This pink building in historic San Juan was the former residence of Felisa Rincón de Gautier, and nowadays is the home to a museum that pays her tribute and commemorates her legacy. Felisa Rincón de Gautier, also known as Doña Fela (1897-1994), was the first female mayor of San Juan, the longest-serving mayor, the first female mayor of a capital city in the Americas, and one of the most influential people in Purto Rico in the 20th century. Growing up in a small town in Puerto Rico, Rincón de Gautier was the oldest in a family of 8 children. After her mother passed away when she was 11, she helped raise her siblings and did not finish high school. As a skilled seamstress and fashionista, she wanted to generate employment in the city, so she opened a retail business. In 1932 when women were granted voting rights in Puerto Rico, she walked from door to door to encourage women to register to vote and was the fifth woman who registered to vote. In 1940 she married the San Juan lawyer and politician Genaro A. Gautier. Her activism work and disappointment with the government’s operation during hurricane San Calixto led her to politics; she became involved in the Liberal Party and later in the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico. In 1946 she was elected mayor of San Juan and served in this position for 22 years. She had a tight connection to the people and their needs and focused on developing childcare services, education systems, medical care, and rebuilding streets and facilities for the people. The Felisa Rincón de Gautier Foundation was incorporated on December 9, 1985. It established and managed Rincón de Gautier’s assets and the museum. Following Rincón de Gautier’s legacy, it organizes workshops and promotes public services. On display at the museum are many photographs of Dona Fela from different periods of her life, with her family, the people of San Juan, politicians, celebrities, and even from her funeral. Her many awards decorate the walls alongside her portraits. Her personal items are displayed throughout the house. Among them are her glasses, hand fans collection, furniture, and clothes. Do not miss the visit to the rooftop terrace, offering spectacular views of San Juan. Not too far from the museum stands her statue; you will find it wandering around the beautiful streets of historic San Juan. Read more...

In the heart of the National Historic Site of San Juan stands the statue of the first female mayor of the city, the legendary politician Felisa Rincón de Gautier, also known as Doña Fela (1897-1994). Rincón de Gautier was born in a small town in Puerto Rico, the oldest in a family of 8 children. After her mother passed away when she was 11, she helped raise her siblings and did not finish high school. She was a skilled seamstress and a fashionista, and in her thirties, she opened a retail business, wishing to generate employment in the city. She was a women’s rights activist who encouraged many women to register to vote. She was the fifth woman who registered to vote. In 1940 she married the San Juan lawyer and politician Genaro A. Gautier. Her activism work and disappointment with the government’s support during hurricane San Calixto led her to politics; she became involved in the Liberal Party and later in the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico. In 1946 she made history when she was elected mayor of San Juan, the first woman mayor of a capital city in the Americas. She served for 22 years, worked for the people selflessly, transformed the city, becoming a celebrity. Her many accomplishments in her 22 years as a mayor include establishing the first preschool centers, building schools, housing projects, and sports leagues, improving the health system and establishing the School of Medicine, and restoring and conserving the historical structures of Old San Juan. The statue depicts Rincón de Gautier sitting on a bench, wearing her famous outfit with big glasses, hairstyle, and a fan. A few minutes walk from the statue leads to her mansion, which is now open to the public as a museum called Casa Museo Felisa Rincón de Gautier. Read more...