History

The island was originally named Borinquen by the Taíno indians who lived on the island at the time of its discovery by Christopher Columbus on November 19, 1493. The island was a colony of Spain until November 28, 1897 when it was granted autonomy by Spain. It was subsequently invaded and conquered by military forces from the United States of America in 1898.

The Jones-Schafroth Act of March 2, 1917 granted American citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico. On July 4, 1950, President Truman signed what is known as Public Act 600, which allowed Puerto Ricans to draft their own constitution establishing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The constitution was drafted and submitted to confirmation by popular vote. On July 25, 1952 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico was proclaimed.

The Spanish influence is evident in the language, the devotion to the Catholic religion and Catholic traditions (although waning in recent times), and the centuries-old architecture.

Modern Puerto Rico shows many signs of cultural intermingling with the United States of America. Many English words have found their way into daily conversation, such as “clip” ( for paper clip), “folder”, “stapler”, “bumper”, “muffler” and many others for which the correct Spanish translation is hardly ever used. Corporate names are mostly in English, partly due to the fact that a large number of the industrial, commercial and service enterprises on the island have direct ties to United States concerns.

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