|  Puerto
Rico was discovered by Spain early on in their exploration of
Spain. Initially it was more of a watering and supply station
for ships in the area. This changed when gold was found, and from
that time forward, Spain really took an interest in Puerto Rico.
The search for gold in turn helped to develop other parts of the
land. In specific, to support the mining operations the Spanish
established farms to produce fruits, vegetables and cattle. Later
many farms were converted into plantations in order to produce
trade commodities such as tobacco, coffee, and sugar cane.
Please note
that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found to the
right of this pages. 
To supply the necessary workers for mines, farms
and plantations, the Spanish enslaved the native Taino population.
Unfortunately by the early 1520's poor work conditions and disease
wiped out virtually all the Taino population. To make up for the
lost labor the Spanish turned to importing slave labor from Africa.
Slavery on the island was not ended until the early 1870's.
 These
various groups, Spaniards, Tianos, Africans, and other groups
began to form a distinct culture. By the very early 1800's the
population make up of Puerto Rico was roughly 40% free people
of color, 40-45% white, and approx 15% slaves. This blend of groups
from diverse backgrounds contributed to make life and culture
unique and what it is today.
The presence of these groups are felt in every
aspect of life, music, food, art, religion, language, and much
more!
During most of Puerto Rico's history it was a
colony of Spain. By the 1890's unrest began to develop in Puerto
Rico. Some groups wanted to break away from Spain, others preferred
some type of political autonomy, while other preferred to keep
things as they were.
Puerto Rico did not have to
wait too long for change, however they did not bring it about.
After the sinking of the USS Maine in Cuba in 1898, the USA and
Spain went to war. In relatively short order US forces defeated
the Spanish not only in the Caribbean, but in the Far East as
well. Following the defeat of Spain, the USA took control of Spanish
colonial possesions in the Caribbean and the Far East.
 The
USA governed the island of Puerto Rico as a protectorate for 5
decades. IN 1917 Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship. Despite
moves such as that, many Puerto Ricans longed for independence
and violence flared briefly during the 1930's. Follwoing WWII
Puerto Rico was granted the right to elect their own governor,
and following that President Truman made moves spur on the economy.
In 1951 Puerto Rican went to the voting both
and passed a referendum that changed the status of Puerto Rico
to that of a commonwealth. Will most were happy with this result,
a small band of nationalists were unhappy, resulting in an attack
on the US Congress. Since that time there has been other referendums
on the status of the island. Currently the majority of Puerto
Ricans are happy with their status as 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.
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