José Campeche

José Campeche y Jordán (1751-1809) was Puerto Rico's first great painter — a free mulato (mixed-race) artist who became the most accomplished painter in the Caribbean during the colonial period, largely self-taught, whose religious paintings and portraits adorn churches and collections across Puerto Rico.

Born in San Juan to Tomás de Rivafrecha Campeche (a formerly enslaved man who purchased his freedom) and María Jordán Marqués (a Canary Islander), Campeche grew up in a family that bridged racial and social boundaries. He received his only formal artistic training from Luis Paret y Alcázar, a Spanish painter exiled to Puerto Rico.

Campeche's body of work includes over 400 paintings:
- Religious works commissioned by churches throughout Puerto Rico
- Portraits of colonial officials, clergy, and prominent families
- Historical paintings documenting events like the 1797 British attack on San Juan
- His painting 'Governor Don Miguel Antonio de Ustáriz' is considered one of the finest colonial portraits in the Americas

Campeche never left Puerto Rico — unlike most artists of his era who traveled to European academies. His entire artistic education and career took place on the island, making his achievement even more remarkable.

As a free man of African descent in a slave society, Campeche navigated racial boundaries through artistic excellence. His success challenges the colonial narrative that artistic sophistication required European training and European blood. A mixed-race artist from a slave colony produced work that rivals the finest colonial art in the Americas.