Puerto Rico in a Historical and Cultural Context

Puerto Rico in a Historical and Cultural Context

By tracing the roots of Puerto Rican development from the Spanish invasion to today, one can see the influence of the dominant power in the interaction between different races of Puerto Rico, effecting how they viewed each other, and themselves. Isabel’s family, which is composed of Spanish and Corsican immigrants, reflects the attitudes that helped form Puerto Rican racial divisions. While she speaks from the point of view of a member of the upper class, there is a great deal of history behind the attitudes that influence the House on the Lagoon that she only lightly touches upon. Although Puerto Rican society has been racially mixed, issues such as class, imperialism, and outside prejudices have created a split between the different races.

Although Isabel’s record of her family’s background begins much later, the roots of racial division in Puerto Rico started with the Spanish invasion of the island. Before the Spanish invasion in the 1500’s, Puerto Rico was populated by the native population known as the Taino. Once Puerto Rico was invaded by Spain, the Taino were marginalized by the Spaniards, thus creating the first racial conflict. According to Piri Thomas:

They brought soldiers, money-hungry businessmen, priests, and opportunists. who burned with the fever only gold could cure. They brutally reduced the native population to near extinction by means of slavery, cruelty, and murderous extermination. Men, women, and children were set to work digging for the yellow metal, the precious gold. (Thomas)

This shows that the first stage in race relation was motivated by the dominance of the invaders over the invaded. In this way, segregation in the early years of Puerto Rican development under Spanish rule was based on the fact that the Spanish population exploited the island’s people and resources, setting up a situation where the native population was marginalized. In other words, the marginalization of the native population was rooted in the economic desires of Spain. This created both a racial and class segregation, for the upper class Spaniards had control over the island, while the native population was forced to flee or be forced to work for the invaders.

The Spanish occupation of Puerto Rico also brought another aspect of race relations to the island. Unable to utilize the native population to their liking, they brought African slaves to work for them. This added to the racial mixture on the island.