Ricardo Alegría

Ricardo Enrique Alegría Gallardo (April 14, 1921 – July 7, 2011) was a Puerto Rican scholar, author, cultural anthropologist, and archaeologist known as the "father of modern Puerto Rican archaeology". He was a professor at the University of Puerto Rico and the first director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. Alegria was the founder of the Museo de las Américas and of the Alpha Beta Chi fraternity. His father, José S. Alegría, was a former vice president and founding member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. It was Alegría's father who instilled in him a sense of love and pride for Puerto Rico, its history, and culture. He received his primary and secondary education in San Juan, before attending the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). While there Alegría and Yamil Galib founded a new fraternity, Alpha Beta Chi. In 1942, Alegría earned his Bachelor of Science degree in archeology from the University of Puerto Rico. He continued his academic education at the University of Chicago where in 1947 he earned his master's in Anthropology and History.

In 1954, Alegría earned his Ph.D (doctorate) in Anthropology from Harvard University. Governor Luis Muñoz Marín named Alegría the first director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in the late 1950s. Alegría established the Center of Popular Arts, the Institute of Puerto Rican book publishing division. Alegría was responsible for the renovation and restoration of historical Old San Juan under the leadership of the San Juan mayor Felisa Rincón de Gautier. He also spearheaded the restoration of the ruins of the Caparra Archaeological Site and Fortín de San Gerónimo. As a result of his work Old San Juan was declared a Historical World Treasure.

In 1976, Alegría opened the Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (CEAPRC). In 1992, he established the Museo de las Américas. He also formed the General Archive of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican Theater Festival. Alegría was also a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, where he created the Archaeological Research Center. Alegría was a pioneer in the anthropologic studies of the Taíno culture and the African heritage in Puerto Rico. Caribbean Business points out that, "His extensive studies have helped historians understand how the Taínos lived and suffered, before and after the Spanish conquistadors arrived on the island." Alegría estimated that about one-third of all Puerto Ricans have Taíno ancestry—results of recent DNA studies have suggested he may be right.