The country of Puerto Rico has a long and rich history involving people from every corner of the world; furthermore, Puerto Ricans can trace their roots back to hunter-gatherers who were the first inhabitants of the island that arrived at the island between 6000 and 4500 years ago. Following this, the Saladoid arrived as well and introduced horticulture and agriculture to the island. Then, over the course of time, by 1200 CE, the Taino culture emerged and continues to be the prominent Indigenous heritage of the people of Puerto Rico. In 1493, Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain to the Caribbean Islands on his second voyage and “discovered” the island of Boriquén, now known as Puerto Rico, and promptly renamed the island San Juan de Bautista in honor of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella which is how the island’s capital got its name. Fast-forward roughly 300 years after the Spanish-American War, the Treaty of Paris forced Spain to give up control of Puerto Rico to the United States, as it still is today. There are many important events in Puerto Rico’s history, with July 25, 1952 as one of its most influential as this was when Puerto Rico officially became a commonwealth of the United States and was allowed to create its own constitution. Despite this however, Puerto Rico’s influence in the United States is fairly limited as their commissioner, a person Puerto Ricans elect to represent the Puerto Rican people, can only vote in committees, not the House floor. In addition, because Puerto Rico’s citizens live in a territory of the United States, they cannot vote in the country’s presidential elections, further reducing their influence on the government. Then, in 1948, the island elected its first governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, leader of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Later on in 1952, Puerto Rico proclaims a constitution, which establishes it as a commonwealth of the United States with autonomy in internal affairs. More recently, Hurricane Maria devastated the land and killed over 3,000 people, cutting off peoples’ access to electricity and fresh water and food. Overall, Puerto Rico is a beautiful commonwealth of the United States with a long and in-depth history, often influencing the history of the world as a whole.