Preserving History

Para la Naturaleza is working on a long-term project to gather more information about our sites that have a history of enslavement and to amplify the voices telling their stories. The goal is to provide a more complete and balanced history of how our sites experienced enslavement.

In 2023, Para la Naturaleza finished a project funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Since then, we’ve shared the project’s results through presentations; updated the tours at Hacienda Buena Vista, Ponce, and Hacienda La Esperanza, Manatí, to highlight the contributions of enslaved people; provided anti-racist training for employees; revised signs and descriptions at sites with a history of enslavement; and collaborated with the Communications and Development units to support initiatives related to Afro-descendant communities.

From March 22 to 24, several Para la Naturaleza sites will mark the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico with special events. Segments of the Buena Vista tour have been recorded and are shared on our social media platforms. At Hacienda La Esperanza, we partnered with the local NGO Fundación Unidos para Servir for a remembrance event featuring talks, performances, and the reading of the names of the 153 enslaved individuals listed in the 1870 registry. La Esperanza hosted a Night Tour focusing on the lives of enslaved people at the Hacienda.