Puerto Rico travel guide
Multi-faceted history, colorful culture, breathtaking scenery, and distinctive rhythms make Puerto Rico a truly “rich port” .
Multicultural influences
The pulse of Puerto Rico beats to a Latin rhythm, quickened by African drumming. Music is the lifeblood of the people, whether it is the folk music of the countryside, sexy salsa or the latest urban trend from New York, brought back by Nuyoricans – Puerto Ricans who have migrated to the Big Apple for work.
This is a modern country, heavily industrialized and American-influenced in parts, yet with a strong sense of its Spanish colonial history and Amerindian heritage linked to an agricultural way of life. Boys ride horses bareback while their parents drive the latest SUVs; families celebrate special days with a feast of traditional food, yet burgers and pizza are equally popular for a treat.
Columbus christened the island San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist) in 1493 but Juan Ponce de León switched its name with that of the capital, Puerto Rico (Rich Port). The original settlers – the Taínos – knew it as Borikén, the great land of the valiant and noble Lord. Once Spain’s most important military outpost in the Caribbean, it has blossomed into a highly successful vacation destination.
Puerto Rico's riches
Located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico is the smallest of the four Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico): 100 miles (160km) long and 35 miles (56km) from north to south. It is blessed with glorious beaches, spectacular mountain ranges, the greenest of green rainforest and dry, tropical forest, giving it a range of climates, natural attractions, and outdoor activities.
The past is always present: in Taíno carvings, colonial architecture, first-class cuisine, and even in farming techniques. Yet the island has kept pace with the rest of the world – as its various designer stores, museums and art galleries, symphony halls, communications technology, and championship golf courses all attest. Puerto Rico is enigmatic: the modern and familiar mix naturally with the historic and exotic, whether you are choked by traffic fumes in the metropolis, singed by the sun's rays on the beaches or cleansed by the rain and fresh air of the mountainous rainforest.
