The Triangle of Empire: Sport, Religion, and Imperialism in Puerto Rico’s YMCA, 1898-

1926.

University Library Research ShowcaseNovember 12, 2014

Antonio Sotomayor, Ph.D.Assistant Professor University Library

Librarian for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Research Questions

• What was the role and consequences of the YMCA in Puerto Rico at the turn of the twentieth century?

• In what ways did the issues of imperialism, religion

and sport intersect through the YMCA?

• How can this process help us further understand Latin American sports, culture, and politics?

Research

Supported by Research and Publication Committee (RPC) funding at the University Library.

•University Library - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

•Kautz Family YMCA Archives at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

•Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico Evangélico.

[ Letters, Reports, Magazines, Newspaper Clippings, Secondary Literature, (1898-1930s) ]

Outcomes

• Army and Navy YMCA entered Puerto Rico with invading forces – Spanish American War (1898)

• To offer recreational and spiritual comfort [convert both soldiers and civilians. To aid the imperial army in occupation and achieve hegemonic rule]

• Negotiation between a loyal catholic population with a strong desire to learn and practice modern sports.

So what? Lessons to be learned

• Army and Navy YMCA also entered with U.S. forces in Cuba and the Philippines.

• Civilian YMCA in South America since 1870s (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico).

• New way to understand the politics of sport and the rich sporting traditions of sport in the region.

• New way to understand the negotiations between Protestantism and Catholicism in Latin America.