Historic Cronology of Coamo - Spanish Colony

1622
Foundation of the chapel to Our Lady of Altagracia in the area know as "El Cerro".

1661
Construction of the first phase of the catholic church starts.

1683
A cholera epidemic reaches Coamo during the first few months of the year.

1685
Foundation of the chapel to Our Lady of Valvanera in acknowledgment of the end of the cholera epidemic (list of 48 founders).
Visit the Valvanera Monastery at La Rioja, Spain.

1701
Serious rioting at Coamo and Ponce, due to illegal commerce, is ended by 300 troops sent from San Juan.

1736
Guayama separates from the territory of Coamo, including what today are the towns of Patillas and Arroyo.

1755
Coffee was planted in Coamo, for the first time in Puerto Rico.

1765
Coamo has 2,189 inhabitants, 407 are slaves.

1773
Cayey separates from the territory of Coamo, including what today are the towns of Cidra and Comerío.

1776
Coamo has 4,797 inhabitants, with the following racial composition:

• 1,272 whites
• 2,894 free "pardos" (mixed race)
• 40 free blacks
• 117 "agregados" (white or mixed race?, living in another person's land)
• 474 slaves

1778
Coamo becomes a Villa and oversees the towns of Ponce, Cayey and Guayama.

1783
Coamo has 4,317 inhabitants.

1798
Juana Díaz separates from the territory of Coamo.

1808
Barranquitas separates from the territory of Coamo, including parts of Orocovis and Comerío.

1824
Aibonito separates from the territory of Coamo.

1827
Coamo has 2,616 inhabitants.

1841
Santa Isabel separates from the territory of Coamo.

1843
Coamo loses its regional leadership and becomes part of the District of Ponce. Start operations the Baños de Coamo Hotel and Springs.

1846
Coamo has 3,805 inhabitants.

1847
Salinas separates from the territory of Coamo and becomes part of the territory of Guayama.

1853
There were 2 schools in Coamo: a public school for boys (22 students) and a private school for girls (7 students).

1855
There is cholera epidemic in Puerto Rico. Only 87 people die in Coamo, a low number compared with mortality all over the island (30,000 people total). Many families moved temporarily from Coamo to Aibonito, Barranquitas and Orocovis, were the epidemic was less severe.

1867
On November 18, an earthquake is felt mostly in Western Puerto Rico. Coamo's catholic church was seriously damage.

1870
The telegraph arrives to Coamo.

1873
The Spanish Courts decree the abolition of slavery. At the time, 407 inhabited Coamo.

1874
Coamo has 7,456 inhabitants.

1887
Coamo has 10,537 inhabitants.

1895
Doña Asunción Aponte de Quesada establishes the first cooperative in Coamo. The purpose of the cooperative society "Socorros Mutuos de La Caridad" (Mutual Help of the Charity) was the mutual help between their members and families during illness or death.

1897
Tthere were 8 schools in Coamo with a total of 409 students: 2 schools in the urban zone (one for boys and one for girls) and 6 in the rural areas, run by the following teachers: H.W. Santaella - Downtown (boys) Francisca Alcántara - Downtown (girls) Pascasio Reyes - Barrio Llanos (boys) Antonio V. Colón - Barrio Santa Catalina (boys) José C. Sánchez - Barrio Coamo Arriba (boys) Alfredo Huertas - Barrio Pulguillas (boys) Rufino Huertas - Barrio Hayales (boys) Jovino Rodríguez - Barrio Pedro García (boys)

1898
One of the battles of the Hispanic American War took place in the Las Niágaras sector of Coamo. Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States.