, which starts in 1774, and a factory account book opened under Bishop Zengotita in 1798. It contains inventories, references to works, and other data of considerable interest.
The confirmation records offer these figures: 859 by Jimenez Perez in 1774, plus another 214 on a date unknown; 1,111 by Trespalacios in 1787; 733 by La Cuerda in 1792; 736 by Zengotita in 1798, and finally 1,893 by Arizmendi in 1813.
Additional information
In conclusion, on July 1, 1759, Father Domingo Bravo, preacher of the order of Saint Francis, is baptized. In May 1767, he baptized Fr. Pedro Quintana, a sacred theology duodenary reader, a philosophy teacher, a doctor theologian, and an interim priest. And in August 1782, the Franciscan priest Lorenzo Merelo called himself a “teacher of students of Sacred Theology,” possibly that of the convent of San Juan. Finally, in 1785-1786, Father Juan Francisco Cuvillan, the first preacher of the Sacred Order of N. S. P. S. Francisco, performed the same functions.
Final Thoughts
It is rare to find original documents about our ancestors from the 18th century. Fortunately for us, Puerto Rico has many books for different towns. Some are in excellent shape, while others disintegrate to the touch of your hands. When we find them, we anticipate that the conditions of the book are not damaged. Unfortunately, you may come across damaged books due to natural and human-made disasters. Sadly, many did not survive.
Many of the original Church Records for Coamo, Puerto Rico, still exist. But volume two is missing baptisms, which cover the years from 1722 through 1754. Sadly, no one knows why it disappeared.
Hopefully, it will surface one day because it has been an obstacle for many researchers. Many researchers may finally find their ancestors if and when it is discovered. But unfortunately, it has prevented many of us from linking individuals to those registered in the previous baptism book.
Nevertheless, there are still ways we have connected the generations, such as locating wills and marriage contracts. These are just two examples. But never give up! It’s just a matter of researching and finding the documents.
A special gift from two volunteers
Some individuals have dedicated their time and energy to indexing the church books for us. As a result, they are now available to all of us for review. I’m deeply grateful I can share them with you.
Personally, it has saved me hours of valuable time locating relatives. I continue to refer back to these indexes frequently. Enjoy them as much as I have been able to.
Would you please take the time to thank Dalia Moralez López & José Bello, the two primary individuals that worked so hard to provide us with these valuable indexes in the comment section? Leave a comment, please.
Baptism 1700-1825For a complete list of the Church indexes for Coamo, click on this button:
Coamo Church Indexes
I discovered your site a couple years ago, and been meaning to thank you. I use your indexes every time I am researching ancestors, and believe that it is an invaluable resource for anyone doing Puerto Rico genealogy. I highly recommend this site!
Thank you Pablo, I appreciate the feedback and I am very happy to know that this page is very useful in your research.
The marriages and burials transcriptions link to the same file as the baptisms.
Thank you for letting me know. It has been corrected.
There are no words that can express my gratitude for all the work you have put into your projects for the benefit of us all❤️
Espectacular, como coameño me siento orgulloso de Mi Pueblo y nuestra gente
Gracias por sus amables palabras. Te lo agradezco. HDCPR