t One of San Juan's narrow cobblestoned streets, lit by lamps as dusk falls
t One of San Juan's narrow cobblestoned streets, lit by lamps as dusk falls
Experience Puerto Rico
With elegant Spanish colonial architecture lining vibrant streets infused with the sounds of heady salsa and bomba music, and the flavours of Spanish–African criollo cuisine, Puerto Rico is a treat for the senses. The island’s fascinating history has imbued the island with a distinct cultural identity. When Columbus arrived in 1493, the island was inhabited by the Taíno. The first settlement was established in 1508 by Juan Ponce de León, who christened it Puerto Rico (Rich Port). In 1521, San Juan was founded and became the capital. African slaves were subsequently brought in to work on sugar cane, coffee, and tobacco estates, and the Dutch, French, and English tried, unsuccessfully, to wrest the island from the Spanish. Following the Spanish–American War in 1898, the island was ceded to the United States, the foundation for its present status as a commonwealth of the U.S. and partially self-governing territory. The tension and complications in this arrangement were put under the spotlight following the destruction inflicted on Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, and the issue of where aid was due to come from.
In terms of the lie of the land, Puerto Rico is around 100 miles (160 km)long and 35 miles (56 km)wide. There are 300 miles (482 km) of coastline, and a mountainous backbone running across its interior that is traversed by a driveable panoramic route, La Ruta Panorámica. San Juan, the political and cultural capital, is a cosmopolitan city with a beautifully preserved colonial core. Vieques and Culebra – the Spanish Virgin Islands – lie off the northeast shore of the mainland.