Ricardo E. Alegria

Ricardo E. Alegria , born April, 14 1921 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a cultural anthropologist and archeologist. He obtained a Bachelors of Science Degree in Archeology from the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Masters in Anthropology and History from the University of Chicago and a PhD. in Anthropology from Harvard University.
In 1947, he founded the Center of Investigative Archaeology and Ethnology and in 1955 was named, by Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico’s first elected governor, director of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. In 1976, he founded the Center for Advanced Puerto Rican and Caribbean Studies (Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe).
Alegria, author of over 20 books, pioneer in the study of Taino culture and a Puerto Rican scholar has dedicated his life to preserving Puerto Rican history and culture.

“If we know ourselves better, then we will be prouder of who we are, what we have, and what we want to preserve.” - Ricardo E. Alegría




Courtesy: http://latino.si.edu/virtualgallery/OJOS/bios/bios_Alegria.htm"READ EXCERPTS"