"PUERTO RICO" a Puerto Rico Travel Page by pecaspeca

Brief History of Puerto Rico (from the magazine Qué Pasa!):

The island of Puerto Rico was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Antilles in 1493. The Spanish newcomers found it populated by Taíno Indians and named the island San Juan Bautista in honor of St. John the Baptist. Spanish conqueror Juan Ponce de León was our first governor, when Puerto Rico became Spain's most important military outpost in the Caribbean and the target of numerous attacks. In 1521, concerned about threats from English and Dutch enemies, Spain began constructing massive defenses around the city of San Juan

In 1809, Puerto Rico was recognized as an overseas province of Spain with the right to have representatives in the Spanish Court. Puerto Rico was then granted its first constitution, allowing it to embark on free commerce and giving the island its own identity in culture, music and arts. In 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States under the Treaty of Paris.
The 20th century began with a new political and military regime of the United States. In 1917, the U.S. Congress granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. In the middle of the century, Jesús T. Piñero became the first Puerto Rican governor designated by the U.S. government. Later, Luis Muñoz Marín became the first governor elected by Puerto Rican themselves.

Puerto Rico adopted its own constitution in 1952 by congressional decree, under a Commonwealth formula. The Constitution of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth is based on a presidential system similar to the federal government, with three main government branches: executive, legislative and judicial.
Our island has a governor who is elected every four years, a resident commissioner in Washington D.C. (who does not have a vote in Congress), a Chamber of Representatives and a Senate. They are all elected by the majority vote of the municipalities, as well as the island's 78 mayors. The governor appoints the judicial branch members with the Senate's consent.

Official website of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company:
http://www.gotopuertorico.com

El Coquí:

This tiny (1-inch) frog gets its name from its melodious lullaby which it performs nightly throughout the island. Found only in Puerto Rico, it has become a symbol for its inhabitants.