Hotels in Puerto Rico
Many tourists like to have vacation in the nation of Puerto Rico. Some may want to see the culture, history and tourist attractions of the nation. Some tourists may want to see the beaches, mountains, architecture, and scenery of the state. Some may want to see Puerto Rican culture. Some tourists may want to stay at large hotels or small hotels. Some tourists may want to stay at hotels that are cheap or luxury. Some tourists may want to visit hotels that have a good reputation.
Numerous tourists may want to visit the nation of Puerto Rico to see the tourist attractions of the city. Some tourists may want to have a vacation in hotels in the nation. Some may want to have access to hotels in the cities or in the rural regions.
Puerto Rico is located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is composed of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, the largest of which are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. The main island of Puerto Rico is the smallest by land area and second smallest by population among the four Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico).
Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen, from Borikén, its indigenous Taíno name. The terms boricua and borincano derive from Borikén and Borinquen respectively, and are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican heritage. The island is also popularly known as "La Isla del Encanto", which translated means "The Island of Enchantment."
When
Christopher Columbus arrived in Puerto Rico during his second voyage on November
19, 1493, the island was inhabited by a group of Arawak Indians known as Taínos.
They called the island "Borikén" or, in Spanish, "Borinquen".
Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist.
Later the island took the name of Puerto Rico (Spanish for "Rich Port")
while the capital was named San Juan. In 1508, Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce
de León became the island's first governor to take office.
The Spanish soon colonized the island. Taínos were forced into slavery and were decimated by the harsh conditions of work and by diseases brought by the Spaniards. In 1511, the Taínos revolted against the Spanish; cacique Urayoán, as planned by Agüeybaná II, ordered his warriors to drown the Spanish soldier Diego Salcedo to determine whether the Spaniards were immortal.
On July 25, 1898, during the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States with a landing at Guánica. As an outcome of the war, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris.
The United States and Puerto Rico thus began a long-standing relationship. Puerto Rico began the 20th century under the military rule of the U.S. with officials, including the governor, appointed by the President of the United States. The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Puerto Rico a certain amount of popular government, including a popularly-elected House of Representatives. In 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship and provided for a popularly-elected Senate to complete a bicameral Legislative Assembly. As a result of their new U.S. citizenship, many Puerto Ricans were drafted into World War I and all subsequent wars with U.S. participation.
Puerto Rican culture is a mix of four cultures, African (from the slaves), Taíno (Amerindians), Spanish, and more recently, North American. From Africans, the Puerto Ricans have obtained the "bomba and plena", a type of music and dance including percussions and maracas. From the Amerindians (Taínos), they kept many names for their municipalities, foods, musical instruments like the güiro and maracas. Many words and other objects have originated from their localized language. From the Spanish they received the Spanish language, the Catholic religion and the vast majority of their cultural and moral values and traditions. From the United States they received the English language, the university system and a variety of hybrid cultural forms that developed between the USA. mainland and the island of Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico was founded in 1903, five years after the island became part of the USA.
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Hotels in Puerto Rico
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