After emigrating to Puerto Rico from Olmeta-di-Capocorso, Corsica in 1857 and 1868 respectively, brothers Domenico “Domingo” Pietri Pietri (1832-1899) and Pablo Francisco Pietri Pietri (1844-1909) acquired numerous tracts of land in the Yauco area during the 1860s, '70s and '80s, individually and in partnership.  One of these tracts of land, to the best of our understanding acquired by Domingo individually from Silvestre Fraticelli, included a coffee processing unit then known as Hacienda Maria or Hacienda La Rubia in Barrio Rubias of Yauco.  From a court case decided by the PR Supreme Court in 1905, it appears Fraticelli established the hacienda on or around 1864-65 when he acquired one hundred cuerdas from Mariano Bartolomei.  It is unclear when Domingo acquired the hacienda from Fraticelli but it is believed to have been in the 1870s.   

In need of help, in 1883 Domingo requested that his fourteen year old nephew Domingo Masini Pietri (1868-1928) emigrate from Corsica to help him in the plantation.  Five years later, Domingo's brother Juan Masini Pietri (1873-1937) then fifteen years old, arrived from Corsica also to help in the hacienda.  Domingo and Juan were the sons of Domingo Pietri Pietri's sister Maria Pietri Pietri and her husband José Masini Antonorsi, both residents of Corsica. Juan Masini Pietri married Ángela Rafaela Molini Ruiz, the daughter of Antonio Molini Benigni and Monserrate Ruiz Montes and was one of the organizers in 1924 of the Cooperativa Cafeteros de Yauco together with Rafael Mejía, Ernesto Lopez Ballester, Domingo Vivaldi, Tomás Molini and Mariano Molini.

Domingo Pietri Pietri died intestate of liver decease on January 5, 1899 and according to his death certificate he never legally married, but between at the time of his death had five surviving minor children with his common law wife Ramona Ruiz Ramos (1847-1937) to wit; Maria Dominga (1888-1909), Francisco (1890-1954), José Napoleón (1892-1963), Maria Julia (1895-1939) and Domingo (1899-1900). Under normal circumstances the children would have been heirs to the estate of Domingo but due to several purchase and sale deeds granted just before his death, title to Domingo’s properties including Hacienda María were transferred to his nephew Juan Masini Pietri.

The June 5, 1901 edition of La Gaceta de Puerto Rico makes reference to two purchase and sale deeds between Ramona Ruiz Ramos and Juan Masini Pietri on January 1, 1899 and January 6, 1899 the day after Domingo's death.  La Gaceta also makes reference to a purchase and sale deed between Domingo Pietri Pietri and Juan Masini Pietri on January 2, 1899 just three days before Domingo's death.  It is unknown the specific properties included in these purchase and sale deeds, the consideration involved and the motivation behind them. La Gaceta de Puerto Rico also makes reference to another deed dated January 17, 1899, just twelve days after Domingo's death, grouping several parcels of land in which Juan Masini Pietri signed as "apoderado" or legal representative of the estate of Domingo Pietri Pietri, which at that time it is unknown what it consisted of. This deed suggests that Juan was appointed and had the responsibility to settle Domingo's estate, all or most of which he became owner of including Hacienda Maria.

At the time of his death, Domingo Pietri Pietri also owned several properties in Olmeta , Corsica. On August 28, 1899 Juan Masini Pietri appeared in front of the justice of the peace and the clerk of the court in Bastia, Corsica as deputy guardian of Domingo Pietri Pietri’s five children. His deputy guardianship had been acknowledged on July 31, 1899 by a board of guardians consisting of relatives[1] since Ramona Ruiz Ramos, their mother and legal guardian was in Puerto Rico and could not be present. In his appearance Juan Masini requested the presence of the board of guardian members to consider the sale of half a floor consisting of nineteen rooms of the house at 40 Boulevard Paoli in Olmeta valued at some 20,000 FF belonging to his wards. Juan argumented the sale was needed in order to pay the firm Bartolomei & Guiseppi who were owed 18,000 FF. He also argumented that the children who were not present, had no income in Corsica as all the properties in Corsica had been bequeathed by Domingo as a life estate to his sisters Julia, Virginia and Maria who in turn waived their rights on 40 Boulevard Paoli in favor of the children.

​​This hacienda originally consisted of seven hundred forty cuerdas and in 1899 had grown to some six hundred cuerdas, today the hacienda is still active with more or less four hundred cuerdas and still in the Masini family.  All the original structures from ca. 1870 had to be rebuilt after the pass of Hurricane San Felipe in 1928.  Throughout the years, the hacienda has undergone some changes, but in general these have been minor and its historic structures have been preserved in their original state.  There is no old machinery left though.

The first picture below, which is published as a courtesy of Roberto Ramirez Vivoni, probably dates to the early 1920s based on the car in the picture.  It seems to have been taken before the effects of Hurricane San Felipe on the structures as stated above.  All other photos are part of a 1987 study by Archeologist Dr. Luis Pumarada O'Neill, source: Puerto Rico State Historic Preservation Office.

_______________________________________________________________

[1] Domingo Piazza Pietri, Ludovico Natali, Carlos Domingo Fraticelli Pietri replacing Joseph Pietri who returned to Puerto Rico, on the father side and friends of the minor children Louis Fraticelli, Lazare Franceschi, Pierre Louis Ficoya on the mother side.