Culture of Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
is the result of a number of international and indigenous influences, both past and present. Modern cultural manifestations showcase the island's rich history
History of Puerto Rico
The history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the archipelago of Puerto Rico by the Ortoiroid people between 3000 and 2000 BC. Other tribes, such as the Saladoid and Arawak Indians, populated the island between 430 BC and 1000 AD. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New...
and help to create an identity which is a melting pot of cultures - Taíno (Native Indian), Spanish, African, Other Europeans, Asians, Middle Easteners, and North American.
Influences
The of SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n, and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
groups have had the greatest influence on the development of a distinct Puerto Rican cultural identity, a political and social exchange with the U.S. has also helped to shape the local culture.
Europe
When address emphasis must be on Spain, the island's colonizer. Spanish heritage has left an indelible mark on the island and signs of this cultural exchange can be found everywhere, from the official language to the local culinary styles.The culture of European countries has also influenced the development of the performing arts on the island, especially in music. Many of the island's musical genres have their origins in the Spanish culture, which is responsible for such genres of music like decima
Decima
Decima can refer to:*Decima , a goddess in Roman mythology and one of the Parcae *Décima, a type of poetic form with roots in Spanish literature*Decima Research, a Canadian polling company*Decima gallery, a London-based arts organisation...
, seis
Seis
The seis is a type of Puerto Rican dance music, related to décima. It originated in the later half of the 17th century in the southern part of Spain. The word means six, which may have come from the custom of having six couples perform the dance, though many more couples eventually became quite...
, danza
Danza
Danza is a musical genre that originated in Ponce, a city in southern Puerto Rico. It is a popular turn-of-the-twentieth-century ballroom dance genre slightly similar to the waltz. Both the danza and its cousin the contradanza are sequence dances, performed to a pattern, usually of squares, to...
, mambo, and so on. Puerto Ricans even adopted Europe's classical music, which was popular among the members of the elite upper-class.
Africa
With the introduction of slavery to the colony, the island experienced an influx of Africans who brought with them the cultural trappings of their own tribes. These influences are evident in the fields of dance and music,such as la bombaBomba
Bomba is one of the traditional musical styles of Puerto Rico. it is a largely African-derived music. The rhythm and beat are played by a set of floor drums, cuá and a maraca. Dance is an integral part of the music: the dancers move their bodies to every beat of the drum, making bomba a very...
, la plena
Plena
Plena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
, and most recently in reggaeton
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
, and in Puerto Rican Spanglish
Spanglish
.Spanglish refers to the blend of Spanish and English, in the speech of people who speak parts of two languages, or whose normal language is different from that of the country where they live. The Hispanic population of the United States and the British population in Argentina use varieties of...
. They can also be found in ma\ords can also be traced to the African heritage of the island. More subtle ties also exist, such as those that connect Puerto Rico's literary history with the rich African tradition of oral storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
.
Caribbean and Latin America
The shared heritage of many Caribbean nations is reflected in cultural pursuits like dance as well as in local culinary styles. The neighboring islands that have had the most influence on Puerto Rico's dance and music are CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. A number of Latin American countries also have exerted influence on Puerto Rico, particularly in helping the island to develop its own distinct cultural identity. In the filmmaking community, co-productions between Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries, have created an exchange of ideas and influenced their film conventions. For instance, the Latin sense of humor and fantastical elements are evident in Puerto Rican films.
United States
Culturally, Puerto Rican sentiment for the U.S. tends to vary between emulation and opposition, a result of the complicated socio-political relationship between the two. American influences such as jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
can be found in the development of the island's unique musical style, but there is also evidence of cultural antagonism, particularly in areas such as literature. This dichotomy also exists in cinema
Cinema of Puerto Rico
The history of the Cinema industry in Puerto Rico begins with the US invasion of the island in 1898. At that time, the American soldiers brought cameras to record what they saw. It was not until the 1912 that Puerto Ricans would begin to produce their own films.After this, Puerto Rican cinema has...
, which has been greatly influenced by the U.S. With its commonwealth status, Puerto Rico always attracted U.S. studios to shoot in the country, and film genres popular in the States during specific periods were often mirrored in contemporary Puerto Rican productions. However, other films delve into issues springing from the complex relationship between the two countries.
Puerto Rican culture originates from many different countries and mixes of people.
Cultural pursuits
- CinemaCinema of Puerto RicoThe history of the Cinema industry in Puerto Rico begins with the US invasion of the island in 1898. At that time, the American soldiers brought cameras to record what they saw. It was not until the 1912 that Puerto Ricans would begin to produce their own films.After this, Puerto Rican cinema has...
- Find out about the island's own film industry as well as its role in international cinema. - CuisineCuisine of Puerto RicoPuerto Rican cuisine has its roots in the cooking traditions and practices of Europe , Africa and the Amerindian Taínos. In the latter part of the 19th century the cuisine of Puerto Rico was greatly influenced by the United States in the ingredients used in its preparation...
- Learn more about the distinctive flavor of local cooking. - DanceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
- Performing arts such as dance are an integral part of cultural expression. - Literature - Literary achievement has helped Puerto Rico to gain international acclaim.
- MusicMusic of Puerto RicoThe music of Puerto Rico has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Taíno Indians, France, and the United States, and has become very popular across the Caribbean and across the globe...
- Music on the island blends diverse cultural influences. - ArtArt in Puerto RicoWith the country's ethnically diverse background, Puerto Rican art reflects many influences, particularly Spanish and African.-Folk art:Santos, an especially beloved form of folk art, evolved from the Spanish church's use of sculptures to convert indigenous Puerto Ricans to Christianity. Meaning...
- Puerto Ricans have contributed a great deal to the world of visual arts. - SportsSports in Puerto RicoSports in Puerto Rico can be traced from the ceremonial competitions amongst the pre-Columbian Native Americans of the Arawak tribes which inhabited the island to the modern era in which sports activities consist of an organized physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose...
- Learn more about the types of sports that are popular on the island.
External links
- HERMOSOS RECUERDOS - Evangelina Colón Canta Danzas De Puerto Rico
- Collection of Puerto Rican art posters
- Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, a government agency dedicated to the study, preservation, and development of Puerto Rican culture