Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 343 Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 22, 2021 Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N (for herself, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. MURPHY of Flor- ida, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. GIMENEZ, and Mr. SOTO) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform RESOLUTION Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Whereas, since 1898, after the Spanish-American War and with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States; Whereas the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, is the oldest continuously inhabited city established by Euro- peans within United States territory, as reference, the city of Saint Augustine, in the State of Florida, was es- tablished in 1565, which makes the city of San Juan about 44 years older; Whereas San Juan is also the third oldest capital city estab- lished by Europeans in the Americas, after Santo Do- VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Apr 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR343.IH HR343 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 343 IH mingo, Dominican Republic (1496), and Panama City, Panama (1519); Whereas San Juan is home to the second oldest church in the Americas, Iglesia San Jose´, which started construction in 1532 and has just reopened its doors after more than two decades of restoration work; Whereas the Palacio de Santa Catalina, also known as La Fortaleza, initially constructed between 1533 and 1540, also located in San Juan, is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas; Whereas, on March 4, 1513, Juan Ponce de Leo´n, Puerto Rico’s first Governor and conquistador, departed from Puerto Rico to lead the first known expedition to what is now the State of Florida; Whereas Juan Ponce de Leo´n was interred in San Juan in 1521 and his tomb is now located in the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista; Whereas the architectural and cultural heritage of San Juan has been recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site, and by the United States National Park Service with the establishment of the San Juan National Historic Site, are constituted by the fortifications built between the 1500s and 1700s to protect San Juan against invading forces, including Castillo San Felipe del Morro, most of the city walls, the San Juan Gate and Fort San Juan de la Cruz, and Fort San Cristo´bal, con- sidered the largest fortress built in the Americas; Whereas these fortifications remained active defenses of the United States Military until the Second World War, and on March 21, 1915, Lieutenant Teo´filo Marxuach, officer at El Morro Castle, ordered fire upon the German armed VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Apr 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR343.IH HR343 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 343 IH supply ship Odenwald trying to force its way out of San Juan Bay to deliver supplies to German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean, in what is considered to be the first shot fired by the regular Armed Forces of the United States against any ship flying the colors of the Central Powers of World War I; Whereas, in 1946, Felisa Rinco´n de Gautier was appointed mayor of San Juan, making her the first woman mayor of a capital city in the Americas; Whereas, in 1959, San Juan was awarded the All-America City Award, an award given by the National Civic League, which recognizes communities that leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation to successfully address local issues; Whereas the ‘‘Escuelas Maternales’’, established in San Juan by mayor Rinco´n de Gautier would eventually become the model for the Head Start programs in the United States; Whereas San Juan has hosted several major sporting events including— (1) 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games; (2) 1979 Pan American Games; (3) Baseball Winter League Caribbean World Series: 1950, 1954, 1958, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1984, 1995, 1999, 2015, and 2020; (4) World Baseball Classic: 2006, 2009, and 2013; (5) 1974 FIBA World Championship (basketball); (6) FIBA Americas Championship: 1980, 1993, 1999, 2003, and 2009; and (7) 2010 Latin American Regional Special Olympics; Whereas the city of San Juan is now a main center of indus- try, commerce, and culture and a touchstone of the cul- VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Apr 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR343.IH HR343 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 343 IH ture of the Puerto Rican community across the United States and the world; and Whereas the city of San Juan will celebrate the quincenten- nial anniversary of the city from September 2021 to May 2022: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the 500th anniversary of the 2 founding of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico; 3 (2) honors the history of the city of San Juan, 4 Puerto Rico; and 5 (3) encourages the people of the United States 6 to observe and recognize the quincentennial anniver- 7 sary of the city of San Juan. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:41 Apr 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR343.IH HR343 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS