|
Spanish
language schools Study
Spanish In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: A
Very Brief Island History
Puerto Rico was discovered by Spain during
their exploration of the New World. At first Puerto Rico was
used as a resupply area for Spanish ships traveling through
the region. Once gold was found, Spain became very interested
in Puerto Rico. The search for gold also meant that the Spanish
began to create farms, ranches and other businesses as well.
To take care of the needed work, the Spanish
initially enslaved the native Taino population. However harsh
working conditions and disease decimated much of the native
population. In order to keep things running, the Spanish then
began to import slaves from Africa. Slavery was not abolished
in Puerto Rico until the 1870's.
The combination of Taino, Spanish and African
cultures began to form the distinctive Puerto Rican culture.
By the late 1800's the population consisted of 40-45% whites,
40% free people of color, and the rest slaves. The presence
of these groups are felt in all aspects of Puerto Rican society
today: language, food, religion, festivals, culture, music,
etc.
Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain for the
majority of its history. In the early 1890's the population
began to press for reform and/or independence. By 1898 things
did change. The USS Main sunk in Cuba and the US and Spain
went to war. The Spanish were quickly defeated and Puerto
Rico fell under US control.
In the early 1900 the US granted citizenship
to all Puerto Ricans. After WWII Puerto Rico was granted the
right to elect their own governer, and in 1951Puerto Ricans
voted to change their status to that of a commonwealth. Since
that time there have been other referendums on the status
of Puerto Rico, however the majority of the population prefer
to keep their status as that of a commonwealth.
Today Puerto Rico has an economy that is
quickly growing due to strong ties with the US mainland. The
status as a commonwealth and the associated ties with the
US has allowed the economy to flourish.
Site
Map
|
