Monday, November 19, 2018

The Day of the Discovery of Puerto Rico 2018


Today (November 19, 2018) is the Day of the Discovery of Puerto Rico. Christopher Columbus discovered the Island during his second voyage on November 19, 1493. The Indigenous name of the Island was "Boriken," "Boriquen" or "Borinquen." Columbus named it San Juan Bautista in honor of Saint John the Baptist. Borinquen means "the great land of the valiant and noble Lord" or "land of the great lords." Puerto Rico (Rich Port) was the name of the capital, but later the names switched and the Island became known as Puerto Rico, and the capital as  San Juan. Puerto Rico's first governor was Juan Ponce de Leon, who also later discovered Florida and who also went to find the Fountain of Youth in Bimini. The city I was born in Puerto Rico is named after him (Ponce). 

Our Anthem mentions Christopher Columbus by name:

"Cuando a sus playas llegó Colón; exclamó lleno de admiración: ‘¡Oh! ¡Oh! ¡Oh! Esta es la linda tierra que busco yo.’ Es Borinquen la hija, la hija del mar y el sol."

Translation: "When at her beaches Columbus arrived; full of awe he exclaimed: ‘Oh! Oh! Oh! This is the lovely land I was looking for.’ Borinquen is the daughter, the daughter of the sea and the sun."

Here are some excerpts from a primary historical source Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo. The English translation is mine:

"The Indians call Borinquen the Island that the Christians call San Juan (Saint John), which is east of La Hispaniola Island, five or thirty leagues away. Around halfway there is the Island of Mona, around ten and seven degrees of the equinoctial line, to the side of our Arctic pole... There is a lot of fish in it and it has good water; and what they cultivate is the bread of casabe that I mentioned before, which is the bread of the Indians, and maize (corn). There are many good red crabs... 

On the east part, it has many small islands... called Las Islas Vírgines (The Virgin Islands)...  

That Island (Borinquen) is very rich in gold... especially on the north coast... they (the natives) do not differ in anything from the people of La Hispaniola Island as I mentioned, except that these Indians of San Juan are archers and more warlike; but they are naked and they are of the same color and stature...

This Island has, almost in the middle of it... a beautiful Mountain range with many good rivers and waters in many places...

The easternmost river, on the same coast, at the end of the said city, is called Loiza; where a Cacica (a female native Chief) settled and became a Christian and was called Loiza, which the Carib Indians killed...

To the western part of this island, there is a village that is called San German... On the west is Mayaguez... Cabo Rojo... Yauco...

Juan Ponce de Leon... is one of those who passed to these parts with the first Admiral, Christopher Columbus, on the second voyage he made to these Indies... In the time that Juan Ponce governed the Island of San Juan, he built the first town... named Caparra."
Historia General y Natural by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo, pages 465 to 469.



Image by Jorge Colomer https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castillo_San_Felipe_del_Morro_Sunset_in_San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico.jpg

#PuertoRicoDiscoveryByColumbus


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