Arrangements for the 54th Annual Meeting
Puerto Rico, June 11-15, 2023

The ACH Executive Committee is pleased to announce that the 54th Annual Meeting of the Association of Caribbean Historians will be held in San Juan and Carolina, Puerto Rico, from Sunday, June 11 to Thursday, June 15, 2023.  On-site registration opens Sunday afternoon.  The conference fête, our annual dinner and dance (which is highly recommended and a central feature of this organization) will be held on Thursday evening, June 15.  An optional field trip is scheduled for Friday, June 16.

Conference Venue & Accomodations

The conference will be held primarily at the Biblioteca y Centro de Investigación Social Jesús T. Piñero of the Universidad Ana G. Méndez in Carolina, but we will begin on Sunday (June 11) at the Archivo General de Puerto Rico in San Juan.

The Local Organizing Committee has selected two accommodation options.  Transportation to and from the conference venues and these accommodations will be provided.

  1. Residencias Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico (Cupey)
    These recently constructed student residences at the Universidad Interamericana offer an affordable apartment-style option ($80) for conference participants.  They include air conditioning, wi-fi, small kitchens, and private parking as well as common areas and access to study spaces and a gym.  Available apartments include four single units, two double units (with shared bathrooms and common spaces), and sixteen units for four people (each with two private bathrooms).  To reserve a private or shared apartment, please contact Nilka Medina Santos with your full name, requested dates, and preferred room at nilkamedina@metro.inter.edu or 787-250-1912 ext. 276
  2. Condado Lagoon Villas – West Indies Vacation Rentals (Condado)
    West Indies Vacation Rentals offers a variety of apartment rentals in the San Juan area, including 41 units in the Condado Lagoon Villas building in Condado (https://goo.gl/maps/Evvq85A9B7JJU1po6).  Units vary in size and nightly rates range between $120-200.  To see available units, use this link: https://staywestindies.com/properties/?destination=920&checkin=2023-06-10&checkout=2023-06-16.  Please note that not all units are in the Condado Lagoon Villas building and therefore will not be connected to the conference venues via ACH-arranged transportation (those that are NOT in this building include: Serenity Flat, Suite Paquita, Casa Pepe, Sol Mate, Puerto Rico Living, White Pearl Beach Flat, Flamboyan Flat, and Imperial Suite).  For questions or reservations, you may also email reservations@staywestindies.com.   

The LOC has also recommended two other lodging options, but please note that transportation to and from these hotels and the conference venues will NOT be offered.  Conference participants who wish to stay in Old San Juan may consider the Decanter Hotel, with nightly rates between $109-209.  In Isla Verde, one recommended option within walking distance of the beach is the TRYP by Wyndham, with nightly rates around $269.

Travel To & Within Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is well connected to airports in the mainland United States and Caribbean via Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (in Isla Verde, east of San Juan proper).  Travelers who already have a visa for travel to the United States do not need a distinct visa for Puerto Rico.  For information about obtaining a visa for travel to Puerto Rico, see https://es.ivisa.com/puerto-rico-visa.

Taxis and Uber are widely available in the San Juan metropolitan area, with Uber rates generally significantly lower than taxi fares.

The transportation company Spotin will donate transportation services to and from the two main lodging options above to the conference venues.  Transportation schedules will be shared with participants in advance of the conference.

Refreshments & Lunch

The LOC will provide information on meals and refreshments as soon as possible.

Optional Field Trips

The LOC will offer two optional field trips (for a separate fee) on Wednesday afternoon and two others on Friday.  On Wednesday, one field trip will visit the Casa Museo Piñero and another will visit the Antiguo Aqueduct del Rio Piedras  On Friday, the options are a walking tour of Old San Juan or a visit to Hacienda La Esperanza, a former sugar plantation.  Costs and other details will be shared with participants at a later date.

Conference Registration & Membership Fees

All conference attendees and presenters must be current members of the ACH.  Those who joined at or before the last conference in 2022 will need to renew at or before this year’s meeting; those who joined since the 2022 meeting have a valid membership until just after the conference in Puerto Rico.

For those who still need to join, you can do so via the ACH website (http:/www.associationofcaribbeanhistorians.org, just look under “Membership”)

There are six categories of membership (all amounts below appear in U.S. dollars):

  • Non-tenured faculty, Caribbean-based lecturers ($50 a year): for faculty, public history, or governmental positions.
  • Tenured professors and other established researchers ($75 a year): for tenured faculty, public history, or governmental positions.
  • Teachers (primary/secondary), students, and retirees ($25 a year): a special rate for primary/ secondary teachers; graduate and undergraduate students, and retirees.
  • Institutional Members ($100 a year): for colleges, universities, libraries, museums, and other cultural and educational organizations.
  • Benefactor ($150 a year): a higher category of giving to support the organization’s activities.
  • Life Membership ($500): the best membership bargain—equivalent to 10 years of regular annual membership, but valid for life.  

In addition to annual membership, there is a registration fee for the conference itself to defray local expenses.  Registration fees for the 2023 conference appear below.  While participants can register at the conference, speakers and chairs must do so in advance, and pre-registration online is encouraged for everyone—presenting or not—to gain access to all pre-circulated conference papers.  All those presenting or chairing sessions at the conference MUST renew their membership and register for the conference by the time their pre-circulated papers are due on March 15, 2023.

  • ACH members: $185
  • Caribbean-based students: $65
  • Non-Caribbean-based students: $95
  • Guests: $100

Membership and registration can be completed online. When registering, please be sure you select the appropriate category and corresponding fee.

Click here to register

Pay Conference Registration Fee


ACH Conference Registration



If you choose to register on site, fees are payable via credit card only. We cannot accept cash or other forms of payment.

Accessing Pre-Circulated Papers

ACH presentations include both a pre-circulated 25-page paper and a brief (10 minutes or less) conference presentation. The ACH is making pre-circulated papers available online for those who pre-register. Once the ACH receives your completed registration, you will receive a password to access the portion of the website where papers are housed. Please be aware that papers are not due until March 15; they will not, as a result, be available online until late April. You can pre-register for the conference online by clicking here.