In 1964, Puerto Rico did not experience a single dramatic, widely known crisis or disaster; instead, it was a year marked mainly by political continuity and ongoing social change.

Quick Scoop

  • The most concrete “what happened” answer: on November 3, 1964, Roberto SĂĄnchez Vilella was elected governor of Puerto Rico with 59.2% of the vote, succeeding Luis Muñoz MarĂ­n from the same Popular Democratic Party (PPD).
  • Beyond that, 1964 sits in the middle of a period of rapid industrialization, mass migration to the U.S. mainland, and debates over Puerto Rico’s political status, rather than a single headline event.

Politics and Government in 1964

  • Gubernatorial election: Roberto SĂĄnchez Vilella won the governorship on November 3, 1964, with 59.2% of the vote.
  • He belonged to the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which had created the Commonwealth status in 1952 and promoted close association with the United States.
  • His election represented continuity with Luis Muñoz MarĂ­n’s project of industrialization and social reform rather than a sharp political break.

Think of 1964 as a “handover within the same team” rather than a full political upset.

Social and Economic Context Around 1964

  • Puerto Rico in the 1950s–1960s was undergoing Operation Bootstrap , a strategy that encouraged industrialization and led to the decline of agriculture and the closure of many sugar mills.
  • This economic shift pushed large numbers of Puerto Ricans to migrate to cities like New York, Chicago, and other mainland urban centers, shaping a growing diaspora.
  • Debates about colonial status, independence, and possible statehood continued in the background, but 1964 itself did not bring a major status change.

Puerto Ricans and 1964 Beyond the Island

Although your phrase is “what happened in Puerto Rico in 1964,” some of the meaningful Puerto Rican–related events of that year occurred in the U.S. mainland:

  • On March 1, 1964, Puerto Rican community organizations organized a civil rights march in front of New York City Hall to protest school segregation affecting Puerto Rican and Black children.
  • Groups such as the New York Urban League, Jamaica NAACP, and labor unions joined, showing how Puerto Rican civil rights struggles were tied to broader U.S. civil rights movements.

This matters because life in Puerto Rico and in the Puerto Rican diaspora were tightly linked—economic changes on the island fed migration, which then fueled civil rights activism in U.S. cities.

Mini Timeline Snapshot Around 1964

To place 1964 in context:

  • 1952 – Puerto Rico’s Commonwealth status is established under the leadership of Luis Muñoz MarĂ­n.
  • Early 1960s – Arecibo Observatory, a major radio telescope, is inaugurated, signaling investment in science and infrastructure.
  • 1963 – Roberto SĂĄnchez Vilella is chosen as Muñoz MarĂ­n’s successor candidate and becomes central in island politics.
  • 1964 – SĂĄnchez Vilella is elected governor with 59.2% of the vote, continuing PPD rule and the Commonwealth project.

SEO-style meta note

  • Focus phrase: what happened in puerto rico in 1964 – chiefly, the election of Roberto SĂĄnchez Vilella as governor and the continuation of the Commonwealth-oriented development model, alongside ongoing migration and civil rights activity involving Puerto Ricans in U.S. cities.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.