Alana Casanova-Burgess

And the statue of him isn't just any monument.

It says a lot.

And I mean that literally.

There's a short film from 1957 that was made by the Puerto Rican government and narrated by the statue.

It tells the story of the Spanish conquest.

It's a real rewriting of history, with only scant acknowledgement of any violence.

The last line makes a big claim.

The people of Puerto Rico are a tree, and he, Ponce de Leon, is the root.

Rafael Capó has written about it extensively.

The earliest mention that I found was in 1877, a journalist in the conservative newspaper El Boletín Mercantil mentioned how Puerto Rico needed to honor its conquistador, right?

Who was venerated by all, Ponce de Leon should receive the same treatment in Puerto Rico.

Four years later, there's another newspaper report about the statue.

It has been made in New York and is arriving in San Juan.

And the material is notable.

It's made from two bronze cannons that had been used to defend Puerto Rico from a failed invasion by the British in 1797.

This is one of the defining moments in Puerto Rican history, when Sir Ralph Abercrombie attacks San Juan with a massive fleet and thousands of soldiers.

The people that defend Puerto Rico are not just Spanish soldiers.

Black Puerto Ricans, Creoles, whites, men, women, everyone came together to fight off the British.

And many historians say that this is the moment that the Puerto Rican nation was created.

So when the statue was put up in 1882, those who had pushed for it were celebrating a connection to Spain with this other element baked in.