Puerto Rico History Guide

Columbus docked on the shores of Puerto Rico in 1493 at which time the Tainos an Amerindian tribe lived on the island. The laid back attitude of the tribe assisted the Spaniards, lead by Juan Ponce de Leon, to easily gain control over the island and the Tainos. Enslavement and diseases lead to the extinction of the original inhabitants though traces of their culture are still evident.

Interestingly enough, the settlers named the island ‘ San Juan’ and the capital ‘Puerto Rico’ till in 1521 Juan Ponce de Leon as the first Governor switched the names around to as we know them today. Present day San Juan was the main settlement area and due to its strategic position in the Caribbean Sea, it was treated as the major outpost of the Spanish. This military history is reflected in the number of fortification ruins that pepper the area.

The Spanish tradition of importing slaves to work on sugar plantation was implemented here also though the locals seemed more interested in smuggling and black marketing.

Revolutions in the surrounding Caribbean Islands affected Puerto Rico as well where demand for autonomy gained strength. Unwilling to relinquish control, Puerto Rico was granted partial independence in 1897, which ended with the capture of Puerto Rico by USA during the Spanish-American War. For the next couple of decades, Puerto Rico was administrated like a colony, a situation that changed with the advent of the WW1 when Puerto Ricans were given US citizenship.

In 1951, Puerto Ricans voted to join the US Commonwealth rather than remain a colony. Puerto Rico’s future can take three directions – complete independence, an option that does not have much support among the locals; to remain a part of the Commonwealth of the US, the current status or to join the US as the 51st state. The last option has resulted in an ongoing debate both in the US legislature as well as on the island. Unfortunately the inability of Puerto Ricans to vote in the US election has complicated matters and ensured that the debate remains just that, a debate.