Located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico is an island where its name literally means rich island. But what is Puerto Rico known for? What are some Puerto Rico traditions, facts and culture that make it unique?
Puerto Rico is also known as the Island of Enchantment or Isla del Encanto in Spanish. With a name like this, it is no wonder that Puerto Rico is a fascinating place to visit. Its capital is San Juan, located on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico. Old San Juan is a district within the capital and special for its Old World ambiance, rich history and romantic charm. Old San Juan is filled with landmarks that any visitor shouldn’t miss.
What is Puerto Rico Known For?
Part of the Commonwealth
Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. This means that is neither a sovereign state, nor is it part of of the United States of America. It is part of the American Commonwealth.
Puerto Rico comes under the purview of the federal government. Puerto Ricans, however, are not represented in the Senate. They are represented in the House of Representatives by a resident commissioner, but the commissioner is not allowed to cast a vote.
However, Puerto Ricans can visit the American mainland whenever they want because they possess American passports.
Archipelago of Islands
Most people think of Puerto Rico as a single island. However, it actually consists of a collection of islands.
The main island where the capital, San Juan, is located is called Puerto Rico. But there are two other prominent islands surrounding the main island. Amongst these are the islands of Vieques and Culebra.
Fortified Island
The most recognizable fortification in Puerto Rico was constructed by the Spanish in the Americas. El Morro. Officially known as the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the fort stands atop a 140-foot-high promontory at the mouth of the Bay of San Juan in Old San Juan.
The six levels of this fortress, which faces out towards the Atlantic Ocean, were desinged to deliver devastating artillery fire out to invading enemy ships. It had a reputation for being impregnable and was the most feared of all the Spanish colonial fortifications when it was finished at around 1790.
Later, in the 20th century, even though World War II never came to the island, the United States government was so worried that it would that they spent a ton of money fortifying the island. There were bunkers and bases built. The military abandoned its equipment after the war. On Culebra’s Flamenco Beach, you can see military tanks, and on Vieques, you can explore abandoned bunkers.
Bioluminescent Bays
Puerto Rico also has several bays that is home to plankton that grow at night under the right conditions. These bioluminescent bays include Mosquito Bay (said to be the brightest in the world), Fajardo Bioluminescent Bay and La Parguera on Lajas island.
El Yunque National Forest
Puerto Rico is also known for having the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system. El Yunque National Forest is one of the smallest in terms of size at almost 29,000 acres, but one of the most biologically diverse.
El Yunque National Forest is considered a sacred place in Puerto Rican culture. Many think that its name comes from the Taino word Yuke, which means “white earth” in Tahno, referring to the clouds that gather around the mountainous peak of the forest. Others think that its name comes from Ycahu, the Tahno god of fertility.
Hiking to one of the natural pools to cool off with a swim is one of the most well-liked activities in El Yunque. The best way to cool off is to hike down to one of the many water pools that are located along the La Coca trail. An accessible spot is the Juan Diego waterfall and creek that you can wade into. Another unique experience is to zipline through the forest.
Rio Camuy Cave
More than 200 caves make up the 250-mile-long cave network. It is the world’s third largest underground cave system and parts of the caverns can have ceilings over 10 stories high. Visitors get to enjoy the splendor of the cave and even see the impressive sight of the largest stalagmite in Puerto Rico.
Largest Shopping Mall in the Caribbean
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the Plaza Las Americas shopping mall. It is one of the biggest shopping centers in Latin America and the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean. Within the sprawling shopping centre, there are more than 300 shops, including restaurants, specialty shops and department stores. In addition, the Plaza Las Americas also has a movie theater, an amusement park, and a bowling alley are also present.
Imperial and Metric
Both the Imperial and Metric systems are used in Puerto Rico. Kilometers are used to indicate distance on road signs, and liters are used to measure gas. Drawings will list measurements in feet and inches, while speed is measured in miles per hour. It is something rather unique to Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico Traditions and Culture
As a former Spanish colony and with a mix of cultures including African cultures, it is no wonder that Puerto Rico traditions and culture are rich and unique.
