Agustin stahl in corozal printing
Agustin stahl in corozal printing picture!
Agustín Stahl: Scientist Who Introduced the “Arbol de Navidad” (Christmas Tree) to Puerto Rico
By Maria Anderson
Agustín Stahl’s “Estudios sobre la flora de Puerto Rico” (“Studies about the flora of Puerto Rico”), published in 1883.
(Image courtesy University of Puerto Rico)
Ubiquitous as they may be today, the origin of the Christmas tree is unknown to most.
Agustin stahl in corozal printing
The tradition of decorating a tree, usually an evergreen conifer, is believed to have started in Germany in the 15th century. The custom gained popularity in North America in the early-1800s, starting in areas with large German immigrant populations.
In Puerto Rico, the tradition of the Christmas tree—or árbolde Navidad—started after 1865.
According to Pedro Acevedo-Rodriguez, research botanist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, “that was the year that Puerto Rican scientist Agustín Stahl, upon his return from Germany, relocated to the town of Bayamón, where he adorned a tree in his