El Compendio de la historia de Puerto-Rico en verso por Pío del Castillo y los primeros manuales escolares puertorriqueños sobre historia, 1848-1863 (Spanish Edition)

The Compendio de la historia de Puerto-Rico, by Pío del Castillo, published in Puerto Rico in 1848, appears to be the only history of the Island in verse form, the first text for the teaching of local history, and the first school manual written and printed locally. The Compendio demonstrates how the Spanish tradition of learning history through the memorization of verses was extended to Puerto Rico. This investigation places the Compendio in the pedagogical, administrative and political context of the first teaching manuals written and published on the Island (1848-1863). These texts merit study and dissemination as the earliest manifestations of pedagogical writing in the Island, and as reflections of two debates of perennial global interest: the appropriate limits of the state's control over content and methods in the teaching of history, and the usefulness of memorization as an instrument for learning.