- This is a common myth I think in genealogy overall and I have come across it in Puerto Rican genealogy as well. Granted, yes “burn counties” do exist in the United States. Given events such as the civil war, some government buildings (I think mostly in the south) suffered damage that left the documentation scorched and irreplaceable.
- United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records, list of nationwide databases; Puerto Rico, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1901-1962, Ancestry.com, ($), index and browsable images. Extranjeros (Foreigners in Puerto Rico), ca 1807-1880; Puerto Rico, records of foreign residents (Puerto Rico, registros de extranjeros, 1815-1845, images.
Let’s go back 520 years ago to the year 1494 on the island of Vieques, off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico’s mainland.
Tainos, the largest indigenous Caribbean population, were living a life based on the cultivation of root crops and fishing when upon the shores arrived Columbus and his fleet, having crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the second time in as many years. At that point in time everything changed.
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea. It has an area of 9,104 square km. Its capital and largest city is San Juan. Spanish and English are its official languages. This landing page is a guide to Puerto Rican ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, etc.
What’s written on paper has told us much about what happened next. What’s written in the DNA of today’s Puerto Ricans can tell us some more.
(Photo by B. Anthony Stewart/National Geographic Creative)
National Geographic’s Genographic Project researches locations where different groups historically intermixed to create a modern day melting pot. Collaborating with 326 individuals from southeastern Puerto Rico and Vieques, the Genographic Project conducted the first genetic testing in the area with the goal to gain more information about their ancient past and learn how their DNA fits into the human family tree. The results, just published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, paint a picture of vast historic complexity dating back some 5,000 years, to the first Caribbean peoples.
Our Genographic team learned some key pieces of information that helped us gain more insight into the peopling of the Caribbean. Most surprisingly, we found that roughly 60% of Puerto Ricans carry maternal lineages of Native American origin. Native American ancestry, higher than nearly any other Caribbean island, originated from groups migrating to Puerto Rico from both South and Central America. Analysis of the Y Chromosome DNA found that no Puerto Rican men (0%) carried indigenous paternal lineages, while more than 80% were West Eurasian (or European).
This leads us to conclude that the Y chromosomes (inherited strictly paternally) of Tainos were completely lost in Puerto Rico, whereas the mitochondrial DNA (inherited strictly maternally) survived long and well. This stark difference has been seen in other former colonies (Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica), but the gender dichotomy appears strongest in the Spanish-speaking Americas. A look into the rest of the Puerto Rican genome using the Genographic Project’s custom genotyping tool, the GenoChip, sheds some light on what may have happened during Spanish colonial times to create this ancestral imbalance.
The average Puerto Rican individual carries 12% Native American, 65% West Eurasian (Mediterranean, Northern European and/or Middle Eastern) and 20% Sub-Saharan African DNA. To help explain these frequencies in light of the maternal and paternal differences, I used basic math and inferred that it would take at least three distinct migrations of hundreds of European men each (and practically no European women) to Puerto Rico, followed by intermixing with indigenous women. It also would necessitate the complete decimation of indigenous men (but not women), to account for those numbers. These results are surprising and also shed light into a dark colonial past that, until now, had remained somewhat unclear.
These types of analyses, not just across the Caribbean or the world, but across a specific population’s DNA, can have strong historical implications and at the same time help paint a new picture of world history. Learn more about how DNA can inform you about your own personal past, and help us uncover some new secrets of world history by joining The Genographic Project.
Last updated on April 26th, 2020
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea. It has an area of 9,104 square km. Its capital and largest city is San Juan. Spanish and English are its official languages. Its official currency is the United States dollar (USD). It has no landbordering countries. It is an archipelago consisting of the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands. With these 77 interesting facts about Puerto Rico, let’s learn about its history, culture, people, beaches, wildlife, trade, economy, caves, food, flag and more.
Historical facts about Puerto Rico
1. The name Puerto Rico (rich port) is derived from the abundant gold that the initial Spanish settlers found on the island.
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2.Slaves were imported from Africa to help with the production of cattle, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco on the island.
3.Two-thirds of the island was a U.S. naval base for almost 60 years. The Navy used the area extensively for bombing and military training purposes. However, after the accidental death of a civilian, the area was abandoned as a Navy base and eventually became a wildlife reserve.
Puerto Rico on the map
4. Puerto Rico was one of Spain’s last two colonies in the New World (the other being Cuba).
5. Discovered by Columbus: Puerto Rico was first discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, and several invasion attempts were made by the French, Dutch, and British. During his journey, he stayed on the island for two days.
6. Before discovery: It is notable here that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, one year before discovering Puerto Rico. Before his arrival, the archipelago was inhabited by Taíno Indians, who called it ‘Borinquen.’
7. Christopher Columbus named the island “San Juan Bautista” for St. John the Baptist.
8. Did you know that at one time, the U.S. planned to purchase Puerto Rico for a sum of $160 million? However, Spain refused (Puerto Rico was under Spanish treaty at the time).
9. During the Spanish-American War, U.S. acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris. The cost of the treaty to the U.S. was $20,000,000.
10.The country’s population grew from 155,428 in 1800 to nearly one million in the 19th century.
11. Change of name: The island’s name was changed to “Porto Rico” in 1898 by the U.S. However, it was changed back to “Puerto Rico” in 1931.
