The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

• 600-1000AC – The Ponce areas of El Tuque, Punta Cucharas, Caracoles and Tibes, among others, are inhabited by Igners and pre-Taino cultures.^[1]

• 1508 – Cacique Agüeybaná, the cacique who led the region of which Ponce was a part, greets Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León on his arrival to the island of Puerto Rico.
• 1511 – Agüeybaná II, the cacique of the area that would later be known as Ponce, leads the Taíno rebellion of 1511 against the Spanish invaders but later dies of battle wounds.
• 1550 – Or, middle of the 16th century. Residents of San German spread out to the plains of the southern coast of Puerto Rico as far as Rio Jacaguas, now part of Ponce, to raise cattle and farm the land.^[2]
• 1582 – Colonizers settled on the banks of Rio Jacaguas, Ponce.^[3][1]

• 1646 – The area settled by the Spanish colonists is first referred to by the name of "Ponce".^[4][5]
• 1670 – A chapel is erected in the middle of the Spanish settlement and dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
• 1678 – Governor Juan de Robles Lorenzana attempts to organize the settlement at Ponce with the appointment of a "Capitán a guerra" but, unwilling to formalize the settlement, all of the Ponce residents refuse to accept the post.^[6]
• 1692 – The Spanish settlement at Ponce is recognized as a hamlet by Spanish King Carlos II.

• 1712 – The populated place is chartered as El Poblado de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Ponce (The village of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Ponce).^[7]
• 1724 – Founding of the San Antonio Abad shrine at the location currently occupied by the Ponce City Hall.^[8]
• 1740 – The Ponce Catholic parish burns, making it the first of many notorious fires in the city.^[9]
• 1742 – The English attack Ponce and the invasion is repealed by local citizens.^[10]
• 1760 – Fuerte de San José is built in Barrio Playa.^[11]
• 1765 – First census yields a total of 3,314 souls residing in Ponce.^[8]
• 1778 – Coamo takes over administrative jurisdiction of the region of Ponce from San German.^[12]
• 1787 – The 1787 Boricua earthquake cracks the walls of the Our Lady of Guadalupe church.^[13]

