The
Captaincy General of Puerto Rico was an administrative district of the
Spanish Empire, created in 1580 to provide better military management of the island of
Puerto Rico, previously under the direct rule of a simple governor and the jurisdiction of
Audiencia of Santo Domingo. Its creation was part of the, ultimately futile,
Habsburg attempt in the late 16th century to prevent incursion into the
Caribbean by foreign powers. Spain also established Captaincies General in
Cuba,
Guatemala and
Yucatán.