The Spanish padrones still counted "Indians" in the 1700s (Puerto Rico, 1777–1802)
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet proven
Year: 1700 · Places: Caribbean, Europe
SUMMARYThe Spanish padrones still counted "Indians" in the 1700s (Puerto Rico, 1777–1802) [Connections: Latin America & Caribbean, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDThe ICPSR dataset Puerto Rico's Padrones, 1779–1802 (Scarano and Curtis, University of Wisconsin) holds 23 annual censuses ordered by a 1776 Royal Order, reporting Whites, Indians, free Mulattoes, free Blacks, Mulatto slaves and Black slaves across 30 partidos. Wikipedia (citing Feliciano-Santos) gives 1,756 indios in the 1777 census and 2,032 in 1787, noting it is unclear who was counted
PATTERNMore than 200 years after the "extinction," Spanish officials were still counting Indians in Puerto Rico
LENS (WW9)The "extinct" people kept showing up in the Crown's own ledgers
OPENWhen the "Indian" column disappears from Puerto Rican counts after 1802, and where those families were moved to, needs deep research in the padrones themselves