Who were the original colonizers of Puerto Rico?

The original colonizers of Puerto Rico were Spain, which established its control over the island following Christopher Columbus's arrival in 1493 during his second voyage to the Americas. This marked the beginning of Spanish colonization in the Caribbean and led to significant cultural, social, and economic changes on the island.

Spanish colonization involved the introduction of a plantation economy, the Catholic faith, and the Spanish language, all of which have had lasting impacts on Puerto Rican identity. The Spanish established settlements and used the island as a base for further exploration of the Americas and as a strategic location for trade and military activities.

The other options represent countries that engaged in colonization in various parts of the Caribbean, but they did not originally colonize Puerto Rico. France, Great Britain, and The Netherlands had significant colonial interests in the Caribbean, often contending with Spanish and later with each other, but they did not establish Puerto Rico as one of their colonies during the initial period of colonization. Thus, the prominence of Spain as the original colonizer is underscored by its historical and cultural influence on Puerto Rico.