Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony for a period of 389 years, and as a result of the Spanish-American War it became a territory of the United States of America in 1898. This presentation will focus on the uses of Isla de Cabras, a promontory located across the San Juan Bay as a site of isolation under both hegemonic powers. Using multidisciplinary lines of information, I will delineate a historical account of the construction and operation of the 19th century maritime quarantine station (lazareto) and its conversion to a colony for people with Hansen's disease in the early 20th century. Multidisciplinary lines of information are interlaced to present a more complete narrative on how these institutions operated and what daily life was like for the patients. Finally, it will highlight the contributions and potential of comparative studies between the Caribbean islands to enrich our understanding of colonial institutions.

Paola Schiappacasse is an anthropologist who specializes in Caribbean historical archaeology. She has a doctorate in anthropology and master’s in Museum Studies from Syracuse University, an MA in History from the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y del Caribe; and a bachelor’s in History from Eastern Connecticut State University. Currently, she is as an adjunct professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Dr. Schiappacasse has been invited faculty in postgraduate programs in Puerto Rico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic; worked in over a hundred cultural resources management projects, and as museum consultant. She serves in various committees of the Society for American Archaeology, Society of Historical Archaeology, and the Register of Professional Archaeologists. Her research interests include history, archaeology and architecture of the Spanish Caribbean; health and sanitation, documentary archaeology, collections management, and decolonization of archaeology.