12. Barceloneta in Puerto Rico has the biggest pharmaceutical complex in the world (14 industries). Wondering why? The water in Barceloneta is so pure that it requires very little treatment for use in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products.
13. Barceloneta is also known as the “pineapple city” because of its extensive pineapple plantations.
14. If you want to visit the island, also be aware that Barceloneta is famous for its blue sand beaches.
15. A giant telescope: Puerto Rico is also home to the largest single-aperture telescope ever constructed – “the Arecibo Observatory.” It has 40,000 aluminum panels, each measuring three feet by six feet. The telescope has been featured in some Hollywood movies, including GoldenEye, a popular installment in the “James Bond” film series.
16. Sightseeing – Cave system: The river gives existence to a beautiful and magnificent cave system known the world over – Camuy. The system features more than 10 miles of caverns, 220 caves, and 17 entrances. Experts believe that there are still another 800 caves that are yet to be explored. Today, a 268-acre park is built around the cave system, providing tourists insights into some of the best natural locations in the country.
17. Unique Frog: A frog from the island, “Coqui,” is found only in Puerto Rico. It produces a distinct, high-pitched sound – “ko-kee, ko-kee” – especially at night. The frog is also the unofficial national symbol of the country. Sadly, it is a threatened species now.
18. Forest without snakes and bears: Puerto Rico also has the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System – El Yunque. And you may be surprised to learn that this forest is free from snakes, bears and threatening animals of any kind!
19. A barkless dog: Interestingly, Puerto Rico is void of any naturally existing land mammals. Present-day mammals including horses, cattle, cats, and dogs, have all been introduced to the island from elsewhere. A barkless dog once existed on the island, but it is extinct today.
20. Holiday shoppers beware: the “Plaza Las Americas” mall in San Juan is one of the most profitable malls per square foot in the world.
21. The Bacardi rum factory (est. 1862) in San Juan, is the largest rum distillery in the world (producing more 100,000 liters of rum every 24 hours). The distillery contributes nearly 85% of Bacardi’s total rum production, and the remainder is produced from the distilleries in Mexico and India.
22. Visitor’s Paradise: An estimated five million people visit Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, each year.
23. Not a country: Puerto Rico is considered as a country by many; however, the fact is that it is not a country in itself. It is a territory of the United States.
24. Puerto Rico does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
25. Tax benefits and cuisines: Puerto Rico is a popular travel destination for tourists from around the world because of its attractive tax incentives and traditional cuisines.
26. Out of the many national holidays that Puerto Ricans observe, quite a few are held on Mondays, so that citizens can enjoy a long weekend. Pretty smart, aren’t they!
27. San Juan has also been called one of the world’s busiest cruise-ship ports.
28. Arroz con Gandules, the national dish of Puerto Rico, is typically enjoyed by its residents during every festival and celebration.
29. Spanish influence: the island was ruled by the Spanish for nearly 400 years.
30. Puerto Rico is overwhelmingly Spanish speaking. The U.S. government has failed to establish English as the dominant language despite several efforts.
31. Citizenship: Juan Mari Brás was the first person to receive Puerto Rican citizenship. He received the citizenship certificate from the Puerto Rico Department of State on October 25, 2006. The government has since been granting Puerto Rican citizenship to people born in Puerto Rico and to those who have at least one parent who was born in Puerto Rico, and also to those who have lived at least one year in Puerto Rico and are an American citizen.
32. It is the largest insular territory of the U.S.
33. Voting: Puerto Rico does not have a vote in the U.S. Congress. They cannot even vote for the President or the Vice President of the U.S.
34. It is also called “the land of the Valiant Lord.”
35. San Juan is Puerto Rico’s most populous city.
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36. English speakers, but not advanced: nearly 90% of Puerto Rico’s population cannot speak English at an advanced level.
37. Puerto Ricans pay no income tax.
38. The President of the United States of America is the chief of the state of Puerto Rico. It is a commonwealth associated with the United States.
39. If you are a U.S. citizen visiting Puerto Rico, note that there is no visa requirement for you. However, those who are from the outside of the U.S. need to follow the requirements that are set for entering the U.S.
40. Over the years, Puerto Rico has produced five Miss Universe winners
Facts about Puerto Rican food, people, flag, economy, trade, beaches etc
41. Food is inexpensive in Puerto Rico. So if you are looking for a place where you can eat well within your budget and enjoy your time, Puerto Rico is a good choice.
42. Beautiful Streets: The streets in the country look amazing! They are paved with blue cobblestones, which makes them look stunning.
43. In 2013, the cost of running AC in Puerto Rico was three times that of in New York.
44. Puerto Rico is famous for three things – Rum, Ricky Martin, and Recession.
45. Puerto Rico and rum have been related for more than 400 years now. The country produces some of the best rum in the world. The U.S. imports more than 70% of the rum sold in the country from Puerto Rico. They produce rum in three varieties: light, dark, and añejo, or aged.
46. Puerto Rico’s and Cuba’s flag are the same, but the colors of the bands and triangle are reversed.
47. Puerto Rico’s motto: “Puerto Rico does it better.”
48. The third-largest underground river in the world, the Río Camuy, is in Puerto Rico.
49. Puerto Rico is an officially multilingual country; as are others, such as India, Canada, Belarus, Cyprus, Madagascar, New Zealand, South Africa, and Switzerland.
50. Currency: Puerto Ricans have the United States dollar as their official currency; however, they refer to it as the ‘peso’ or ‘dollar.’
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