Trujillo Alto History
The region that is now Trujillo Alto belonged to the Taíno region of Cayniabón, which stretched from the northeast coast of Puerto Rico into the island’s central region. Cacique Canobaná led the region. Archeological findings have identified two sites within the municipality of Trujillo Alto. Both have archeological significance: Las Cuevas, investigated by Irving Rouse, and Quebrada Grande.
After the Spanish colonization, families settled on both sides of the Río Grande de Loíza. During the 17th century, the Spanish crown granted Alonso Pizarro Hermona, from Trujillo, Spain, a vast ranch that encompassed the region. Residents began using his family name to refer to the location. Eventually, the inhabitants approached the Governor and asked for a permit to build a chapel, which was required to found a town officially. Despite some opposition, Trujillo Alto was founded on January 8, 1801, under the name of Santa Cruz de Trujillo. The town sits on a meander of the Grande de Loiza River. Around 1820, Trujillo Alto was used to differentiate the village from Trujillo Bajo (which later became known as Carolina).
In 1826, communication to and from the town improved with the construction of two bridges: one into Río Piedras and the other into Río Grande. In 1844, Trujillo Alto consisted of only five barrios. A few years later, the first school opened. However, during that time, the population decreased notably due to an epidemic of cholera.
Parroquia Santa Cruz – Trujillo Alto
Initially built in 1817, rebuilt in concrete on September 13, 1928, as a result of the destruction left by Hurricane San Felipe, and retouched in 2012 with the inauguration of the new Plaza de Recreo. The current façade dates back to 1956. The Parish has the Exaltation of the Holy Cross as its Patron Saint. The bells of the Parish are called Ana and María. Ana has the year 1900 inscribed, and María has an inscription dating to 1928, indicating that Mr. José Suárez donated it from the El Refugio farm.
The bells allow the residents to attend the Catholic celebrations. Also, they performed additional functions, such as marking time and issuing warnings in times of danger. For example, the most precipitous drumbeat notified the population of the imminent scourge of a hurricane.
Baptisms
| Book | Year | Race | Image | Index | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pardos, Free Blacks, Enslaved Not available online. | Located at the Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano. | |||
| 2 | 1821-1831 | Pardos, Free Blacks, Enslaved | 1 | ||
| 3 | 1831-1839 | Pardos, Free Blacks, Enslaved | 1 | ||
| 4 | 1840-1866 | Pardos, Free Blacks, Enslaved | 1 | ||
| 2A | 1832-1850 | Whites, Pardos, Freed | 1 | ||
| 3 AC | Whites, Pardos, Freed | Located at the Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano. | |||
| 3 | Whites, Pardos, Freed | Located at the Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano. | |||
| 4A | 1857-1862 | Whites, Pardos, Freed | 1 | ||
| 5 | 1862-1866 | Whites, Pardos, Freed | 1 | ||
| 6 | 1866-1871 | Includes all races. | 1 | ||
| 6 | 1871-1872 | 1 | |||
| 7 | 1872-1876 | 1 | |||
| 8 | 1876-1882 | 1 | |||
| 9 | 1882-1886 | 1 | |||
| 10 | 1886-1892 | 1 | |||
| 11 | 1892-1895 | 1 | |||
| 12 | 1895-1899 | 1 | |||
| 13 | 1900-1905 | 1 | |||
| 14 | 1906-1911 | 1 | |||
| 15 | 1911-1918 | 1 | |||
| 16 | 1918-1926 | 1 | |||
| 17 | 1926 | 1 | |||
| 18-A | 1926-1931 | 1 | Fragments of records. | ||
| 18-B | 1931-1932 | 1 | Fragments of records. |
Confirmations
- Confirmation books appeared to be missing or do not exist.
Marriages
| Book | Year | Race | Image | Index | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Located at the Archivo Histórico Arquidiócedano. | ||||
| 2-A | 1850-1853 | 1 | Fragments of records. | ||
| 2-B | 1853-1866 | 1 | INDEX | ||
| 3 | 1866-1896 | 1 | |||
| 4 | 1896-1910 | 1 | INDEX | ||
| 5 | 1910-1926 | 1 | INDEX | ||
| 6 | 1926-1940 | 1 |
Deaths
The following books are available only at the Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano in Puerto Rico. (Cajas 12 and 13.)
| Book | Year | Race | Image | Index | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1816-1825 | Not indexed. | |||
| 2 | 1825-1838 | Not indexed. | |||
| 3 | 1838-1855 | Not indexed. | |||
| 4 | 1855-1864 | The book is missing. | |||
| 5 | 1864-1877 | Indexed | |||
| 6 | 1877-1890 | Indexed | |||
| 7 | 1890-1898 | Book is missing. | |||
| 8 | 1898-1910 | Indexed |
Trujillo Alto Census 1860
| Year | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 618-678 | This census record is categorized under Carolina. |
Sources:
- FamilySearch
- Wikipedia
- Archivo General
- Archivo Histórico Arquidiocesano in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Personal observation during my trip to PR to research the records, where I discovered that there are books that were not filmed by FamilySearch. (2010)
Burials for Trujillo Alto
- Trujillo Alto, Books 1, 2, and 3 of burials. It’s a transcription covering the years 1816 through 1855. Provided by Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Genealogía, SPG
- Click here and go to the Kiosk section. www.genealogiapr.com