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S t a te Dep a rtm ent officials w a n ted to avoid any con f u s i on caused by the use of the word state. The po l i tical status Mu n oz Marín propo s ed was nei t h er stateh ood nor indepen den ce , but som ething in bet ween . His po l i tical formula propo s ed an el ected govern or, ra t h er than on e i m po s ed on Pu erto Ri co from Wa s h i n g ton. It del ayed plans for indepen den ce or stateh ood , since social reforms and econ omic growth were more urgen t . In 1950, the United States Con gress p a s s ed legi s l a ti on cre a ting the Com m onwealth of Pu erto Ri co, and the island’s pop u l a ti on overwh el m i n gly en dors ed it in a 1 9 52 referen du m .

Th ey w a nted to retain the island’s distinctive Pu erto Rican and Hispanic cultu res. The first two gubern a torial electi ons of the t wen ty-first century were won by the pro - commonwealth, Popular Dem oc ra tic Party. ” 45 4 People and Culture P uerto Rico’s highways are some of the best in Latin America, but they are also some of the busiest. During the workweek, all roads leading to or from the cities are crawling with bumperto-bumper traffic. The crowded highways underscore the density of Puerto Rico’s population.

Th ei r lust for this metal severely tarn i s h ed their rel a ti onship with the Taino people. THE SPANISH CONQUEST Juan Pon ce de Leon was given the task of colonizing Puerto Ri co. At the out s et , he parti c i p a ted in a cerem ony that was su ppo s ed to establish an agreem ent of friendship and a ll i a n ce with some of the island’s Indian com mu n i ties. Pon ce de Leon’s pri ori ties did not inclu de the well - being of the Taino pop u l a ti on , h owever. He was more intere s ted in establishing gold mines in the new co l ony.