Puerto Rico — books & literature

The story of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's story begins with the Taíno people, an Arawak-descended culture that had become dominant on the island , which they called Borikén , by around 1000 CE, living in villages led by caciques and playing the ceremonial ball game batey. Christopher Columbus landed in 1493 and claimed the island for Spain, naming it San Juan Bautista; in 1508 Juan Ponce de León founded the first Spanish settlement nearby, at a harbor he called Puerto Rico ('rich port'). Over the following decades the two names swapped through common usage: the island became known as Puerto Rico and its capital port as San Juan. For four centuries Spain held the island as a military and trading outpost, building the massive fortifications of Old San Juan. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States in 1898 under the Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War. The Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 granted Puerto Ricans statutory US citizenship, and in 1952 the island adopted its own constitution and became a self-governing Commonwealth (Estado Libre Asociado) in association with the United States. Today Puerto Rico is an unincorporated US territory with a distinct Spanish-Caribbean identity, competing internationally as its own nation in sports and pageants while its people remain US citizens.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 1000

   Taíno culture becomes dominant across the island, then called Borikén.

2. 1493

   Christopher Columbus lands on the island and claims it for the Spanish crown.

3. 1508

   Juan Ponce de León founds the first Spanish settlement and becomes first governor.

4. 1521

   San Juan is founded, becoming the oldest city under the US flag today.

5. 1898

   Treaty of Paris: Spain cedes Puerto Rico to the United States after the Spanish-American War.

6. 1917

   Jones-Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans statutory US citizenship.

7. 1952

   Puerto Rico adopts its own constitution and becomes a self-governing US Commonwealth.

8. 2017

   Hurricane Maria devastates the island, causing catastrophic damage and mass migration.

Top 10 things to know about Puerto Rico

1. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, not a state or an independent country.
2. San Juan, founded in 1521, is the oldest city under the US flag.
3. Puerto Ricans are US citizens by birth but cannot vote for US president while residing on the island.
4. El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System.
5. Puerto Rico competes as its own country in the Olympics and Miss Universe, despite being a US territory.
6. Mosquito Bay in Vieques is one of the brightest bioluminescent bays in the world.
7. Spanish and English are both official languages, though Spanish dominates daily life.
8. The US dollar is the currency used across the island.
9. Puerto Rico is one of the birthplaces of salsa music and later of reggaeton.
10. Old San Juan is ringed by centuries-old Spanish fortifications, including Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

Famous people from Puerto Rico

Say it in Puerto Rico's language

Did you know?

• ★Mosquito Bay in Vieques is regarded as one of the brightest bioluminescent bays on Earth.
• ★The piña colada is widely credited as having been invented in San Juan in the 1950s.
• ★Old San Juan's Castillo San Felipe del Morro has guarded the harbor for over 450 years.

Puerto Rico culture

• Mofongo (mashed fried plantains) and lechón (roast pork) are cornerstones of Puerto Rican cuisine.
• Salsa, bomba, and plena are foundational musical traditions, alongside the island's modern reggaeton scene.
• Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián in Old San Juan is one of the island's biggest annual street festivals.
• Baseball is the national pastime, producing generations of MLB stars.

Why read Puerto Rico's books

Puerto Rican literature blends Taíno memory, Spanish colonial history, and the Afro-Caribbean and diaspora experience, from the poetry of Julia de Burgos to contemporary voices writing between the island and the mainland. Its books trace a people negotiating identity between two worlds.