FIRST SETTLERS & PRE-COLUMBIAN

Puerto Rico’s first known settlers were the Ortoiroid people, a group of Amerindian hunters and fishermen who traveled from the South American continent and arrived on the island around 4,000 years ago. In 1990, the remains of a man dating from 2,000 years ago were found at an archaeological site in Vieques.

It is believed that, between 430 and 250 BC, the Ortoiroid were replaced by the Saladoid, a group of people originating from the same region as the Ortoiroid, before the Igneri arrived from the northern part of South America between 120 and 400 AD.

Between the 4th and 10th centuries, Puerto Rico was shared by the Igneri and the Arcaico and, by 1000 AD, the Taíno culture had become predominant on the island, resulting in an estimated population of thirty to sixty thousand Taíno Indians living on the island by the time Columbus arrived in 1493.

Until then, the population lived in small villages scattered around the land they called Boriken (“the great land of the valiant and noble Lord”), led by chiefs such as Agüeybaná, who remained one of the most important Taíno chiefs until his death in 1510.

SPANISH SETTLERS

Columbus came across the island during his second expedition, on the 19th November 1493, and decided to name it San Juan Bautista, after St John The Baptist. Fifteen years later, on the 8th August 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the first Spanish settlement in Caparra, on the northeastern side of the island, and became the island’s first governor.

As more Spanish settlers arrived, the indigenous Taíno population increasingly suffered both European diseases epidemics and enforced labour. By the time their emancipation was declared by King Charles I of Spain in 1520, the Taíno population had dramatically decreased and the workers replaced by enslaved Africans. However, much of the slaves ended up being brought to neighbouring colonies such as Cuba and Guadeloupe, where the agricultural industries started proving much more prolific than on Puerto Rico.

Small settlements between free and enslaved populations started to appear, creating what we now know as San Juan, as well as leaving heritage such as the Puerto Rican Jíbaro Culture, which resulted from isolated groups of independent peasants subsiding on cultivating and selling their goods to nearby villages.

With a decreasing Spanish presence on the island and a rising number of attacks from other European empires, the colonial administration reshaped Puerto Rico’s littoral settlements into strong fortifications destined to protect the Spaniards and the King’s Atlantic fleet against foreign raids. With San Juan serving as a major port of call for the King’s ships traveling from the Spanish West Indies, what we now know as Old San Juan became the Caribbean’s most fortified settlement, leading it to be referred to as the “Walled City”. The fortifications can still be admired to this day, and are one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island.

The military architecture intensified after the attack of San Juan by the Dutch in 1625, where commander Boudewijn Hendricksz managed to bypass the castle San Felipe del Morro’s cannons, and penetrate the bay with his fleet of 17 ships. The Dutch occupied the bay and attacked San Juan, setting it on fire whilst its inhabitants sought refuge behind the fortifications. And although the Spaniards’ artillery eventually led Hendricksz to admit defeat, this was the worst attack known by San Juan to this day, and one that resulted in further fortification, such as on the San Cristóbal Hill.

COLONIAL DEVELOPMENTS

Whilst the Spaniards’ colonial efforts were previously focused on more prosperous island, the start of the Bourbon dynasty in the 17th century in Spain resulted in more attention being brought to Puerto Rico. As a result, efforts were put into growing and linking settlements other than San Juan, building roads between previously isolated inland villages with coastal towns such as Ponce, Mayaguez, and Arecibo.

By the end of the 18th century, this growth had attracted so many foreign merchant ships to these newly linked coastal towns that the situation presented a threat for the tight Mercantilist system that strictly limited the trading activity of colonies to the European metropole. As a result, more efforts were invested into the exploitation of the land, and more enslaved Africans were brought to the island to work on sugar and coffee plantations.

This economic development as well as the island’s strategic position during the various wars that hit the Atlantic (such as the Seven Years War and the Atlantic Revolutions) made Puerto Rico increasingly attractive, to both the Spaniards and other colonial empires. On 17th April 1797, Sir Ralph Abercrombie and his large fleet of Royal Marines and German soldiers invaded the island and fought fiercely for almost 2 weeks, before deciding to retreat from San Juan on the 30th April 1797.

