Why I Spent Years Researching the History of Puerto Rico’s Mountain Town
Published on Chronicles & Cocktails
If you’ve ever driven through the mountains of Puerto Rico, chances are you’ve passed through Utuado.
You probably admired the green hills, crossed one of its rivers, stopped for a cup of coffee, or maybe visited the famous Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Center.
But what if I told you that beneath those mountains lies one of the richest collections of forgotten stories in Puerto Rico?
Not myths.
Not legends.
Real stories.
Stories hidden inside parish books, municipal archives, forgotten newspapers, military records, genealogy, and government documents that, for decades—and sometimes centuries—sat quietly waiting for someone to read them.
That’s why I wrote Historias en la Historia de Utuado.
Why I Wrote This Book
People often ask me why I decided to write a history book about Utuado.
The answer is actually simple.
I wasn’t trying to write a history book.
I was trying to answer questions.
My journey began while researching my own family genealogy. Like many Puerto Ricans, I wanted to know where my family came from.
One record led to another.
One baptism led to another marriage.
One marriage led to a land transaction.
A land transaction led to the founding of an entire town.
Before I realized it, I wasn’t simply researching my family anymore.
I was reconstructing the history of an entire community.
And the deeper I went, the more I realized something surprising.
Many of the stories repeated for generations weren’t completely wrong…
But they were incomplete.
History Isn’t Just About Famous People
One of the biggest lessons I learned while researching this book is that history doesn’t belong only to governors, generals, or famous politicians.
History belongs to ordinary people.
A farmer.
A photographer.
A judge.
A bartender.
A priest.
A child.
A family leaving Puerto Rico.
Someone returning home.
Those are the stories that create a community.
That’s what this book tries to preserve.
A Different Way to Look at Utuado’s Founding
Most Puerto Ricans know that Utuado was officially founded on October 12, 1739.
What surprised me was discovering that the town wasn’t simply founded because settlers wanted to move into the mountains.
The documents tell a much larger story.
The founding of Utuado took place during the great struggle between European empires in the Caribbean. Governor Matías de Abadía promoted inland settlements to strengthen Spain’s control of Puerto Rico against contraband and foreign powers.
Suddenly, Utuado wasn’t just a mountain town.
It became part of an international story involving trade, military strategy, and empire.
Those kinds of discoveries completely changed the way I understood Puerto Rican history.
The Stories That Fascinated Me Most
Some chapters took months.
Others took years.
Every one taught me something new.
Among the stories you’ll find are:
- The remarkable life of Sebastián de Morfi, founder of Utuado.
- Why San Miguel Arcángel became the town’s patron saint.
- The first Constitutional Mayor of Utuado after the Constitution of Cádiz.
- Three extraordinary days when the entire town celebrated constitutional government in 1836.
- A proposal in 1898 that could have transformed Utuado into one of Puerto Rico’s most technologically connected towns—with electric streetcars and a regional telephone network.
- Stories of judges, photographers, immigrants, public servants, forgotten heroes, and everyday people whose lives deserve to be remembered.
Some made me laugh.
Some surprised me.
Others completely changed what I thought I knew.
Research Is Sometimes Detective Work
People imagine historians spending their days reading interesting books.
Sometimes that’s true.
More often, it’s detective work.
There were days when I spent six or seven hours scrolling through old newspapers and found absolutely nothing.
Then one tiny paragraph—just a few lines long—would suddenly connect families I had been researching for years.
Those are the moments that make history exciting.
It’s like solving a mystery where every clue is more than a hundred years old.
Publishing on October 12 Was Never an Accident
When the manuscript was finally finished, I knew there was only one day it could be published.
October 12, 2025.
Exactly 286 years after the founding of Utuado.
The date wasn’t chosen for marketing.
It was chosen out of respect.
It felt like the book was finally coming home.
The Cocktail: Rum & Passionfruit
Every episode of Chronicles & Cocktails includes a drink, and for this story, the choice couldn’t be simpler.
Ron con Parcha.
Fresh passionfruit.
Puerto Rican rum.
Ice.
That’s it.
It’s the kind of drink you’ll find around a domino table while everyone waits for the carne frita con ñames to come off the stove.
It’s not elaborate.
It doesn’t try to impress anyone.
And maybe that’s why it reminds me so much of Utuado.
Simple things often carry the deepest memories.
Watch the Complete Episode
In this episode of Chronicles & Cocktails, I talk about the journey behind writing Historias en la Historia de Utuado, the years of research, the discoveries that surprised me most, and why preserving local history matters more than ever.
🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube:
Get the Book
If you enjoy Puerto Rico’s history, genealogy, local stories, and the forgotten people who helped shape the Island, I think you’ll enjoy this book.
📖 Historias en la Historia de Utuado
https://amzn.to/4qc0xPP
Continue Exploring Puerto Rico
History is everywhere.
Sometimes it’s hidden inside an archive.
Sometimes it’s found in an old newspaper.
Sometimes it’s sitting at a domino table with a glass of rum and passionfruit.
That’s exactly what Chronicles & Cocktails is all about.