On September 25, 1493 Christopher Columbus set sail from Cdiz, Spain on his second voyage to the New World, accompanied by 17 ships and almost 1,500 men. On November 19, Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico. He found the island populated by as many as 50,000 Tano or Arawak Indians.
Originally, the newcomers called the island `San Juan Bautista, for St John the Baptist, and the town Puerto Rico. It was not until later that the two names were switched. Due to the ambitious Juan Ponce de Len, a lieutenant to Columbus, the city of Puerto Rico (or, rich port) quickly became Spain's most important Caribbean military outpost. In 1509 The Spanish authorities refused to grant to Diego Columbus (Christopher's son) priviledges to all discovered land, as a results, the Crown nominated Juan Ponce de Len governor of the island. On January 24, 1522 San Jose Church is founded, it is the oldest church
