Vieques

The island's name is a Spanish spelling of a Taíno word said to mean "small island", and its nickname, Isla Nena, casts it as Puerto Rico's little sister; under the British it was known as Crab Island. In the early 16th century Vieques became a centre of Taíno rebellion against the Spanish, who sent armed forces and killed, imprisoned or enslaved the native people. In the 19th century the town of Isabel Segunda was founded under Governor Francisco Saínz, and in the second half of the century thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to work the sugar plantations.

Sugar declined in the 1920s and 1930s, and in 1941 the US Navy bought or seized almost 80 per cent of the island as an extension of the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. Farm workers without title to their land were evicted, the sugar industry collapsed, and for some sixty years the Navy used much of Vieques for live-fire training and weapons testing.

Protests grew over the decades and came to a head in 1999, when David Sanes, a Vieques-born civilian employee of the Navy, was killed by a misfired bomb. A campaign of civil disobedience followed, with hundreds of protesters detained and support from well beyond Puerto Rico. The Navy withdrew in May 2003; much of its land became a national wildlife refuge and was listed for federal Superfund cleanup, which is expected to continue into the 2030s. Hurricane Maria in 2017 caused major damage and a near-total shutdown of the island's tourism.

Viequenses have a strong island identity shaped by the Navy years. The long campaign against the bombing range became a cause célèbre, and it has been taken up in songs by artists including the rock band Puya and the reggaeton musician Tego Calderón. The struggle remains part of how the island sees itself, and the clean-up of the old ranges and its health effects are still debated.

Life runs at an unhurried rural pace. The island is known for its paso fino horses, owned by local families but left to roam free over parts of the island, so horses and chickens are an everyday sight in the streets and along the roads. Isabel Segunda's plaza and church are the centre of community life, and the patron-saint festival in July is the main local celebration. Esperanza, on the south coast, has a more visitor-oriented feel, with its promenade and pier.

The island is promoted for ecotourism, built on its undeveloped beaches, the wildlife refuge and the bioluminescent bay. Spanish is the everyday language, and visitors are expected to respect the slow rhythm, the protected bay and the closed areas of the old ranges.

Vieques had 8,249 people at the 2020 census, making it one of the least populous municipalities in Puerto Rico; most live in and around Isabel Segunda, with a smaller community at Esperanza. The former civilian area occupies roughly the central third of the island, between the refuge lands to the east and west.

The economy has been fragile since the sugar plantations closed and the Navy left. Fishing and small farming were long the main livelihoods; today the Navy clean-up is the island's largest employer, and tourism is the other mainstay, so the island depends heavily on visitors and on the ferry and small planes that connect it to the main island. Almost everything is shipped in, which raises the cost of living.

Health care is a pressing issue. The island's only hospital was damaged by Hurricane Maria; federal funds to rebuild it were approved in 2020, construction began in 2023, and as of November 2024 it was not yet complete. Residents have also long raised concerns about the health effects of decades of military training.

Food on Vieques is the cocina criolla of Puerto Rico: rice with pigeon peas, stewed beans, fried plantains as tostones or sweet amarillos, and mofongo, mashed fried green plantain with garlic and pork crackling. Fritters such as alcapurrias and bacalaítos, salt-cod fritters, and a cold Medalla beer are island-wide favourites.

Most visitors eat in Esperanza, where restaurants, bars and food kiosks line the promenade behind the beach and the pier, while Isabel Segunda has more local eateries and bakeries around the plaza and the ferry dock. Almost all food is brought over from the main island, which raises the cost of living.

Rum is the island's spirit, and the piña colada, claimed as a San Juan invention, is a familiar order at the beach bars. Fishing and small farming were long the island's livelihoods. As on the main island, rice, beans and plantains are the everyday base of a meal, and fritters and other fried snacks are the usual quick bite at the beach kiosks.