[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 356 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 356

 Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of San 
                           Juan, Puerto Rico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 13, 2021

    Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself and Mr. Rubio) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of San 
                           Juan, Puerto Rico.

Whereas, since 1898, after the Spanish-American War and with the ratification of 
        the Treaty of Paris, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United 
        States;
Whereas the city of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, is the oldest 
        continuously inhabited city established by Europeans within United 
        States territory;
Whereas, as reference, the city of Saint Augustine, in the State of Florida, was 
        established in 1565, which makes the city of San Juan about 44 years 
        older;
Whereas San Juan is also the third-oldest capital city established by Europeans 
        in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1496), and 
        Panama City, Panama (1519);
Whereas San Juan is home to the second-oldest church in the Americas, Iglesia 
        San Jose, which started construction in 1532 and has just reopened its 
        doors after more than 2 decades of restoration work;
Whereas the Palacio de Santa Catalina, also known as La Fortaleza, initially 
        constructed between 1533 and 1540, also located in San Juan, is the 
        oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas;
Whereas, on March 4, 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon, Puerto Rico's first Governor and 
        conquistador, departed from Puerto Rico to lead the first known 
        expedition to what is now the State of Florida;
Whereas Juan Ponce de Leon was interred in San Juan in 1521 and his tomb is now 
        located in the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista;
Whereas the architectural and cultural heritage of San Juan has been recognized 
        by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site and by the United States 
        National Park Service with the establishment of the San Juan National 
        Historic Site;
Whereas the architectural and cultural heritage of San Juan includes the 
        fortifications built between the 1500s and 1700s to protect San Juan 
        against invading forces, including Castillo San Felipe del Morro, most 
        of the city walls, the San Juan Gate, Fort San Juan de la Cruz, and Fort 
        San Cristobal, considered the largest fortress built in the Americas;
Whereas these fortifications remained active defenses of the United States Armed 
        Forces until World War II;
Whereas, on March 21, 1915, Lieutenant Teofilo Marxuach, officer at El Morro 
        Castle, ordered fire upon the German armed supply ship Odenwald trying 
        to force its way out of San Juan Bay to deliver supplies to German 
        submarines in the Atlantic Ocean, in what is considered to be the first 
        shot fired by the regular Armed Forces of the United States against any 
        ship flying the colors of the Central Powers of World War I;
Whereas, in 1946, Felisa Rincon de Gautier was appointed mayor of San Juan, 
        making her the first woman mayor of a capital city in the Americas;
Whereas, in 1959, San Juan was awarded the All-America City Award, an award 
        given by the National Civic League, which recognizes communities that 
        leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness, and innovation 
        to successfully address local issues;
Whereas the ``Escuelas Maternales'', established in San Juan by mayor Rincon de 
        Gautier would eventually become the model for the Head Start programs in 
        the United States;
Whereas San Juan has hosted several major sporting events, including the--

    (1) 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games;

    (2) 1979 Pan American Games;

    (3) Baseball Winter League Caribbean World Series in 1950, 1954, 1958, 
1971, 1975, 1979, 1984, 1995, 1999, 2015, and 2020;

    (4) World Baseball Classic in 2006, 2009, and 2013;

    (5) 1974 FIBA World Championship;

    (6) FIBA Americas Championship in 1980, 1993, 1999, 2003, and 2009; and

    (7) 2010 Latin American Regional Special Olympics;

Whereas the city of San Juan is now a main center of industry, commerce, and 
        culture and a touchstone of the culture of the Puerto Rican community 
        across the United States and the world; and
Whereas the city of San Juan will celebrate the quincentennial anniversary of 
        the city from September 2021 to May 2022: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 500th anniversary of the founding of the 
        city of San Juan, Puerto Rico;
            (2) honors the history of the city of San Juan, Puerto 
        Rico; and
            (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        and recognize the quincentennial anniversary of the city of San 
        Juan.
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