Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has beautiful beaches, tropical landscapes, and 500 years of Spanish cultural influence. We’ll help you experience it all, so your group sees more than just the hotel and the airport. Puerto Rico is historic and cosmopolitan, exotic and accessible. Let us introduce you to its charms!
The new U.S. travel document laws will not affect travel from the United States to Puerto Rico for U.S. citizens. No passport is required for travel to Puerto Rico for U.S. citizens, but proper proof of citizenship is still necessray.
History
The breathtaking beauty and bounty of Puerto Rico didn't escape Christopher Columbus' attention. He came to the Island on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, naming the town of Puerto Rico ("rich port") and the island San Juan; the two names were later switched.
San Juan quickly became Spain's most important military outpost in the Caribbean. In 1508 Juan Ponce the León became Puerto Rico's first governor.The San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) and San Cristóbal forts were built to defend the Island against attempted conquests by the British and the Dutch. Remnants of this colonial past can still be seen today throughout Old San Juan.
Over the centuries, Puerto Rico's strength shifted from military to economic, becoming the only Caribbean island where industry and commerce exceed agricultural production.
In 1898, Puerto Rico came under U.S. control as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans became American citizens in 1917, and the Island was granted U.S. Territory status.
Puerto Ricans were granted partial self-government in 1947, this enabled citizens to elect their own governor for the first time; the Island became a U.S. Commonwealth in 1952. Today, Puerto Rico enjoys one of the highest standards of living in Latin America.
Puerto Rico is a melting pot of cultures -- Taíno (Native Indian), Spanish, African, and North American. They converge in our food, music, language, architecture, religion, lifestyles, arts, and crafts.
Social customs have changed as a result of a major shift in the economy, from agricultural to industrial. However, even after one century as part of the U.S., the strong Spanish influence is the common denominator for our cultural fabric.
You can't help but feel the pulse of the Island – it breathes salsa, merengue and all kinds of rhythms.
- Salsa emerged from Puerto Rico to become a musical form in New York City, while merengue is from the Dominican Republic. Both are embraced and enjoyed in Puerto Rico.
- Bomba and plena are also native sounds and both rely heavily on percussion. The bomba has a call and response interplay between drummer and dancer.
- A danza is a Classical waltz-like music form that originated in Puerto Rico in the 1850s and is still popular today. Local composers, such as Juan Morell Campos and Manuel Tavares, made the danza the main music of elegant ballroom dances in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Famous Puerto Rican classical musicians include opera singer Antonio Paoli (1872-1922), Pablo Elvira, and Justino Díaz. Pablo Casals, the legendary catalan cellist, made Puerto Rico his home for many years after Franco took power in Spain. His mother was Puerto Rican. A festival in his name attracts international orchestras and musicians to the Island every summer.
Musical Instruments
- Cuatro – derived from the Spanish guitar, it has 5 double strings. Mostly available through highly skilled artisans, prices range from $100 to $1000. Other variations are the tiple, bordonúa, and requinto, all of which have different pitch and number of strings.
- Güiro or güicharo – hollowed ficus with ridges that is played with a wire fork, adds a unique percussion sound to many popular music genres.
- Maracas – ficus with a handle attached, filled with seeds or beans, are shaken to make a rhythmic sound.
- Conga – drum made of a hollow tree trunk with an animal skin stretched across one end.
Art
José Campeche (1751-1809) painted religious art and is considered one of the most important artists of the Americas. Francisco Oller (1833-1917), studied in Europe and is known as the first Latin American Impressionist. Well-known contemporary artists include Lorenzo Homar, Rafael Tufiño, and Jorge Zeno.
In the 1950s the Puerto Rican government hired graphic artists to create informational and educational posters and prints, which you can find in galleries, museums, and stores. Ceramics and mural art are also plentiful and popular.
Literature
Puerto Rican poets include Lola Rodríguez de Tió, Julia de Burgos, Luis Palés Matos, Juan Antonio Corretjer, Luis Lloréns Torres; writers José Luis González, Manuel Zeno Gandía, Luis Rafael Sánchez and Rosario Ferré.
Food
Food on the Island shows influences of various cultures and how they've used local products -- plantains, seafood, pork, spices, and sofrito, a blend of onions and spices used in many dishes. Favorite dishes are mofongo, rice and beans, and chicken with rice. Rice is the principal starch, along with yuca, ñame, and batata.
Handcrafts
Several organizations in Puerto Rico contribute to the preservation of traditional handcrafts: the Crafts Development Area of PRIDCO, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the University of PR, and the Agricultural Extension Service.
Vejigante Masks and Figurines
A vejigante is a costumed character with Indian, European, and African roots. The tradition is strongest in coastal towns where African slave descendants originally settled.
In the carnival held in the town of Loíza, there are 4 main costumed characters: el Caballero (the knight), los vejigantes , los viejos, (the elders), and las locas (the crazy women). Whereas in Ponce, they make mostly devil and animal masks out of brightly colored papier maché.
Hatillo's Masks Festival on December 28th, the Day of the Holy Innocents, features the most exquisite examples of this craft. Masks and figurines can be purchased in many shops in Old San Juan and throughout the Island.
Santos
Carved wooden saints reached the height of their popularity at the turn of the 20th century. Usually 12 to 20 inches tall, they are made throughout the Island.
The Santos wood carving practice is thought to be a blend of Catholic and indigenous traditions, where small statues serve as objects of veneration and protection against evil. The most popular figures are the virgins, male saints, and the Three Kings.
Lace
Lace, or mundillo (bobbin lace), making is originally a European art which came to the Island during the colonization period. The particular kind of lace popular in Puerto Rico is found only on the Island and in Spain.
It is a form of bobbin, or pillow lace, where threads are wound on bobbins and the lace itself is anchored to pillows. The craft is practiced mostly in the western part of the island in the towns of Aguadilla, Aguada, Moca, and Isabela.
Several government agencies contribute to the preservation of this craft. Women used to do it to make a living, and now primarily to keep the craft alive. The finished product is used to decorate women's clothing and undergarments, linens, baby garments, nuptial and baptismal gowns. Mundillo can be found at craft shows and bazaars.
Basket Weaving
Basket weaving on the Island has relied on the selection of available materials. Native Indians had a basket tradition, African slaves added theirs, further influenced by the Spaniards. Today, all sorts of containers are weaved, in addition to pavas, the traditional straw hat of Puerto Rico.
Hammocks
Hammocks have been in use for thousands of years – what a great way to relax in the Island breeze. The Europeans were evidently quite surprised by them when they came to the New World.
Originally they were made from corn fibers, maguey, and cotton. Cotton twine has since replaced this as standard construction material. In 1996, Don José González, a hammock artisan from the town of San Sebastián, was awarded a Doctoral Degree in Humanities Honoris Causa from the Sacred Heart University through a petition from PRIDCO's Craft Development Program. Puerto Rico is thought to be the first Latin American country to honor the hammock.
Miniature Facades
The architecture of Puerto Rico has inspired artisans to create small replicas of Puerto Rican buildings, especially the iron-laced, balcony-bedecked buildings of Old San Juan. Artists have used materials as diverse as clay, wood, glass and metal. Everything from tiny magnets and pins to framed facades suitable for wall hanging, display pieces, and curios are readily available.
