Puerto RicoPuerto Rico is the oldest colonyColony in the world, first a possession of Spain from 1493 to 1898 and then an unincorporated territoryUnincorporated territory of the United StatesUnited States. This article presents the historical evolution of the territorial law and policy of the United States vis-à-vis the international obligations which emerged in the second half of the twentieth century. It will consider the political, economic and social crisis in Puerto Rico in the twenty-first century and possible substantive and procedural options available to solve the contradictions inherent in the colonial regime, through the right to self–determinationSelf–determination.