Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza

Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza was a 2265-acre sugarcane plantation in Manatí, Puerto Rico which was founded in the 1830s and by the 1860s was one of the largest in Puerto Rico. It remained operational from 1830 - 1880.[2]

Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza
Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza in 1977
Location of Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza in Manatí, Puerto Rico
Nearest cityManatí, Puerto Rico
Area2,265 acres (917 ha)
NRHP reference No.76002190[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 11, 1976
Map showing the Hacienda Azucarera La Esperanza to the east of the Río Grande de Manatí

Steam engines

Two steam engines were purchased to mechanize sugar production at the hacienda: one in 1841 and another in 1861. The Hacienda La Esperanza steam engine has been designated a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. Today the entire property is owned by the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, which preserves and protects it, and the property includes some of the only coastal forest left in the region.

Owner
José Ramon Fernández was the Marqués de la Esperanza.

José Ramon Fernández (1808–1883), an influential, conservative politician and businessman, owned Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza. Ramon was named Marqués de la Esperanza by Spain during a tumultuous time in Puerto Rico.

Ramon, the 1st Marquis of La Esperanza was the wealthiest sugar baron in Puerto Rico in the 19th century. He was also one of the most powerful men of the entire Spanish Caribbean.[3]

  • View of sugar mill ruins showing chimney and masonry base of steam engine and cane mill at right, ca. 1968
  • One of the two steam engines at the hacienda
  • View of open end of purging house in 1977
  • Interior view of coach and wagon storage area under house in 1977
  • View of dining room in 1977

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Hacienda Azucarera la Esperanza". National Park Service. Retrieved August 31, 2020. With accompanying pictures
  3. Torres, Juan (9 April 2012). "Biografía de Jose R Fernandez-Marques de la Esperanza". manati.info (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.