Cangrejos/Santurce: The Black Town That Built San Juan

The history of Cangrejos — the original name of what is now Santurce — is the history of Black Puerto Rico, hidden in plain sight within the capital city.

Founding:
- In the early 1700s, free Black people — including formerly enslaved individuals, free-born Afro-Puerto Ricans, and Black migrants from other Caribbean islands — established a settlement east of the walled city of San Juan
- The settlement was called Cangrejos (crabs) — named after the mangrove crabs in the area
- Under Spanish law, free Black people had limited rights to live within the walled city, making Cangrejos a necessary alternative
- By the late 18th century, Cangrejos was officially recognized as a pueblo (town) with its own municipal government

The Community:
- Cangrejos became the largest concentration of free Black people in Puerto Rico
- The community developed its own cultural identity:
- Bomba and plena music traditions were centered in Cangrejos
- African religious practices (later blending into espiritismo) were maintained
- Community celebrations, food traditions, and social organizations flourished
- The town had its own church, plaza, and civic institutions
- Free Black residents of Cangrejos contributed labor, military service, and economic activity to the broader San Juan area

The Name Change:
- In 1880, the town was renamed Santurce — after Pablo Ubarri, Count of Santurce (a Spanish Basque title)
- The renaming erased the community's Black identity from its very name
- 'Cangrejos' (a name associated with Black settlement) was replaced by a Spanish noble title
- This renaming was part of a broader pattern of erasing Afro-Puerto Rican presence from official geography and history

20th Century Transformation:
- Under U.S. rule, Santurce was absorbed into the San Juan metropolitan area
- The neighborhood became densely urbanized
- Santurce's Afro-Puerto Rican character was diluted but not erased:
- Bomba and plena continued in community gatherings
- Afro-Puerto Rican families maintained cultural traditions
- Loíza Street (now Avenue) remained associated with Black culture

21st Century Gentrification:
- Santurce has become San Juan's 'arts district' — galleries, restaurants, nightlife
- Gentrification has displaced long-term residents (many Afro-Puerto Rican)
- Airbnb and short-term rentals have increased housing costs
- The 'arts district' narrative celebrates murals and galleries while erasing the community that created Santurce's original culture
- Act 60 beneficiaries have purchased property in Santurce, accelerating displacement

Why Cangrejos Matters:
The history of Cangrejos/Santurce reveals how colonialism erases Black history:
1. Black people built a thriving community outside the colonial walls
2. The community was renamed to erase its Black identity
3. The cultural traditions it created (bomba, plena) became 'Puerto Rican culture' — but their Black origins were downplayed
4. In the 21st century, gentrification displaces the descendants of the community's founders
5. The art and culture of the neighborhood are commodified while the people who created them are pushed out