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Puerto Rico

Origin

Before the Spaniards’ arrival, Borinquen –indigenous name of the island—was populated by the taínos. Christopher Columbus discovered it on his second trip, 19 November 1493, and he named it San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). The island began to be called Puerto Rico in 1521, after the foundation of the city of Puerto Rico (now San Juan), which passed the name to the island. In 1509, the conquistador Juan Ponce de León founded the first Spanish settlement, Villa Caparra –later called city of Puerto Rico—and he became its first governor.


Constitution

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is governed by the current Constitution of 1952, which regulates the Puerto Rican political life. This Constitution has been subjected to amendments that cannot come into conflict with the Constitution of the United States and that must be approved by referendum in order to be effective. Puerto Ricans share most of the rights and obligations of the other citizens of the United States; however, they cannot vote in the presidential elections, but neither do they have to pay the federal income taxes, except officials and members of the United States Armed Forces.


Government

Puerto Rico’s executive power falls upon a governor, elected democratically to a four-year term, and who may be reelected any number of times. The secretary of State succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die or be removed from office. The governor is aided in his functions by a cabinet of secretaries (ministers). The legislative power falls upon a bicameral Legislative Assembly formed by a Senate and a House of Representatives. In 1996 the Senate had 28 members and the House 54. The members of the Legislative Assembly are elected democratically to a four-year term. Puerto Rico is represented in the United States Congress by a Resident Commissioner without a right to vote, elected democratically for a four-year term. In the early 1990s Puerto Rico’s leading political parties were the Popular Democratic Party (founded 1938), which advocates the maintenance of commonwealth status, and the New Progressive Party (1967), which advocates Puerto Rico’s becoming a U.S. state. The small Puerto Rico Independence Party (1946) struggles for independence for the island. Héctor Luis Acevedo, the Popular Democratic Party’s candidate and an advocate of maintaining Puerto Rico as a Commonwealth, obtained 44% of the vote. On the other hand, David Noriega, of the Puerto Rico Independence Party, only received the support of 4% of the electorate. The New Progressive Party got, also, two thirds of the total of seats in the Legislative Assembly. Carlos Romero Barceló, also from the PNP, was again reelected as Resident Commissioner in the United States Congress.


General History

The old Borinquen is the smallest of the Major Antilles and, probably, the least known of all. Due to itsbeauty and strategic position, Spaniards transformed it into an enclave envied and coveted along centuries. Puerto Rico is not a country but an Independent State associated to United States claiming its bilingualism and cultural eclecticism as identity signs. Most imported goods the country needs come through its bay and seaports. There is a natural, colonial and historical Puerto Rico, but it is also a cosmopolitan country that combines highways, aqueducts, luxury hotels and an active nightlife, with culture, folklore and culinary traditions as present in its historical inheritance. It is characterized for having charming cities and towns like San Juan, the capital, and the Viejo San Juan -the colonial area -, Ponce, San Germán, Cabo Rojo, Mayaguez, Arecibo and Fajardo. Once there you can walk its streets and visit its cathedrals, convents, fortresses, remote lighthouses and natural reservations. Its coast between the Atlantic and the Caribbean with 438 kilometers of beaches allow practicing all kinds of water sports. Puerto Rico's Water Sports Federation stipulates requirements and the performance rules for the specialization of its members in diving, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, windsurfing and other water activities. Enjoying casinos, discos, concerts, nightlife and different will make you appreciate people who have achieved a symbiosis between colonial traditions and African and indigenous inheritances together with the American vanguards.