building in Río Piedras, 1900–1917 The area where Río Piedras is located today was previously settled by the
Taíno, and archaeological sites have been uncovered nearby in
Carolina. The town was founded as
El Roble and was officially recognized by Spanish Governor Juan de Rivera in 1714. It was settled on the intersection of the
Piedras River and the Juan Méndez Creek (part of the
Puerto Nuevo River basin). The town eventually adopted the name of that river,
Pueblo de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Río Piedras, and was proclaimed a municipality in 1823, when the city hall and
plaza (main town square) were built. During the nineteenth century, most of its territory was used for agricultural and livestock-raising purposes.
Sugar cane, cotton and coffee were some of the goods produced during this era at the municipality. A road connecting Río Piedras to
San Juan was built during this time, along with the first church,
Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar, at the site of the modern town
plaza. The
Camino Real, precursor to the Carretera Central, connected Río Piedras with Caguas and to southern Puerto Rico, was also built before the end of the century. with funds diverted from the former
Escuela Normal Industrial (Normal Industrial School). The
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, today one of the largest universities in Puerto Rico. The university was a central part of the commercial and residential development of Río Piedras.
Incorporation into San Juan The municipality of Río Piedras became part of the capital city of San Juan on July 1, 1951, after the approval of
Project 177 by the
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. Following the annexation of Río Piedras, the city of
San Juan, quadrupled its former size, becoming the largest city in Puerto Rico. With a population of 143,989 in 1950, Río Piedras was the most populous municipality in Puerto Rico before its consolidation with San Juan. The last mayor of the municipality of Río Piedras was Ángeles Méndez de López Corver. On December 5, 1981, the first phase of Paseo De Diego, built by Redondo Construction at a cost of $1,100,000, would be delivered to the Mayor of San Juan before December 18, the date of its official inauguration, four months before the original expected completion time. This would be possible despite the fact that the project had been carried out with the public passing through and shops open. It would have two ornamental fountains, four clocks, attractive light fixtures, and 42 trees that would complement the appearance of Paseo De Diego, which had all the details of a mall, but outdoors. It would officially inaugurate on December 18, of that year. On November 5, 1983, located on the Paseo de Diego, a 90,000 square foot shopping center
Plaza de Diego Mall, would inaugurate with three levels. The first two levels would count with 13 stores, and the third would count with 13 food establishments. It would be developed by Plaza de Diego Shopping Center, Inc., and designed by Huyke, Colón y Asociados. == Symbols ==