What kind of tag it is?

		Quote:			Posted by Cyberborikua
	Hi all. Back from my trip in Puerto Rico. No gold/silver found, but lots of fun for sure. I found this tag at an old building. I think the tag was there prior to the construction (4-6"), but I have no idea what was it used for. My guess is that it was livestock or probably a valve tag. It has a number 64(?) engraved onto it. The building was a cultural center founded in 1963. Any ideas?

Hi all! I'm bringing this old posting up again due to my ongoing research on this type of tags in Puerto Rico. The piece seems to be an old worker's ID tag. I still need to figure out what kind of worker it belonged to. The use of ID tags was a common practice in Puerto Rico, especially used in coffee and sugar cane plantations, but also by construction companies and the like. Worker's wore them on their shirts or belts (thus making them easy to be lost). The building I referenced was not a cultural building but rather a "casilla del peon caminero" or road worker cottage in English. These solid Spanish buildings were built toward the last quarter of the 19th century. The one I visited was built between 1880 and 1890. These were small houses built for two "caminero worker" families. Each worker had an aide and they were charged with maintaining 5.5 km portions of main roads (they were also vigilantes and were armed). Right now most of these houses in PR are abandoned or transformed for a variety of purposes. The tag I found is encrusted with concrete and that could be an indication that it either belonged to the caminero or to a construction worker that built the house. Unfortunately, I have not found any information on the "camineros." I will keep you all posted as I get more information.

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Update: The caminero wore a badge with the initials PC for Peon Caminero. Therefore, there is a chance that the tag belonged to a construction worker that built the cottage.

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