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Puerto Rican culture is a mixture of Spanish, African and Taíno traditions overlaid with a century-thick _layer_ of American influence. At times, parts of San Juan can seem like any US city with a large Latino population, but dig a little deeper or get into the countryside and you'll find a complex Creole culture that certainly won't be erased by the arrival of Budweiser and Burger King.
The intermingling of cultural influences is so pronounced that nothing on Puerto Rico is ever one-dimensional. Spanish is the island's main language, though the local version contains plenty of English, Amerindian and African words. Roman Catholicism is the main religion, but it's infused with spiritualism, Indian and African folkloric traditions. Puerto Ricans put a strong emphasis on family and you'll often see three or four generations living together in the same house.
The mix of cultures often means family members can have a variety of skin tones, from dark coal to pale white. All are fiercely proud of their mixed European, African and indigenous ancestry and this melting pot makes Puerto Ricans accepting of most cultures, be they black or white, gay or straight, rich or poor.
The music you hear on Puerto Rico's streets may sound like it originated in the 'hood, but la bomba and la plena, featuring call-and-response dialogues and satirical lyrics sung in high, plaintive voices, are distinctly African, and salsa hails from émigrés in New York. Out of boombox range, typical Puerto Rican instruments include maracas, güiro (a type of gourd used as percussion) and cuatro, a ten-stringed guitar-like instrument. Puerto Rican painters, both native and expat, are achieving international recognition. Names to look out for include Arnaldo Roche-Rabell and Jorge Zeno, as well as canonized Spanish masters such as Angel Botello.
Perpetually uncomfortable with their ambiguous political status, Puerto Ricans spend much time debating questions of national identity. Though political will for independence is a slippery animal, vocal Puerto Ricans clearly see themselves as distinct from their gringo cousins - and there's little doubt that the island has much more in common with its Caribbean and Latin American neighbours than it does with Uncle Sam.
Much Puerto Rican literature is produced by expatriates and deals with national identity and the _link_s between acá (here) and allá (there). 'Nuyoricans' such as Pedro Juan Soto, Emilio Díaz Valcárcel and José Luis González tackle the elusive idea of home in stories, novels and poetry.
Pre 20th Century History
A number of Amerindian peoples have lived on Puerto Rico, which may be the earliest site of human habitation in the Caribbean. It was the Taínos who were in residence when Columbus arrived in 1493. This largely peaceful family of autonomous tribes had developed a sophisticated culture, language and religious system. Unusually, the Taínos had female chiefs as well as male, who were en_title_d to numerous husbands, the foremost of which was burned with his wife at the time of her death. Taínos received prophecy from gods and the dead through such mind-altering practices as inhaling a hallucinatory powder made from cohoba seeds and crushed shells. They were also remarkably nifty at ball games: they invented the rubber ball and the results of their contests were of oracular value.
Unfortunately, game-playing and shell-inhaling did not leave the Taínos prepared to defend themselves against the well-armed Spanish settlers who arrived from Hispaniola with Juan Ponce de León in 1508. The settlers enslaved and evangelised the Taínos, and many of the mostly male conquistadors took local ladies as 'wives'.
The Spanish settled at San Juan, which became one of the most strategic outposts in the New World. Over the next century it underwent massive fortification to protect it from British, French and Dutch maritime incursions. In response to a Spanish stranglehold on regional trade, Puerto Rico imported African slaves and dabbled with sugar, cotton and tobacco plantations in the 16th and 17th century, but there was more money to be made in black market trading with its neighbours.
Spain's inability to prevent smuggling undermined its moral authority on the island, and Puerto Rico began to develop its own distinct identity during the 18th century. This was enhanced by a growing number of immigrants and an emerging bourgeoisie of coffee plantation owners. As revolution swept through the New World, Spain relaxed its totalitarian trade policies in a bid to keep Puerto Rico and Cuba in the colonial fold.
Spanish loyalists and Puerto Rican nationalists spent the second half of the 19th century arguing the pros and cons of self-rule with the colonial government. An unsuccessful revolt in the mountain town of Lares in 1868 focused everybody's mind on the seriousness of the problem at hand. A degree of autonomy - including an elected local government, representation in Spain and their very own currency - was achieved in 1897. This became obsolete almost immediately when US forces invaded and occupied Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War.
The USA ruled Puerto Rico as a colonial protectorate for the next five decades, despite continued calls for autonomy. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917, just in time for them to be eligible for military service in WWI. Reform and investment improved the economy for large landholders (particularly US sugar interests), but the 1930s depression hit the island hard and the independence movement turned to violence.
During WWII, the US military appropriated extensive agricultural lands. Puerto Rico won the right to elect its own governor in 1948, shortly after President Truman implemented 'Operation Bootstrap', aimed at kickstarting the island's economy, largely by forcing the sale of many publicly owned enterprises and giving tax breaks to resident US companies.
Puerto Ricans voted three to one in a 1951 referendum to become a commonwealth of the US rather than remain a colony. Nationalists seeking full independence took the fight to the US mainland where they attempted to assassinate President Truman and opened fire on US congressmen from the visitors' gallery in the House of Representatives. Political support for full independence waned and calls for US statehood increased, though neither independence nor statehood has ever won a majority vote in any of numerous referenda on status.
The Puerto Rican economy continued to post impressive gains in GNP. During the 1950s and 60s around one million Puerto Ricans went to work in the US (mainly in New York City). Return migration to Puerto Rico increased during the 1970s and 80s; US citizenship has helped facilitate a type of circular migration that has led some to label Puerto Rico the 'commuter nation'.
The island has a high standard of living compared to most other Caribbean islands, but it still languishes behind the poorest US states and continues to suffer high unemployment. Puerto Ricans voted in 1993 and 1998 for commonwealth status in preference to statehood, though the margins were not decisive.
On 21 February 2000, at least 100,000 Puerto Ricans gathered for what was possibly the nation's largest demonstration ever, to protest US Navy plans to resume training on the island of Vieques. The crowd, which had been summoned by religious leaders, carried the Puerto Rican flag and banners demanding peace. Although organisers claimed the march was not political, many leaders of the Independence Party participated, as did then-Governor Sila Calderon.
On 24 April 2001, Calderon signed a law prohibiting activities that create more than 190 decibels of sound; US officials admitted that the repeated shelling of Vieques broke the new law, but stated that they would continue bombing. In June 2001, however, President George W Bush agreed to end the assault on Vieques, agreeing to phase out military activities on the island by May 2003. Although naval operations on the island resumed in 2002, that commitment was honoured, and the following year the last remaining US _base_ in the territory, at Ceiba, was closed.
Although the victory at Vieques has many Puerto Ricans celebrating, the US territory's ability to determine its own future continues to be compounded by an inability to vote in US national elections. The biggest questions for Puerto Ricans is whether to keep the 'status quo' or become, officially, the US's 51st state. In the November 2004 gubernatorial elections, which were hotly contested for months and involved several hand recounts, the status quo prevailed. Until 2008, at least, Puerto Rico will remain a commonwealth. But there's little doubt the debate will reheat again.
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