compared to Cuba, Puerto Rico was a backwater.
The Spanish in 1815 passed a Royal decree in order to get PR. out of its stagnation.
Read this: http://www.enciclopediapr.org/ing/article.cfm?ref=06101102
The mid and late 19 century produced many illustrous people in PR.. The following are two of them:
Read this on Betances:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram%C3%B3n_Emeterio_Betances
Read this on Hostos who is reknowned in many Latin American nations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenio_María_de_Hostos
This is on Cuba
This on PR:1662 English fleet captained by Christopher Myngs captures Santiago de Cuba to open up trade with neighbouring Jamaica
1670 English retreat after Spain recognises England's ownership of Jamaica.
1762 July 30 British troops occupy Havana during Seven Years' War.
1763 British troops suffer atrocious losses to fever, and reach agreement with the Spanish to trade Cuba in return for Florida.
The main fortress in San Juan in PR. was once captured by the english under the Earl of Cumberland George Clifford. He had to leave after a few months due to tropical disease decimating his troops plus a hostile population.
Earl of Cumberland George Clifford
So compared to the two islands the civilians of the so called backwater did a better job at protecting there Capital and island from foreign invasion then the civilians of Cuba.is famous for his short lived 1598 capture of Fort San Felipe del Morro, the citadel protecting San Juan, Puerto Rico. He arrived in Puerto Rico in June 15, 1598, but by November of that year, Clifford and his men had fled the island due to harsh civilian resistance.
And I am not including the great English invasion of PR. in 1797 which was really stopped by civilians and local militias since the Spaniards in PR. had sent most of there troops to the island of Hispaniola since they expected an invasion there.
Seems after the 1868 failed revolt the Spaniards stop relying on local islanders in PR. for military forces. Instead they relied on troops from Spain. Some people think that if the Spaniards had kept using more local islanders that the US invasion might not have been the easy walk in that it was since supposedly the Spaniards did not offer that much of a resistance.
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