• 1800 – A census yields a total of 7,234 souls residing in Ponce.^[14]
• 1811 - Intendente Alejandro Ramirez^{[lower-alpha 1]} declares the Port of Ponce open to international commerce.^[15]
• 1812:
  • First Constitutional mayor, José Ortíz de la Renta, takes office, and the ayuntamiento is established.^[16]
  • Port of Ponce dredged, built and opened.^[16]
• 1813 – The naval customs office is established.^[16]
• 1814 – First cemetery is built.^[16]
• 1816 – Ponce ceases to depend on Coamo for governmental matters and becomes seat of the Southern District government.^[17]
• 1819 – First public scrivener (clerk) is appointed.^[16]
• 1820:
  • A large fire that "almost destroyed the early Ponce settlement" takes place, prompting Governor Miguel de la Torre to order that "every male from 16 to 60 years old must become a [volunteer] firefighter".^[18]
  • The first known division of the village into barrios.^[19][20]
  • Declared seat of one of seven judicial districts in Puerto Rico.^[16]
• 1821 – Declared headquarters of Southern Military District.^[16]
• 1826 – 10 July: Slave rebellion. Eleven slaves are executed and six other are condemned to 10 years of hard labor.^[21]
• 1827 – 26 February: A large fire in Playa de Ponce started by lightning destroys many residential homes and warehouses with estimated losses at $37,000 ($53.9 million in 2023 dollars^[22]) Spanish pesos.^[23]
• 1833 – Hacienda Buena Vista is established.
• 1836 – Inauguration of Ponce's Ayuntamiento General.^[16]
• 1839:
  • The town's chapel is demolished and a new church with two octagonal towers is built in its place.
  • The Court of First Instance is transferred from Coamo to Ponce.^[16]
• 1842 – 17 February: Seven slaves are executed at Cerro del Vigía and 6 others received prison sentences ranging from 6 to 10 years for an organized rebellion the previous year (1841).^[24]
• 1843 – Mayor Juan Rondón inaugurates the Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro cemetery (then called Cementerio Civil) and he is also first person to be buried there.
• 1845 – A fire in Barrio La Playa destroys most of the sea-front settlement
• 1846:
  • The Ponce City Hall is built to be used as a jail.
  • Royal decree organizing the municipal government of Ponce.^[16]
• 1848:
  • 29 July: Granted the status of villa (town).^[16][25]
  • A third slave rebellion takes place (see 1826 and 1841).^[26]
• 1853 – 17 January: There is a mayor fire in Ponce which, because there were no firefighters yet, was put out by residents and civil and military authorities. It resulted in a campaign for the establishment of a group volunteer firefighters.^[27]
• 1857 – Construction of Carretera Central (today's PR-14 and PR-1) begins, joining Ponce and San Juan.^[28]
• 1858 – Carnaval de Ponce starts its annual celebration.
• 1863:
  • Plaza de Mercado Isabel Segunda is completed
  • Santo Asilo de Damas is founded by Sister Francisca Paz Cabrera
• 1864:
  • Teatro La Perla, so named to honor the Virgin of Montserrat (who was known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean."^[29][30]) opens with La Campana de la Almudaina.
  • The Ponce Gas Company is founded by Julio Steinacher.^[31]
• 1870:
  • Juan Bertoli builds a home for mayor Ermelindo Salazar which would later become Centro Cultural de Ponce Carmen Solá de Pereira
  • Ponce Municipal Library, Puerto Rico's oldest public library, opens as Gabinete de Lectura.
• 1871 - Logia Aurora Num. 1, a masonic lodge was founded in Islote Caja de Muertos, Ponce.^{[citation needed]}
• 1873 – Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad, the first Anglican church anywhere in Latin America, is built.
• 1874:
  • 14 January, Verification of the Ponce leg of the transatlantic cable at the Port of Ponce.^[32]
  • 18 May, the city is first lit using gas-based lampposts.^[33]
  • 8 September, telegraph service begins.^[34]
• 1876:
  • Hurricane San Felipe hits Ponce as a Category 4 hurricane.
  • Acueducto de Ponce, the first modern water distribution system built in Puerto Rico,^[35] becomes operational.^[36]
• 1877 – 16 August: Granted status of city (ayuntamiento).^[16][25]
• 1880:
  • 20 September. A large fire destroys most older civil records (birth, baptism, marriage, etc.) of the Ponce parish.^[37]
  • 23 October. The Ponce Railway, running from downtown Ponce to the Port of Ponce starts operation.^[38]
• 1882 – Great Agricultural and Financial Fair at Plaza Las Delicias.
• 1883 – Population: 39,052 in city; 155,597 in province (departamento).^[39]
• 1885 – Hospital Tricoche opens after an endowment by Valentin Tricoche.
• 1886 – Leaders of the Partido Autonomista Puertorriqueño deliver their Plan de Ponce manifesto,^[40][41] also known as Plan Autonomista de Ponce.^[42]
• 1887 – The Spanish activate the Caja de Muertos Light followed, two years later, by the Cardona Island Light.
• 1889 – Cardona Island Light is lit by the Spaniards
• 1894
  • The Spanish military barracks at Ponce are built
  • Population: 37,545.^[43]
• 1895:
  • Hotel Meliá opens its doors as a 9-room lodging house on a two-story structure
  • Banco Crédito y Ahorro Ponceño is established.
  • There were 11 consulates in the city.^[44]
• 1897:
  • The Spanish military opens a military hospital in Ponce
  • Manuel V. Domenech designs the Rosaly-Batiz Residence for Ponce mayor, Pedro Juan Rosaly.
  • The city is wired for public telephone service.^[45]
• 1898:
  • Largest city in the island, Ponce has a population of 22,000.
  • The United States declares war on Spain, invades Puerto Rico, and American General Miles takes the city without resistance as its citizens preferred its beautiful architecture not be destroyed by bombardment.
• 1899:
  • Manuel V. Domenech unveils Residencia Armstrong-Poventud across from the Ponce Cathedral.
  • 25 January 1899 – The "El Polvorin" fire threatens to burn down the city
  • Hurricane San Ciriaco kills 500 people in the city and causes coffee harvest damage from which the coffee industry never recovered.

• 2001 – Denise Quiñones wins the Miss Universe 2001 beauty pageant.
• 2004:
  • Bolera de Ponce reopens as Bolera Caribe; would later host the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
  • Letras de Ponce are unveiled
• 2006:
  • Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño opens at Panteón Nacional Román Baldorioty de Castro under mayor Francisco Zayas Seijo
  • Parque Luis A. Wito Morales opens adjacent to the Bosque Estatal de Cerrillos
• 2007:
  • Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo commences annual track and field competitions at Paquito Montaner
  • Biblioteca Municipal Mariana Suárez de Longo opens at its permanent home on Bulevar Miguel Pou
• 2008:
  • Festival Nacional de la Quenepa begins its yearly celebrations.
  • The Government of Puerto Rico declares Punta Cucharas in Ponce's Barrio Canas a Nature Reserve
• 2009 – Ponce Ramada Hotel opens at the former Casa Saurí house.
• 2011:
  • FC Leones soccer team forms and starts playing at Estadio Paquito Montaner
  • Parque Lineal Veredas del Labrador Phase I opens.
• 2012:
  • Día Mundial de Ponce and the Ponce Jazz Festival are first observed.
  • Parque Ecológico Urbano is inaugurated.
• 2013 – Ponce Servicios opens as the largest municipal office building in the municipality.
• 2020 – Earthquakes destroy numerous historic structures.
• 2021 – Carnaval de Ponce is celebrated on wheels, express-style, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• History of Ponce
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ponce
• List of mayors of Ponce, Puerto Rico
• Subdivisions of Ponce, Puerto Rico
• List of rivers of Ponce
• List of mountains in Ponce
• List of roads in Ponce
• Timelines of other municipalities in Puerto Rico: municipalities in Puerto Rico: Bayamón, Hormigueros (in Spanish), Mayagüez, San Juan