The History of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's mainland is about 180 kilometers wide, and it's biggest city is San Juan. Puerto Rico's native population is called Taino and their hunter gatherer ancestors settled the island, calling it Boricua, in the 1000 years before the Spanish arrived. Native people call themselves Boricua, which is a phrase still used today. In 1493, Christopher Columbus' second voyage led him to the island and he claimed it for Spain. Then in 1508, Ponce de Leon founded the first European settlement Caparra on the island's northern shore. In 1521, Caparra was renamed Puerto Rico, meaning rich coast. The Spanish brought enslaved Africans and forced them to work under brutal conditions on the island. But the Spanish rule of the island eventually came to an end." In 1898, the USA was victorious in the four month Spanish-American War and Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory under US rule. Today, you will be surprised to find out that some of the world's biggest stars take pride in being hijos de la isla, from superstar performers and Oscar-winning celebrities to the sports hall of Famers. Discover the pros and cons of Puerto Rico becoming a full state and how the changes would reshape U.S Politics.