Governor of Puerto RicoThe governor of Puerto Rico (Spanish: gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to unlimited four-year terms through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, the governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico and the commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard.
Territories of the United StatesTerritories of the United States are subnational geographical and political areas governed as administrative divisions and dependent territories under the sovereignty of the United States. Although all are subject to the constitutional and territorialjurisdiction of the U.S. federal government, territories differ from states and Indian reservations in that they are not inherently sovereign.
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico (abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a self-governingCaribbeanarchipelago and island organized as an unincorporated territory of the United States under the designation of commonwealth.
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León (c. 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first European expeditions to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in 1474. Though little is known about his family, he was of noble birth and served in the Spanish military from a young age. He first came to the Americas as a "gentleman volunteer" with Christopher Columbus's second expedition in 1493.
Puerto Rico campaignBelligerentsUnited StatesSpainCaptaincy General of Puerto RicoCommanders and leadersNelson A. MilesWilliam T. SampsonManuel Macías y CasadoStrength 15,472Spain: 8,000Puerto Rico: 10,000Casualties and losses 9 killed46 wounded 17 killed88 wounded 324 captured 10,000 surrendered at the end of the campaignThe Puerto Rico campaign was the American military sea and land operation in Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War, which resulted in the invasion, occupation, and annexation of the archipelago and island by the United States, and the cession of said territory by Spain.
Spanish–American WarThe Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was an armed conflict fought between the United States and Spain in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and eventually resulted in the U.S. acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and establishing a protectorate over Cuba.
United StatesCountry primarily in North AmericaThe United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the semi-exclave of Alaska in the northwest and the archipelago of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
Spanish colonization of the AmericasFlag of Spanish conquistadors with the crown of Castile on a red flag, used by Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, and othersSpanish (blue) and Portuguese (green) empires in 1790The Spanish colonization of the Americas began in 1493 on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) after the initial 1492 voyage of Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus under license from Queen Isabella I of Castile.
Spanish EmpireThis article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article needs more citations.
Geography of Puerto RicoThe geography of Puerto Rico encompasses an archipelagic and island nation centered around a collective identity based on its land, history, ethnicity, culture, and language, and organized as a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States.
ConquistadorSpanish and Portuguese colonizers of the Age of DiscoveryConquistadors exploring the Grand Canyon during Coronado's 1540–1542 expedition, by Augusto Ferrer-DalmauConquistadors (, also , UK also ) or conquistadores (Spanish:; Portuguese:; lit. 'conquerors') were Spanish and Portuguese colonists who explored, traded with, and conquered many parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania during the Age of Discovery.
Ferdinand II of AragonFerdinand II (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also known as Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: Fernando el Católico), was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of Castile, he was also King of Castile from 1475 to 1504 (as Ferdinand V). He reigned jointly with Isabella over a dynastically unified Spain; together, they are known as the Catholic Monarchs.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.