July-Aug 2022 Issue #5 SW | Page 71

ABOUT PUERTO RICO
The appeal of Puerto Rico began long before its beaches , cuisine and culture become magnets for international tourists . Its initial appeal , like that of most of North America , was gold . On November 19 , 1493 , on his second voyage to the “ New World ,” Christopher Columbus stumbled across the island . There he found the island populated by as many as 50,000 Taino or Arawak Indians . The cordial Taino , however , made a mistake when it came to dealing with European explorers at the time . After Columbus showed some interest in the gold nuggets found in the rivers on the island , the Taino said that , sure , he could take all he wanted of them .
Historically , that kind of hospitality doesn ’ t end well .
Originally the newcomers called the island San Juan Bautista , for St . John the Baptist and the town Puerto Rico for obvious reasons . It was not until later that the two names were switched , Spanish colonization followed at the beginning of the 16th century and Juan Ponce de León was named governor of the island in 1509 . Within the decade , the Taino had discovered that the Spanish were not , in fact , immortal - by drowning one . Realizing they may have been duped , the Taino revolted and were tragically slaughtered in the time-honored pattern of colonialism . Slaves were introduced , more conflicts occurred between indigenous populations and the newcomers , and the French , Dutch , and English took interest in the island , leading to yet more violence . Conflict between the colonial powers continued for generations as Puerto Rico changed hands repetitively . The indigenous people didn ’ t necessarily notice any difference and the gold mines the island were declared all used up within a century of the islands “ discovery ,” but the Europeans didn ’ t leave . Agriculture , Strategic location and forts built by the Spanish kept Puerto Rico on the travel map for gun-toting Euros .
Over the years that followed the colonial era , Puerto Rico gradually gained more independence from the fading Spanish empire and inter-marriage began to create a somewhat separate , more integrated population . But poverty and tropical weather impacted the island at the same time it was the development of niceties like political parties , street lamps and the abolition of slavery .
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