French Immigration To Puerto Rico - French Influence in Vieques

French Influence in Vieques

In 1823, Teófilo José Jaime María Le Guillou immigrated from France to Puerto Rico and settled down in the island of Vieques. He is considered as the founder of the municipality of Vieques. In 1832, Le Guillou succeeded Francisco Rosello as the military commander of Vieques after Rosello's death. Between 1832 and 1843, Le Guillou who had been given the title of "Political and Military Governor of the Spanish Island of Vieques" by the Spanish Crown, developed a plan for the political and economic organization of the island. He established five sugar plantations in the island named Esperanza, Resolucion, Destino, Mon Repos and Mi Reposo.

Le Guillou, who was the most powerful landlord and owner of slaves in the island, requested from the Spanish Crown permission to allow the immigration of French families from the Caribbean Islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe which at the time were French possessions. Attracted by the offer of free land which was one of the incentives stipulated in the revised Spanish Royal Decree of 1815, dozens of French familles, among them the Mouraille's, Martineau's and Le Brun's, immigrated to Vieques and with the use of slave manpower established sugar plantations. By 1839, there were 138 "habitaciones" which comes from the French word "habitation" meaning hacienda or plantation. These habitaciones were located from Punta Mulas and Punta Arenas. Le Guillou died in 1843 and is buried in the town of Isabel II of Vieques which was founded in 1844.