Puerto Rico The Four Storeyed Country and Other Essays

This work dismantles the myth of a dominant Spanish and racially white national culture in Puerto Rican history. The author claims that the national identity is primarily Mestizo with a significant contribution from Africa. He calls the African slaves and Mestizo peasantry the first Puerto Ricans because they were the first inhabitants who had to make the island their home. Having witnessed successful uprisings in neighboring Haiti, the Spanish authorities encouraged white immigrants to settle in Puerto Rico in an attempt to "whiten" the population, then thought to be tilting dangerously to the advantage of the Afro-Antillans. These immigrants became the small but influential class of landowners and, later, urban professionals.Gonzalez, Jose L. is the author of 'Puerto Rico The Four Storeyed Country and Other Essays' with ISBN 9781558760721 and ISBN 1558760725.