Whilst other colonies were experiencing a growing feeling of independence, Puerto Rico developed a loyalty towards the Crown and, in 1809, was recognised as an overseas province of Spain by the Cádiz Supreme Central Junta. As a result, the islanders got granted the right to vote for Puerto Rico’s very first parliament representative, and elected Rámon Power y Giralt. However, the parliament reforms were twice overthrown by the reinstatement of traditional monarchy by Ferdinand VII, with the parliament being effective only between 1810 to 1814, and 1820 to 1823. 

This change brought new immigration reforms that led to the arrival of more Spaniards to the island, as well as a tighter trade control, which both resulted in a growing Spanish cultural influence on the island.

Although no positive changes were applied for the status of slaves on the island during those years, many slave revolts still happened in Puerto Rico. To this day, Marcos Xiorro, the leader of the most important revolt that took place in 1821, is remembered and immortalised through the local folklore. However, slavery would only be abolished more than 50 years later, in 1873.

In 1868, increasing poverty and political disagreements with the Spain resulted in an uprisingknown as Grito de Lares, led by Rámon Emeterio Betances, who is regarded as the father of the Puerto Rican independence. Another uprising led by Antonio Mattei Lluberas in 1897 raised what the independents called the Puerto Rico flag, but was rapidly controlled by the Spanish authorities.

AMERICAN ERA

After developing an interest for the strategic position of some Caribbean colonies, and having had a buying offer for Puerto Rico rejected by the Spaniards, the US fleet landed at Guánica on 25th July 1898, during the Spanish-American War. This resulted with Spain ceding Puerto Rico, as well as Guam and the Philippines to the US.

Puerto Rico was then established as a US colony, with its own Supreme Court and US District Court, as well as a non-voting Congress member. However, it is not until 1917, with the Jones-Shafroth Act, that Puerto Ricans born on or after the 25th April 1898 were granted US citizenship. This was badly received by the local House of Delegates, who suspected the citizenship was imposed in order to gather more men into the US army, as it became more evident that the nation would soon take part in World War I.

The first few years under American ruling brought their own challenges, with natural disasters and the Great Depression causing deaths and poverty, leading to pro-independence uprisings and tensions between the people and the authorities, and more tragic deaths, such as during the Ponce Massacre of 1937.

After years of discussions between the metropolitan and insular political leaders, in 1946, Puerto Rico was granted its first native governor, Jesús T. Piñero, appointed by President Truman. The following year, Puerto Ricans were given the right to elect their own governor, and in 1948, Luis Muñoz Marin was the first governor elected by popular vote.

More years of debate led to the approval of the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952 which, despite having been voted by the people and Constitutional Convention, was modified by the US Congress before being officially approved by President Truman, and presented to the people by Governor Muñoz Marin on the 25th July of the same year. The island therefore adopted the political name of Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, translating to Associated Free State of Puerto Rico.

Despite the newly acquired Constitution, the island remained under strong American control and influence, and the following decade saw a major change in the Puerto Rican economy, which evolved from agricultural to industrial. Nowadays, the island holds a leading place in the pharmaceutical and tourism industries.

21ST CENTURY

A protocol was introduced in 2007, with the aim of granting Puerto Rican citizenship to individuals born on the island, or born to a Puerto-Rican-born parent, or to American citizens with at least one year of residence on the island.

Since the end of the 20th century, four plebiscites have been held in order to determine the status of the island. However, with none of them reaching conclusive answers, the debate on whether Puerto Rico should become independent or remain under American ruling is still applicable, with leaders suggesting that a more balanced solution should be found and agreed upon.

The United Nations’ Special Committee on Decolonisation has been working on and encouraging that Puerto Rico acquires more independence and sovereignty for the island to be able to take action and efficiently tackle current social and economic issues.