According to investigations made by Jose Reyes Zamora, the tiple in Puerto Rico dates back to the 18th century.
There was never a standard for the tiple and as a result there are many variations throughout the island of Puerto Rico.
It has recently acquired a more or less fixed body shape narrowing at the top and having 5 strings (see the accompanying photo).
It is usually made like the cuatro, so either constructed like a guitar, or from one piece of wood hollowed out.
All other features (like neck and bridge) resemble the construction of a normal Spanish guitar.