Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbian Times to 1900 [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Olga Jimenez De Wagenheim (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558761225 | ISBN-13: 978-1558761223 | Publication Date: August 1997 | Edition: 1st

Since many of the documents and books about Puerto Rico were written by the colonizers, only the victors were celebrated. With this in mind, the author has expressly composed this book from the viewpoint of the colonized, suppressed, and exploited. She challenges a previously-held notion that the Tainos simply gave up at the first sight of the Spaniards, and shows that they not only fought the intruders, but continued to resist them for more than sixty years after the battle of Yagecas. The author discusses the fate and contributions of Africans who, as slaves or as free persons, became instrumental in Puerto Rico's social and economic development and shows how this multi-cultural Caribbean island brings together the global traditions of the Americas, Africa, and Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Informative, comprehensive, and written in accessible style." -- El Nuevo Dia -Puerto Rico's largest daily newspaper

"This work is an excellent example of a new trend in Puerto Rican historiography.." -- Altagracia Ortiz, John Jay College; author of Eighteenth-Century Reform in the Caribbean

About the Author

Olga Jim‚nez de Wagenheim, Rutgers University, is author of Puerto Rico's Revolt for Independence: El Grito de Lares, and co-editor of The Puerto Ricans: A Documentary History.

Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: Markus Wiener Pub; 1st edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558761225
• ISBN-13: 978-1558761223
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, January 22, 2008

By 

B. Rodriguez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbian Times to 1900 (Paperback)

The author's love of the island is obvious by reading this book. She does a great job of describing the island itself, the original inhabitants and the Europeans which came later. It's interesting to note that many books are written of the time after the US obtained the island (1898 to present) but the author focuses on the Taino's and the time of Spain's control of the island. Great book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviews for Puerto Rico, June 19, 2006

By 

history buff - See all my reviews

This review is from: Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbian Times to 1900 (Paperback)

"Informative, comprehensive, and written in accessible style . . ."
-El Nuevo Dia (Puerto Rico's largest daily newspaper)

". . .a work of substantive scholarship and meticulous research that provides a much needed balance to traditional histories that understate (or all too often simply ignore) the role indigenous natives and imported Africans played in developing this Caribbean nation . . ."
--Midwest Book Review, April 1999

"This work is an excellent example of a new trend in Puerto Rican historiography seeking to present a more balanced account of our past. It contains a detailed analysis of Puerto Rican society during the Spanish colonial period that highlights the roles and contributions of women and workers. The section on women, based on the latest historical investigations, provides an account of women revolutionary leaders, the movement to educate women, and of the first feminist attempts at emancipation from male patriarchy."
--Altagracia Ortiz, John Jay College; author of Eighteenth-Century Reform in the Caribbean

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Peak into Puerto Rico's Past, September 17, 2005

By 

Edward P. Matos "edmatos52" (Laredo, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbian Times to 1900 (Paperback)

There is much too little historical literature available on Puerto Rico and as such, Olga Jimenez De Wagenheim's book on the history of Puerto Rico is very much welcomed.

"Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbia Times to 1900" gives the reader not only the physical and geographical description of Puerto Rico and its surrounding, smaller, islands, but also an idea of the many facets that make the island what it is today. Wagenheim covers the culture, politics, economics, religious beliefs, traditions, education, racial and gender prejudices, and much more. She discusses the original inhabitants of Boriquen -the Archaic, Igneri, Ostioniod and the Taino tribes- and their way of life before Spain's conquest of the Island.

Wagenheim depicts Puerto Rico as the lush and beautiful island that it was, its people farming and cultivating a variety of foods, such as, yucca, corn, yam, ajies (chili peppers), peanuts, guavas, jobos (grapes), and papaya. . . . The Taino people grew tobacco, hunted iguanas and cories and raised chickens and turkeys for food. This is why Spain renamed Boriquen, Puerto Rico (Rich Port).

Wagenheim does a superb job of describing the multi-cultural environment that shaped the Puerto Rican identity and their struggles under Spanish rule, and Puerto Rico's forced colonization under the United States after the Spanish-American War. She also depicts what life was like in Puerto Rico's society and how they endured their oppression under United States' rule: their loss of power and the right to govern themselves, the lack of education and employment, and the lack of support (especially economic) during their hardships, just to name a few. She also describes some of the heroes of Puerto Rico, heroes of the struggle for independence, education, equality, and humanity.

As the publisher states, there is little historical information, or evidence available about this early period in Puerto Rico's history. Taking this under consideration, the author has done a marvelous job of research and documentation. Her writing opens the historical doors, giving the reader a peek at a place we know too little about, Puerto Rico. I earnestly recommend "Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History from Precolumbia Times to 1900".