HISTORY 1600-1898
45
united them with Europe. In this they were following the example of England's colonies and of the revolu tionists in France.
Porto Rico, on the other hand,
showed no desire for emancipation. Her indigenous population was composed of the “ jibaros," or peasant farm laborers . These peasants of mixed Indian, Negro and Spanish blood were too illiterate and too
ignorant to regard with anything but suspicion the in vitations to join them sent by the insurgents of Ven ezuelą and Colombia .
When the Colombians landed
on the coast of Porto Rico they were looked upon merely as Freebooters of ancther character.
The beginning of the 19th century saw Spain de prived of all her colonies in the Western Hemisphere except the eastern half of Española, Cuba and Porto
Rico. These political changes were operative in caus ing fundamental changes in the character of the Porto Rican population and the passing of the " jibaro ” as originally constituted.
Origins of the Puertoriqueños X The Conquistadores under Columbus and later x
under his captains brought no European women with them , therefore the first “mestizo " was that of the indian and Spaniard. To this was added the negro
slave and side by side with this mestizo grew up the mixture of negro and indian . Later, when negro women were brought from Española the " mulatto " was added.
The majority of the first of the Spaniards were adventurers, criminals and convicts, although many
noble families of Castille were represented and the