Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking territory of the United States with a history shaped by conquest and resistance. For centuries, Puerto Ricans have crafted and negotiated complex ideas about nationhood. Join Dr. Jorell Meléndez-Badillo and CENTRO Directoria, Yomaira Figuera as we explore Meléndez Badillo’s latest book, Puerto Rico: A National History, that gives voice to the archipelago’s people while offering a lens through which to understand the political, economic, and social challenges confronting them today.
Described as a panoramic history of Puerto Rico from pre-Columbian times to today, Puerto Rico: A National History sheds light on the vibrant cultures of the archipelago in the centuries before the arrival of Columbus and captures the full sweep of Puerto Rico’s turbulent history in the centuries that followed, from the first indigenous insurrection against colonial rule in 1511—led by the powerful chieftain Agüeybaná II—to the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1952. Meléndez-Badillo deftly portrays the contemporary period and the intertwined though unequal histories of the archipelago and the continental United States.
