Colonization has been an unfortunate hallmark of Puerto Rico since Columbus & Co. touched down on our soil back in 1493. As is the common practice when making a colony out of a foreign territory, local Taíno culture was completely smothered by the Spanish. The polytheistic religion Taínos practiced was forcefully replaced by the teachings of Catholic monks, all of which was taught in Spanish. From the beginning, Borikén’s — the island’s original name — local culture was assimilated and crushed underfoot by the conquistadores who decided our island was rightfully theirs.
Although the island was neglected in favor of Hispaniola (now the Dominican Republic and Haiti), time passed and the Spanish got comfortable in Puerto Rico, making the island one of the Spanish Crown’s key possessions in the Caribbean. Although agriculture was not as productive as the Crown would have wanted, they ultimately recognized its strategic location and focused on turning Puerto Rico into a fortified military outpost. Naturally, tensions between the occupying Spaniards and the local Puerto Ricans grew, regardless of how much so-called progress the Europeans brought to the island. All the while, a new kind of culture began emerging; blending the remaining aspects from the indigenous taíno culture while using Spanish as the official language and influences from the Spanish themselves, with elements from African cultures brought by the enslaved also appearing.
One of the most recognizable images of Puerto Rican culture, the jíbaro, emerged at that point: working-class men from the countryside. The idea of the Puerto Rican was taking shape in spite of all efforts to completely hispanicize the island. Then, the Spanish-American War happened and the United States suddenly found themselves with control of Puerto Rico (as well as Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba, but those are other stories worthy of their own articles).
Enter the *cough* attempted *cough* Americanization of Puerto Rico. As a means of formalizing the American dominion over the island, schools were established in which classes were imparted exclusively in English. The idea was that English would become the primary language spoken by children since it would be the only language used in schools at the time. However, Puerto Ricans would not be so easily persuaded to change the language that had been used for centuries before the United States knew about Puerto Rico and its military value (or before the U.S. even existed).
Thanks to the efforts of local teachers who gave their lessons in Spanish behind their supervisors’ backs, and families continuing to speak the language every day, it remained the everyman’s language. In terms of academia, the University of Puerto Rico maintained Spanish as the main language for education, and writers such as Antonio S. Pedreira and José de Diego used Spanish to write foundational texts for what it is to be Puerto Rican, all while the Ateneo Puertorriqueño — a well-known cultural organization — reinforced their work at an archival and historical level.
Nowadays, Spanish is still the main language used in Puerto Rico. Naturally, many loanwords have been adopted into our daily use, such as “parking” or “mall,” for example. Yet most people will stick to speaking Spanish, and I can even think of one specific person who will go out of their way to speak Spanish, even when interacting with a tourist. The common streak of entitlement that is present in too many U.S. tourists has fueled that specific decision, and I can understand why. Because Puerto Rico is considered a U.S. territory, Americans will come to the island expecting locals to cater to them, especially by having people speak to them in English. Then there’s also the added layer of Americans buying property on the island to take advantage of Law 22, which grants them tax breaks if they buy property on the island and live there for a minimum of 6 months to a year. While its original intention was to incentivize foreign investors to come to the island, positively stimulating the economy in the process, it has priced out a lot of locals from every market imaginable and has privatized a great deal of land (which only strengthens negative emotions towards the U.S. of A). The bottom line is this: English is definitely present in our day-to-day, but negative attitudes toward entitled U.S. Americans and the island’s colonial history have definitely contributed to prolonged rejection of embracing the English language.
Were we colonized by the Spanish? Yes, but we managed to use their language to create a culture and identity that did not entirely rely on them and can stand on its own on a global scale. We took what was imposed on us and adapted it in a way that is completely unique to our island. In a way, we made the best of a terrible situation. Then, when we were faced with the imposition of yet another culture and language, we refused to give up what we managed to cultivate in the span of about 400 years of Spanish rule. A lot of U.S. culture has been incorporated into Puerto Rican culture, but our Boricua roots are undeniable.