History of the Jews in Puerto Rico Very few American Jews settled in Puerto Rico after it was ceded by Spain to the United States under the terms of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish–American War. The first large group of Jews to settle in Puerto Rico were refugees fleeing German–occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. The second influx came in the 1950s, when thousands of Cuban Jews (most of Eastern-European descent) fled after Fidel Castro came to power. The majority immigrated to Miami, Florida, but a sizable portion chose to establish and integrate themselves on the neighboring island because of Puerto Rico's
United States Custom House (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) United States Custom House (Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) The U.S. Customs House or "Edificio Aduana" is a historic Custom House building located at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. As of February 10, 1988, the building was owned by the U.S. Customs Service, Washington, D.C. It was built in 1838 to accommodate and lodge distinguished visitors that reached the port of Mayagüez. In 1898 the building became a Custom House. It originally had two floors but the second story was destroyed by the earthquake of 1918. Its present architectonic line is from the year 1924, being the work of engineers Huiguera and Besosa, being