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Puerto Rico  Puerto Rico is located in the northeastern Caribbean, just a thousand miles off the coast of Florida. Christopher Columbus first discovered the island in 1493, when it was entirely inhabited by Tainos, a tribal group of Arawak Indians. By 1508, the Spanish had succeeded in expanding their empire by colonizing the Tainos, but disease threatened the continued survival of an adequate labor force.
Slaves from the Atlantic slave trade were imported to meet increasing labor demands, and Puerto Rico quickly became a major port for the Spanish empire in the Caribbean. However, Puerto Rico remained a much smaller island than neighbors Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and therefore most plantations operated on a smaller scale with a less sizable slave population. As a result, the music of Puerto Rico retained much stronger Hispanic elements instead of African ones, with Cuban son and guaracha playing an integral role in the creation of a distinct Puerto Rican music style. In 1917, Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship, which is still maintained today. During World War I and the interwar period, Puerto Rico experienced an economic downfall, and many Puerto Ricans migrated to the Continental United States - New York City, in particular - in search of better economic opportunities. In 1952, Puerto Rico became a US Overseas Commonwealth Territory, and industrialization programs initiated under FDR's "Operation Bootstrap" attempted to redirect the nation's economy from agriculture-based to manufacturing-based markets. The country's government only narrowly voted against US statehood in 1999. This inter-national status has led to a constant flow of immigrants to the US, where its musicians (as opposed to those of the more isolated Cuba) were central to the creation of salsa. The historic mixing of different races and ethnicities has played a significant role in the negotiating and defining of Puerto Rican culture. Derived from five major cultures, Puerto Rican culture is a historical and present-day mixture of Taino, African, European, Caribbean and North American cultures. Art, literature, and dance are some of Puerto Rico's key cultural pursuits and have been dually influenced by these other major cultures. There are many styles of music commonly heard in Puerto Rico, many of which are considered native. These include folk music, reggaetón, salsa, danza, plena, and bomba. Puerto Rican music has evolved from interactions between indigenous and foreign music styles, developing over time through enduring musical traditions and exposure to styles as diverse as merengue, jazz, and bolero. |
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| Feature | Interview | Artists |
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 A conversation with Juan Flores on Puerto Rican Music in the U.S. |
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| Bands | Regions and Countries | Styles |
| Radio Programs | News Flashes | Free Stuff |
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