Manuel Fernández Juncos

Manuel Fernández Juncos
Fernández Juncos wrote the lyrics to La Borinqueña, Puerto Rico's national anthem.
Background information
Born	December 11, 1846 Tresmonte, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain
Died	August 18, 1928 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupation(s)	Journalist, poet, author, humanitarian

External audio

You may listen to Graciela Rivera's interpretation of Fernández Juncos' version of the "La Borinqueña" here on YouTube.

Manuel Fernández Juncos (December 11, 1846 – August 18, 1928) was a Spanish journalist, poet, author and humanitarian who wrote the official lyrics to La Borinqueña, Puerto Rico's official anthem.

Fernández Juncos was born in Tresmonte, a section of Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain. Orphaned at an early age, he arrived in Puerto Rico in 1858 aboard a Spanish vessel. Fernández-Juncos became a Puerto Rican by adopting the island as his country and where he was to spend the rest of his life.

Fernández Juncos met Dr. José Gualberto Padilla, a poet known as "El Caribe" who inspired him towards a literary vocation. He first wrote for El Progreso (Progress), a newspaper founded by José Julián Acosta. He also wrote for the Porvenir and El Clamor del País newspapers. Fernández Juncos founded many newspapers with liberal tendencies. Among them, one was called El Buscapie. It promoted a socialist agenda, including the idea that every child should be entitled to a free education. It quickly became the most widely read Puerto Rican paper of its time. He also founded the Revista Puertorriqueña (The Puerto Rican Magazine).

As a writer, Fernández Juncos studied and wrote about the roots of the Puerto Ricans as a people. Among his most notable works were: Tipos y Caracteres, Libro Cuarto de Lectura, and Canciones Escolares (which he co-wrote with Virgilio Dávila and Braulio Dueño Colon). "El Buscapie" was the only newspaper in the island to criticize the local government. In 1893, he founded the Masonic Lodge Patria No. 61 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was also the Lodge’s first Worshipful Master.

Fernández Juncos joined the Autonomist Party founded by Román Baldorioty de Castro and became its secretary. Shortly after, when Puerto Rico was granted its autonomy from Spain, Fernández Juncos was elected and became the first Secretary of State. However, in less than a year Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States during the Spanish–American War and its government abolished. He founded the Puerto Rican Red Cross, which continues today to give humanitarian help to those in need.