Daga Columbus zuwa Ponce de León
Lokacin da Christopher Columbus ya sauka a Puerto Rico a 1493, bai tsaya ba. A gaskiya, ya yi kwana biyu a nan, yana da'awar tsibirin tsibirin Spain, ya san San Juan Bautista (Saint John Baftisma), sa'an nan kuma ya ci gaba da ci gaba da kasancewa.
Mutum zai iya tunanin abin da tunanin tsibirin tsibirin yake tunanin wannan. Indiyawan Taíno, wata al'umma mai ci gaba da ci gaba da aikin noma, sun kasance a tsibirin har tsawon daruruwan shekaru; sun kira shi Borikén (a yau, Boriquén ya kasance alama ce ta asali na Puerto Rico).
Za a bar su suyi tunani game da ayyukan Columbus na shekaru masu yawa, kamar yadda masu binciken Mutanen Espanya da masu rinjaye suka yi watsi da tsibirin a ci gaba da cin nasara da sabuwar duniya.
Ponce de León
Daga bisani, a 1508, Juan Ponce de León da mayaƙan mutane 50 suka zo tsibirin kuma suka kafa birnin Caparra a kan iyakar arewa. Nan da nan sai ya sami wuri mafi kyau don yin sulhu, ƙwallon ruwa tare da kyakkyawan tashar jiragen ruwa wanda ya kira Puerto Rico, ko Port Rich. Wannan zai zama sunan tsibirin yayin da aka sake masa sunan San Juan .
A matsayin gwamnan sabuwar yankin, Juan Ponce de León ya taimaka ya kafa harsashin sabuwar mallaka a tsibirin, amma, kamar Columbus, bai tsaya ba don jin dadin shi. Bayan shekaru hudu a cikin zamaninsa, Ponce de León ya bar Puerto Rico don ya bi mafarkin da ya fi sananne yanzu: "rufin matasa". Jirginsa na rashin mutuwa ya kai shi Florida, inda ya mutu.
Duk da haka, iyalinsa sun ci gaba da zaune a Puerto Rico kuma sun haɓaka tare da mazaunin da aka gina magabansu.
Taíno, a gefe guda, bai yi kyau sosai ba. A shekara ta 1511, sun yi tawaye da Mutanen Espanya bayan sun gane cewa baƙi ba alloli ba ne, kamar yadda suke da shi. Ba su dace da dakarun Spain ba, kuma yayin da lambobin suka ɓata saboda yanayin da aka saba da su da kuma yin auren, an kawo sabon aiki don maye gurbin su: 'yan bayi na Afirka sun fara zuwa 1513.
Za su kasance wani ɓangare na masana'anta na ƙungiyar Puerto Rican.
Matsalolin Farko
Ci gaban Puerto Rico ya ragu kuma yana da damuwa. A shekara ta 1521, akwai kimanin mutane 300 da ke tsibirin tsibirin, kuma lambar ta kai kimanin 2,500 a shekara ta 1590. Wannan shi ne kawai saboda raunin da ke tattare da kafa sabon yanki; babban dalilin ci gaban da yake da shi a cikin gaskiyar cewa yana da matalauta wurin rayuwa. Sauran yankuna a cikin sabuwar duniya suna da zinariya da azurfa; Puerto Rico ba shi da irin wannan arziki.
Duk da haka, akwai hukumomi guda biyu da suka ga darajar wannan ƙananan tashar jiragen ruwa a Caribbean. Ikilisiyar Roman Katolika ta kafa diocese a Puerto Rico (shi ne daya daga cikin uku a cikin Amirka a lokacin) kuma, a 1512, ya aiko Alonso Manso, Canon na Salamanca, zuwa tsibirin. Ya zama bishop na farko ya isa Amurka. Ikilisiyar ta taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen kafa Puerto Rico: ya gina biyu daga cikin tsoffin majami'u a nahiyar Amirka , har ma da makarantar farko ta ci gaba da karatu. A ƙarshe, Puerto Rico zai zama hedkwatar Ikklisiyar Roman Katolika a New World. Tsibirin ya zama Katolika har zuwa yau.
Sauran ƙungiyoyi don neman sha'awa a cikin mallaka shi ne soja.
Puerto Rico da kuma babban birnin kasar sun kasance sun fi dacewa tare da hanyoyin sufurin jiragen ruwa da jiragen ruwa masu amfani da jiragen ruwa suka dawo gida. Mutanen Spain sun san cewa dole ne su kare wannan tasirin, kuma sun yi kokarin kokarin karfafa San Juan don kare bukatun su.