Archaeological research in Puerto Rico has sought to understand the Taíno Amerindians and their predecessors. The Spanish Empire of the 16th century essentially wiped out these indigenous peoples, but by the 19th century aboriginal archaeological artifacts were being catalogued in Puerto Rico. The leading colonial scientist of the waning Iberian authority, physician-botanist Agustín Stahl, boasted the island’s largest archaeological collection. His work inspired other amateur Puerto Rican archaeologists, members of the insular elite. These professionals conducted serious archaeological work, but nevertheless represented non-expert researchers. That is, none of these workers were trained as archaeologists. During the early days of American colonial oversight, after the 1898 annexation, U.S. archaeologists continued Stahl’s work of understanding Taíno origins. In fact, they cited such local work, often already published in the archaeological literature. Building on indigenous professional expertise, these American archaeologists translated local expertise, validated it, re-interpreted it and expanded it. By the 1950s, when Puerto Ricans had established an autonomous, self-governing polity under U.S. jurisdiction, the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture positioned itself as the scientific authority over archaeology, now setting insular research agendas. In essence, local archaeological experts now re-translated American-led work of the early 20th century, recruiting it into notions of cultural nationalism. That is, Puerto Ricans imagined themselves as a Taíno Nation, an indigenous peoples infused with genetic and cultural additions from European and African sources. Recent Puerto Rican archaeological success has thus contributed to a unique cultural accommodation against frustrated political independence.
