Ethan nodded.

"Let's start with the basics. The first inhabitants of Puerto Rico were hunter-gatherers who reached the island more than 1,000 years before the arrival of the Spanish." Ezra stood straight, arms crossed.

"Arawak Indians, who developed the Taino culture, had also settled there by 1000 CE. The Taino lived in small villages led by a cacique. They had limited knowledge of agriculture and lived on domesticated tropical crops."

Two worlds connected, rich in culture in history, Ethan could do nothing but listen.

Ezra continued, "In 1493, Christopher Columbus left Spain on his second voyage to the Indies with a large expedition of 17 ships and about 1,500 men. On November 19, 1493, Columbus anchored in a bay on the west coast of Boriquén, which he promptly renamed San Juan Bautista and claimed for the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I. The expeditionaries spent two days on the island before sailing westward to Hispaniola, establishing the first permanent settlement in the New World. And the rest is history." Ezra looked to the sky.

It was dark, and the air balloon was almost out of fuel. All Ethan could think about was his next move.



By Natalie Gonzalez