Puerto Rico Colonial Records

Spanish Colonization (1493-1898)
Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus landed at Puerto Rico on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493, and he originally named the place San Juan Bautista. In 1508, Juan Ponce de León founded the first Spanish settlement in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico became recognized as an overseas province of Spain in 1809 in an effort to keep other European nations out. In 1898, following the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States along with Guam and the Philippines. This went into effect in 1899.

United States (1898-present)
Ceded to the United States following the Spanish-American War, in 1898, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States.