Loiza.—­Along the borders of the river which bears this name there settled, about the year 1514, Pedro Mexia, Sancho Arango, Francisco Quinaos, Pedro Lopez, and some other Spaniards, with their respective Indian laborers.  In one of the raids of the Indians from Vieyques or Aye-Aye, which were so frequent at the time, a cacique named Cacimar met his death at the hands of Arango.  The fallen chief’s brother Yaureibo, in revenge, prepared a large expedition, and penetrating at night with several pirogues full of men by way of the river to within a short distance of the settlement, fell upon it and utterly destroyed it, killing many and carrying off others.  Among the killed were Mexia and his Indian concubine named Louisa or Heloise.  Tradition says that this woman, having been advised by some Indian friend of the intended attack, tried to persuade her paramour to flee.  When he refused, she scorned his recommendation to save herself and remained with him to share his fate.

In the relation of this episode by the chroniclers, figures also the name of the dog Becerrillo (small calf), a mastiff belonging to Arango, who had brought the animal from the Espanola, where Columbus had introduced the breed on his second voyage.  In the fight with the Indians Arango was overpowered and was being carried off alive, when his dog, at the call of his master, came bounding to the rescue and made the Indians release him.  They sprang into the river for safety, and the gallant brute following them was shot with a poisoned arrow.[82]

Arecibo is situated on the river of that name.  It was founded by Felipe de Beaumont in 1616, with the appellation San Felipe de Arecibo.

Fajardo.—­Governor Bravo de Rivero, with a view to found a settlement on the east coast, detached a number of soldiers from their regiment and gave to them and some other people a caballeria[83] of land each, in the district watered by the river Fajardo.  Alexander O’Reilly, the king’s commissioner, who visited the settlement in 1765, found 474 people, and wrote:  " ...They have cleared little ground and cultivated so little that they are still in the very commencements.  The only industry practised by the inhabitants is illicit trade with the Danish islands of Saint Thomas and Saint Cross.  The people of Fajardo are the commission agents for the people there.  What else could be expected from indolent soldiers and vagabonds without any means of clearing forests or building houses?  If no other measures are adopted this settlement will remain many years in the same unhappy condition and be useful only to foreigners.”  In 1780 there were 243 heads of families in the district; the town proper had 9 houses and a church.

With regard to the remaining settlements mentioned in Governor Bravo de Rivero’s list, there are no reliable data.

From 1759, the year in which a general distribution of Government lands was practised and titles were granted, to the year 1774, in which Governor Miguel Muesas reformed or redistributed some of the urban districts, many, if not most of the settlements referred to were formed or received the names they bear at present.