History of Puerto Rico
Before Europeans arrived, the island was home to the Taíno people, who called it Borikén. Many Puerto Rican words and place names come from the Taíno language. Europeans first reached the island on November 19, 1493, during Christopher Columbus’s second voyage.[7] In 1508 Juan Ponce de León explored San Juan Bay and called the area "puerto rico," which means "rich port."[7] The Taíno rose up against Spanish rule several times in the decades that followed.[7] Spain then ruled the island for about four centuries.[8]
In 1898, after a war between Spain and the United States, Spain gave Puerto Rico to the United States in the Treaty of Paris.[2] At first the island was run by the U.S. military and a governor appointed by the president.[2] In 1900 the Foraker Act set up a civil government.[2]
On March 2, 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act became law and gave U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans.[2] In 1952 Puerto Rico gained more self-government as a commonwealth, which in Spanish is called Estado Libre Asociado.[2] Today Puerto Rico elects its own governor and legislature.
Old San Juan and its forts
San Juan, the capital, is one of the oldest cities founded by Europeans in the Americas. Its old town is protected by huge stone forts and walls built under Spanish rule between the 16th and 20th centuries.[3] The forts guarded San Juan Bay, an important port on the Caribbean Sea.[3]
The best known are Castillo San Felipe del Morro, called El Morro, and Castillo San Cristóbal.[3] Much of the old city wall still stands, including the San Juan Gate.[3] La Fortaleza, another fort, has been a fortress, a weapons store, a prison and a governor’s home, and today it is the office and residence of Puerto Rico’s governor.[3]
Together these places are a UNESCO World Heritage site.[3] UNESCO notes that San Juan, Havana and Cartagena were key ports on the Spanish sea routes of the Caribbean.[5] Students who walk the old town see blue cobblestone streets and colorful houses that are hundreds of years old.
El Yunque and nature
El Yunque National Forest, in the northeast of the island, is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. national forest system.[4] It covers about 29,000 acres, small for a national forest, but it is very rich in plants and animals.[4]
Rain falls often in El Yunque, feeding streams and waterfalls. The forest is home to the tiny coquí frog, whose "co-quí" call is a famous sound of Puerto Rican nights, and to the rare Puerto Rican parrot. This green parrot, which the Taíno called iguaca, is the only native parrot in U.S. territory, and it is endangered.[9] El Yunque has the oldest of its three wild populations, and wildlife agencies work together to help it recover.[9]
Puerto Rico also has beaches, mountains through the middle of the island, caves and bays that glow at night because of tiny living organisms in the water. Because it lies in the Caribbean, it can be hit by hurricanes during the season that runs from summer to fall.
People, languages and music
About 3.2 million people live in Puerto Rico.[1] Since 1917 people born in Puerto Rico have been U.S. citizens, so they can move freely to the mainland.[2] Today many Puerto Rican families live in states such as New York, Florida and Pennsylvania.
Spanish and English are both official languages in Puerto Rico. Spanish is the language most people use at home and in daily life, and English is taught in schools.
Puerto Rican culture mixes Taíno, Spanish and African roots. That mix is easy to hear in music. Bomba and plena are traditional styles with drums and dancing, and salsa and reggaeton have Puerto Rican musicians among their best-known artists.
Food and traditions
Puerto Rican food uses plantains, rice, beans, pork, seafood and a seasoning base called sofrito. Mofongo, made from mashed fried plantains, and arroz con gandules, rice with pigeon peas, are favorites.
Cassava, also called yuca, is an ancient Caribbean food. UNESCO lists cassava bread as shared heritage of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela, and explains that it connects communities with their Indigenous and African heritage.[6] Puerto Rico shares much of this Caribbean food culture with its neighbors.
Holidays are a big part of life. The Christmas season in Puerto Rico is long and festive, with parrandas, groups of friends who go from house to house singing. Students can learn more about the Caribbean on our North America page.
Free printable: map of North America (PDF)
Questions people ask
Is Puerto Rico a country?
Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, not an independent country.[2] Its people are U.S. citizens.
What language do they speak in Puerto Rico?
Spanish and English are both official. Most people speak Spanish in daily life, and English is taught in schools.
When did Puerto Ricans become U.S. citizens?
With the Jones-Shafroth Act, which became law on March 2, 1917.[2]
What is El Morro?
Castillo San Felipe del Morro is a Spanish fort that guards San Juan Bay. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.[3]
What is El Yunque?
El Yunque is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. national forest system.[4]
Sources
- World Bank Open Data: Puerto Rico (US) · data.worldbank.org/country/puerto-rico-us (accessed 2026-10-30)
- Library of Congress, In Custodia Legis: 100 years of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico becomes a U.S. territory · blogs.loc.gov/law/2017/03/100-years-of-puerto-rico-puerto-rico-becomes-a-u-s-territory (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico · whc.unesco.org/en/list/266 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- USDA Forest Service: El Yunque National Forest · www.fs.usda.gov/elyunque (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena · whc.unesco.org/en/list/285 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Traditional knowledge and practices for the making and consumption of cassava bread · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-knowledge-and-practices-for-the-making-and-consumption-of-cassava-bread-02118 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- U.S. National Park Service: History of San Juan, San Juan National Historic Site · www.nps.gov/saju/learn/historyculture/history.htm (accessed 2026-10-30)
- Library of Congress: The changing of the guard, Puerto Rico in 1898 (World of 1898) · guides.loc.gov/world-of-1898/puerto-rico-overview (accessed 2026-10-30)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Recovery of the Puerto Rican parrot · www.fws.gov/project/recovery-puerto-rican-parrot (accessed 2026-10-30)
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