Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico in 1493 on his second voyage to the Americas. This territory was ruled by the Spanish for over four hundred years until the Spanish-American war in 1898. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. The dominant religion in Puerto Rico has always been Roman Catholicism since the Spaniards brought it over five hundred years ago but Protestants came next in line as the second biggest religion on this island.
Puerto Rico is known for their exciting night life. They not only does this island offer bars and clubs, but also ballets, operas, and live performances by locally known artists. Another fundamental ingredient to understanding Puerto Rico is their unique cuisine. The cuisine on this island reflects the ethnic fusion that has happened over time. This blend of Taino, Spanish, African, and American influenced food is known as “cocina criolla” meaning, “creole cooking”.
Another important factor of Puerto Rican culture is music and dance. Puerto Rican music culture today includes a wide variety of genres, ranging from the indigenous musical genres of bomba, classical music, folk, pop, salsa, to more recent genres like reggaeton. The island takes the conservation of music so seriously that it is required to have music curriculum in elementary schools.
When it comes to sports on this island, ceremonial competitions between the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak tribes can be traced back. Today, Puerto Rico participates in the Olympics as an independent nation but since Puerto Ricans are technically American citizens, Puerto Rican athletes have the option of representing Puerto Rico or moving to the United States three years before the Olympics and then representing the United States in the Olympic games. Some Puerto Ricans, such as Gigi Fernández in tennis, have won gold medals for the U.S.
