San Juan, Puerto Rico Church Records (1645–1941)

History of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Understanding the history of San Juan is essential for anyone researching the city’s church records. Many of the earliest parish registers no longer survive because of wars, pirate attacks, fires, and other events that shaped Puerto Rico’s colonial history. Knowing what happened helps explain why some records exist while others have been lost.

European contact with Puerto Rico began on November 19, 1493, when Christopher Columbus arrived during his second voyage to the Americas. Permanent Spanish settlement followed in 1508 under Juan Ponce de León, who established the settlement that would eventually become San Juan, one of Spain’s most important military and administrative centers in the Caribbean.

Because of its strategic location, San Juan became one of Spain’s most heavily fortified cities in the New World. Throughout the sixteenth century, French privateers, English raiders, and repeated conflicts with the Taíno population prompted Spain to strengthen the city’s defenses, transforming San Juan into the Caribbean fortress we recognize today.

The Fort, also known as the “Morro”

Erected in 1537, La Fortaleza is not in an advantageous location. It provides no protection to the port and only protects the new town of San Juan from the south, where the assumption was that the attackers were already in San Juan Bay. The poor placement of La Fortaleza and growing fears of British and Dutch pirates instigated the construction of Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) in 1539. San Juan did no further fortifications or general growth until 1582, when Captain-General Menéndez de Valdés arrived to govern the newly upgraded presidio or military encampment. Menéndez de Valdés added to El Morro some of the city’s walls and created the Boquerón Battery (now Fort San Gerónimo del Boquerón).

These new additions were tested when in 1595, British privateer Sir Francis Drake attacked San Juan. Drake was unsuccessful because of some tactical errors and the well-prepared Spanish military. Not only had Menéndez de Valdés added new fortifications, but a fleet of frigates sitting in San Juan Bay and sunken hulls blocked the bay’s entrance.

British Attack

In 1598 the British attacked again, sending Sir George Clifford to capture San Juan. Clifford intended not to repeat Drake’s mistakes and seized the islet in the east by the Boquerón Battery and San Antonio Bridge. 

No significant fortifications existed between the Boquerón Battery and El Morro, and Clifford could march directly to El Morro. After cutting supplies to El Morro, he successfully acquired a Spanish surrender. Still, the tropical heat and diseases overwhelmed the British troops and forced them to retreat and leave the island. In response to these attacks, the Spanish rebuilt parts of San Juan throughout the following decade, reinforced El Morro and the Boquerón Battery, and built a wooden fort, San Juan de la Cruz, on El Cañuelo Island. This fort would prove helpful as the firepower at El Morro could no longer be avoided without engaging San Juan de la Cruz. And this fort also protected the mouth of the Bayamón River.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch West India Company sold enslaved people knives, mirrors, cloth, and flour in exchange for tobacco, sugar, dyewoods, and hides. In 1625, these Dutch privateers under Boudewijn Hendricksz attacked San Juan hoping to hold a more secure hold in the Caribbean. Hendricksz faced little resistance as the civilians fled due to the existing untrained soldiers of a volunteer reserve. However, Hendrickzs failed to capture San Juan for the Dutch. Meanwhile, as Hendrickzs attacked El Morro, smaller militias attacked the Dutch. Knowing it was futile, Hendrickzs collected all the wealth from the civilian homes and burned San Juan to the ground before leaving San Juan for good.

The lack of church records for the 17th and 16th centuries

Many of San Juan’s earliest parish registers no longer exist. Centuries of warfare, fires, tropical weather, and the destruction of colonial buildings resulted in the loss of many sixteenth- and seventeenth-century records. Although only a small number of early documents survive, the remaining collections are invaluable for reconstructing Puerto Rican family histories.

After more than 35 years of researching Puerto Rican families, I have found that documented evidence becomes increasingly scarce before the early seventeenth century. While claims to trace Puerto Rican families back to the early 1500s occasionally appear online, such conclusions should always be supported by surviving documentary evidence. Whenever possible, I encourage researchers to build each generation using original church and civil records rather than relying solely on published family trees or unsourced online databases.

Researching neighboring towns

Researchers should remember that families were not always baptized, married, or buried in the municipality where they lived. Depending on distance, transportation, or parish boundaries, residents of neighboring communities often traveled to San Juan for religious ceremonies. Always note the residence recorded by the priest and compare it with nearby parishes when searching for additional family members.

Available Church Records for San Juan:

The following San Juan church record collections are currently available. Each guide includes historical background, descriptions of the surviving registers, indexes, and research notes.

Marriage Index, Nuestra Señora de Remedios

• This Article contains all the Indexes, transcriptions, and observations of all the Parish Baptism books in the films for FamilySearch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Click

Burials Indexes, Nuestra Señora de Remedios

• This Article contains all the Indexes, transcriptions, and observations of all the Parish Baptism books in the films for FamilySearch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Click

San Mateo de Cangrejos, Santurce, San Juan Transcribed Records

• Additional baptisms transcription.
• While researching, I found many people in these books that I did not find in the San Juan records.
• Contributed by Yvonne Santana Ríos.

Click here to view San Mateo Indexes and Transcriptions