Hispanic Heritage

Hispanic Heritage: Argentina

First explored in 1516 by Juan Diaz de Solis, Argentina began as a Spanish colony. The city of Buenos Aires, which is now home to roughly 16 million people, making it the largest city in Argentina, was settled permanently in 1580 (Buenos Aires had initially been established in 1536, but it was destroyed by natives).
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Hispanic Heritage: Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has overcome a lot since being claimed by Christopher Columbus for the Spanish in 1493. Upon being colonized by Spain, the island natives were forced into slavery, and many of them did not survive, as infectious diseases, including a smallpox outbreak in 1518 and 1519, passed on by their European colonizers wiped out much of the indigenous population.
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Hispanic Heritage: Uruguay

The second smallest nation in South America, Uruguay is home to more than three million people, the majority of whom live in the capital of Montevideo.
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Hispanic Heritage: Ecuador

One of only two countries in South America that does not have a border with Brazil, Ecuador was conquered by the famed Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1532. The colony would thrive, thanks in large part to the exploitation of the natives, into the 19th century.
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