Lopez examines the history of Puerto Rico from the extermination of the native Taino population, the importation of African slaves and Spanish colonial culture, to the 1980s movements for labor, student, and womens rights, and the debates overMoreLopez examines the history of Puerto Rico from the extermination of the native Taino population, the importation of African slaves and Spanish colonial culture, to the 1980s movements for labor, student, and womens rights, and the debates over statehood or independence.