Boricua
One of the Puerto Rico traditions is that people call themselves Boricua. This denotes that a person is a Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent and is a source of ethnic pride. The name originates from the island’s indigenous Taino peoples who gave that name to the island.
Dance Traditions
Dance customs have Taino, Spanish, and West African roots, just like other facets of Puerto Rican culture. Puerto Ricans enjoy using dance to tell stories, and their performances frequently feature stunning and vibrant costumes. While visitors may recognise styles like salsa and merengue, a dance style that is in the Puerto Rico tradition is Bomba, an Afro-Puerto Rican style of traditional music and dance. Plena on the other hand is folk music, with both Spanish and African roots with music played on hand drums and instruments like the maracas, guitar and cautro, a small Puerto Rican guitar.
Parrandas
This Puerto Rico tradition takes place at Christmas time. It is where friends and family gather in the front of a house with instruments and start singing traditional Christmas songs. Normally, they will try to be as quiet as possible when they gather and the burst out in song and music to bring joy to the household. Traditionally, the household will offer the group refreshments and then join in the group as they move on to the next house to do it all again.
Christmas Eve
For Puerto Ricans, Christmas Eve is more important that Christmas Day. Christmas Eve or Nochebuena is when they will gather for a traditional dinner, exchange gifts and go out for parrandas together. Some will also attend a midnight mass known as Misa de Gallo.
New Year’s Eve Traditions in Puerto Rico
To start off the new year, Puerto Ricans will tidy up their homes on New Year’s Eve because it is seen to be a harbringer of what is to come for next year.
Some people will throw buckets out their windows as a way to ward off evil spirits. For those who are at the beach, when the clock strikes twelve, they may dive backwards into the waves to ward off evil spirits.
Another custom is to eat 12 grapes in the final seconds of the year and finishing them all by midnight.
El Da de Reyes
El Da de Reyes, also known as Epiphany, is observed on January 6 in Puerto Rico as a remembrance of the journey the Three Wise Men took when they went to visit the newly born Jesus. Children in Puerto Rico gather hay or grass from their backyards the night before, then put it in shoeboxes and place the shoeboxes under their beds for the Magi’s camels or horses in exchange for gifts.
Town festivals in Puerto Rico hold parades with locals and actors dressed as the Three Wise Men. The Fiesta de Reyes Juanadina in Juana Dáz and the Fiesta de Reyes Isabelinos in Isabela are the two most well-known celebrations.
Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián
From Wednesday evening until Sunday afternoon in the third week of January, Old San Juan becomes the site of the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, a festival that marks the end of the holiday season. Artists and craftspeople come out during the day and the party starts in the evening, and people and music start to fill the street.
Pineapple Festival
La Parguera, an oceanfront neighborhood in the southern town of Lajas, hosts an annual Festival de la Piña Paradisíaca in May or June each year. Local bands play throughout the evening as vendors sell locally grown pineapples, as well as a variety of other fried and agricultural goods.
Festival Nacional Indígena
Held at the end of November, the Festival Nacional Indígena in the town of Jayuya celebrates Puerto Rico’s roots found within the Taino culture and traditions. Highlights of the festival include a beauty pageant where competitors do their best to resemble Taino ancestors, arts and crafts fair, a traditional yukayeque village and traditional indigenous music.
Arroz Con Gandules
Puerto Rico traditions are also capture in the food. You’ll find rice-based dishes throughout the Puerto Rico. The de facto national dish is the arroz con gandules. This Puerto Rican recipes mainly consists of rice and pigeon peas, a type of small, oval bean with a nutty flavor that is popular in the Caribbean West Indies.
If you enjoyed learning about Puerto Rico, you may also be interested to find out what make San Francisco and San Jose unique.
