Adolfo de Hostos

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de Hostos and the second or maternal family name is de Ayala.

Adolfo de Hostos (1887–1982) was a Dominican-born Puerto Rican historian and archaeologist, known for serving as the fifth Official Historian of Puerto Rico.^[1][2][3][4]

Adolfo de Hostos
Official Historian of Puerto Rico
In office 1936–1950
Preceded by	Mariano Abril y Ostalo
Succeeded by	Pilar Barbosa de Rosario
Personal details
Born	Adolfo José de Hostos y de Ayala (1887-01-08)January 8, 1887 Santo Domingo, Second Dominican Republic
Died	October 29, 1982(1982-10-29) (aged 95) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Spouses	Rosenda Brunet Guayta ​ ​ (m. 1914; died 1945)​ María Asunción Olivar Piñero ​ ​ (m. 1948)​
Children	2
Parents	Eugenio María de Hostos (father) Belinda Otilia de Ayala y Quintana (mother)
Occupation	Historian archaeologist
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1905–1919
Rank	First lieutenant

Early life

Adolfo José de Hostos y de Ayala was born on January 8, 1887 in Santo Domingo, Second Dominican Republic (present-day, Dominican Republic) to Eugenio María de Hostos and Belinda Otilia de Ayala y Quintana.^[1][5] de Hostos was baptised on July 23, 1887 in San Carlos, and had five brothers and sisters.^[6][7]

In 1939, he corresponded with his brother Eugenio Carlos de Hostos excitedly relaying how he hoped to have his publication, Trópico, be included in the newspaper Puerto Rico Ilustrado.^[8]

Military career

De Hostos served in the United States Army from 1905-1919 rising to the rank of 1st lieutenant. He was as military aide to Gov. Arthur Yeager before his appointment by Gov. Blanton Winship.

Official historian

His most prominent publication is "Ciudad Murada", the history of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the United States' oldest city.

After his retirement in 1950, the position of Official Historian remained vacant for 43 years, until the Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved in 1993 Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, authored by Sen. Kenneth McClintock, designated Dr. Pilar Barbosa.

De Hostos spearheaded the excavation at a location in Guaynabo, finding remnants of early European settlement in Puerto Rico. The location is now called the Caparra Archaeological Site.^[9]

De Hostos made an important contribution to pre-Columbian archaeology with his book titled "Anthropological Papers: Based Principally on Studies of the Prehistoric Archaeology and Ethnology of the Greater Antilles" published in 1941.^[10]

Personal life

In 1914, de Hostos married Rosenda Brunet Guayta (1887–1945), with whom he had two children.^[11][12][13] In 1948, de Hostos married María Asunción Olivar Piñero (1927–2020).^{[2][5][14][15]}

de Hostos died on October 29, 1982, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.^[5]