The Dominicans and the Franciscans availed themselves of this privilege at once.  There was rivalry for power and influence between these two orders from the time of their first installation, and they carried their quarrels with them to America, where their differences of opinion regarding the enslaving and treatment of the Indians embittered them still more.  The Dominicans secured a footing in Santo Domingo and in Puerto Rico almost to the exclusion of their rivals, notwithstanding the king’s recommendation to Ceron in 1511 to build a monastery for Franciscans, whose doctrines he considered “salutary.”

[Illustration:  San Francisco Church, San Juan; the oldest church in the city.]

Puerto Rico was scantily provided with priests till the year 1518, when the treasurer, Haro, wrote to Cardinal Cisneros:  “There are no priests in the granges as has been commanded; only one in Caparra, and one in San German.  The island is badly served.  Send us a goodly number of priests or permission to pay them out of the produce of the tithes.”

The “goodly number of priests” was duly provided.  Immediately after the transfer of the capital to its present site in 1521, the Dominicans began the construction of a convent, which was nearly completed in 1529, when there were 25 friars in it.  They had acquired great influence over Bishop Manso, and obtained many privileges and immunities from him.  Bishop Bastidas, Manso’s successor, was less favorably disposed toward them, and demanded payment of tithes of the produce of their agricultural establishments.  He reported to the king in 1548:  “There is a Dominican monastery here large enough for a city of 2,000 inhabitants,[79] and there are many friars in it.  They possess farms, cattle, negroes, Indians, and are building horse-power sugar-mills; meanwhile, I know that they are asking your Majesty for alms to finish their church ...  It were better to oblige them to sell their estates and live in poverty as prescribed by the rules of their order.”

The Franciscans came to Puerto Rico in 1534, but founded no convent till 1585, when one of their order, Nicolas Ramos, was appointed to the see of San Juan.  Then they established themselves in “la Aguada,” and named the settlement San Francisco de Asis.  Two years later it was destroyed by the Caribs, and five of the brothers martyrized.  No attempt at reconstruction of the convent was made.  The order abandoned the island and did not return till 1642, when they obtained the Pope’s license to establish themselves in the capital.  Like the Dominicans, they soon acquired considerable wealth.