Things Gringos do not know about Puerto Rico #1

1. 

   There were people there long before the Europeans arrived. They were called Tainos and contrary to popular belief, they are not extinct. They called the island Boriken. They were friendly and hospitable to the European arrivals. So of course, the Europeans enslaved them and forced them to work in old mines and build forts. Those that survived eventually left after the 1511 revolt.A friar named Casa was outraged by the treatment of the Tainos and demanded change. He suggested that the Europeans used Africans instead. There had been a number of revolts. More than twenty of the major revolts took place between 1527-1873. One of these revolts were led by a person Named Marcos Xiorro. The short of it is that a rumor was spread among the African captives that slavery had been abolished. I guess that taste of freedom then having it taken away again really took the piss out of some people, So Marcos and others led a rebellion. Marcos and two others were captured. There is no record of Xiorros fate but it is assumed he was executed. More than likely any survivors that escaped moved inland and linked up with other escapees and Taino holdouts.