1500s: Juan Ponce de Leon is given a charter by the king of Spain to colonize Borinquen (Puerto Rico).

Today: Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, although various groups lobby both for statehood and independence.

1500s: More than fifty thousand Taino Indians live on the island of Borinquen.

Today: Puerto Rico's population is 3.8 million. Europeans, Indians, and Africans have interbred to create a racially mixed people.

1500s: The Spanish explore the world, colonizing numerous lands including what are now Mexico and Peru.

Today: Spain, its empire long dissolved, is now a member of both the European Community and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.