Geological exploration and mining in 19th-century colonial Puerto Rico: the contribution of Ángel Vasconi

[EN] Mining was never a major economic activity on the island of Puerto Rico, except for alluvial gold extraction during the 16th century. However, the establishment of the mining inspection office in 1837 represented an effort to reorganize and promote this sector within the colonial territory. As part of a broader study on mining inspections in overseas colonies, this research examines the development of the mining service in Puerto Rico during the 19th century, the engineers involved, and some of their key contributions. Among these, the geological investigations conducted by engineer Ángel Vasconi stand out, leading to the creation of two geological maps. The first map was displayed at the International Colonial and Export Exhibition in Amsterdam in 1883, while the second, presented in two different scales, was exhibited at the Hispano-American Historical Exhibition in Madrid in 1892. However, these maps were never published, which contributed to their being overlooked by later researchers and scholars. This work presents them for the first time.