Romero 1 Marcos A. Romero 2021 Honors Project: Puerto Rico: Arts and Experiences Professor Elissa Hugens Romero 2 Glossary • Puerto Rico, An Island, A colony, a complicated history. o Native peoples o Spanish Colony o American “Unincorporated Territory • Influences on Puerto Rican Art from other countries o African influence o Native influence o Spanish influence o American influence • Art mediums in Puerto Rico throughout its history 18th to 19th Century o Early Architecture o Early Painting and sculpting o Early Music • Effects of Americanization o On society o On education o On art • Art mediums in Puerto Rico in modern times o Painting o Music • Puerto Rican Art: What is it to me? Romero 3 Puerto Rico, An Island, A colony, a complicated history. When it comes to pinpointing the location of the country of Puerto Rico on any world map, the average person will more than likely fail to locate this little, 110x35 mile island tucked away in the Caribbean, next to its bigger, more intimidating cousin Cuba, and next to its trailing sisters, The U.S. Virgin Islands. While most may not be able to find it without some assistance, chances are that most will have heard, or more rarely, seen its art in some way or another. This is lent to this tiny island nation’s big character and rich artistic background which has spawned many famous artists, from the likes of Francisco Oller to Bad Bunny. Native Peoples Understanding what Puerto Rico’s artistic scene entails is not a relatively simple thing to do, owing to the islands rich and interesting history. Beginning with the beginning of Puerto Rican settlement, the first inhabitants of the island known to the old world (and the modern to a certain extent) were that of the Taíno people, an Arawak people who were known to have inhabited the island dating back to at least the 13th century. The Taíno people lived in small communes, and had a hierarchal social structure, with a chief known as a Casique. This tribe of native peoples came in contact with Spanish settlers in the late 15th century, leading to the incorporation of many of the Taíno settlements into formal Spanish towns. The initial interactions between the Spaniards and the natives were not necessarily confrontation, with the tribal chiefs negotiating for goods with the white settles, trading in valuable gold and other island commodities, however, as most first interactions go, things went sour quickly. Romero 4 The Taíno people were not resistant to the strains of European diseases that came alongside the settlers, the quickly dwindling population of the native people where easily subjugated and those who survived were utilized as slave labor to quench the ever-lustful Spanish desire for gold. These interactions lead to the decimation of the Taíno identity in the island of Puerto Rico, with Spanish influence overtaking whatever was left of the population. This however, was not the end of the Taíno’s identity, as the Spanish interbred with the native women to create a Mestizo population which incorporated some aspects of both cultures, allowing towns to keep their Taíno names, and preserving some of the language and customs which still persevere until this day, with many symbols like that of the Coqui (Puerto Rico’s signature sound of the night, made by a specific species of small frog) holding their meaning, among other influences in culture. Another avenue of the discovery of Taíno customs and art has been the archeological discoveries of carved art, found on cliff faces, and the many discoveries of pottery and other types of sculpting found on archeological dig sites all over the island, which yield artifacts which show some resemblance to concepts in modern Puerto Rican art, proving Cacique Mabodamaca’s carved bust, believed to have been carved in the 16th century. Romero 5 their influence over generational shifts, however most, if not all Taino history is lost to the anils of time. Spanish Colony Puerto Rico’s integration as an official Spanish colony began in the 15th century, originally having had value due to the presence of gold on the island, however the natural and native reserves of gold went quickly due to their sparce nature. Luckily enough, the Spanish Conquistadors quickly found another use for the island, as a natural choice for a Military outpost, due to the island’s strategic location and favorable topography, which allowed the Spaniards to settle in comfortably, being able to grow tobacco, coffee and sugarcane as the islands fertile ground allowed, which naturally made the Spaniards too comfortable, and after exhausting their reserves of native slave labor, they decided on the next best thing. Spanish fort “El Morro” San Juan, Puerto Rico Romero 6 The next logical step for the Spaniards was that of the importation of African slaves for labor force. This led to the further mixing of the Spanish Mestizos, Africans, White Spaniards, and surviving Taino to result in the modern Puerto Rican race. The African slaves that were imported into Puerto Rico brought what can be considered one of the greatest influences to Puerto Rico’s art, in that many of the dances, songs and traditions were born of mixes from the various cultures from differing African regions, and that of the already present Spanish and Taino norms to end up with early Puerto Rican culture. Baile de Bomba y Plena American “Unincorporated Territory” Following the colonization of the island of Puerto Rico by the Spanish crown, Puerto Rico continued to serve as a military outpost and as a Spanish Presence in the Caribbean alongside Cuba, having been largely neglected by Spain from the 1700’s to the 1800’s, until the Spanish-American war resulted in the acquisition of Puerto Rico from Spain as a colony for Romero 7 reparations in the conflict, which resulted in Puerto Rico coming under United states rule for the first time, resulting in the island coming under U.S. Military government rule by the Foraker Act in 1900, having later given the island inhabitants U.S. Citizenship in 1917 under the Jones Act, signed by president Woodrow Wilson. The Military government was later replaced by that of a traditional party system which still persists until this day, with the same acts and laws presiding over Puerto Rico in terms of its relationship and autonomy from the United States as an “unincorporated territory”, which allows it to make its own laws, but still be subject to that of the U.S’. Influences on Puerto Rican Art from other countries When it comes to quantifying a critical part of the Puerto Rican identity, Puerto Rican art comes to mind frequently, but the cultural identity which makes up Puerto Rico, is a composite Romero 8 one, which evolved from the mixing and integration of multiple cultures, starting with what aspects the African Cultures brought to Puerto Rico. One of the most visual aspects is that of the dresses, dances, and music, the beating of drums and scratching instruments which lead to the unique sound of the music like that of Bomba y Plena, with twirling dresses and joyful movements. Romero 9 Another of the visual influences of Puerto Rican art is that of the Taino imagery, like that of the Coqui frog, and symbolic nature of the representation carved and painted by these lost people, which still has representation in modern Puerto Rican Art and styles, mostly via Tattoos and knick-knacks. The third culture to have major influence and arguably the basis for the Puerto Rican identity must be that of the Spanish influence on the culture. Most of the more well-known early Puerto Rican artists like that of Francisco Oller painted in what can be considered Spanish style, with more interpretational takes on realism and portrait work than its European counterparts, as well as mainly affecting the language and mannerisms of the Puerto Rican culture, which still Romero 10 hold their difference due to the previous other influences. Romero 11 And finally, what can be considered the latest cultural influence in Puerto Rico currently, the United States. Ever since Puerto Rico became a U.S. colony, attempts were made to “Americanize” the local population of Puerto Ricans, beginning with the banning of the Spanish language in school, and further progressing to gag laws prohibiting congregation and speaking of Spanish in public, to the most egregious of all, law 53, which outright banned the ownership and display of the Puerto Rican flag, making it illegal to have even in one’s own home. These early attempts at stifling the Puerto Rican identity were laughable at best and offensive at worst, but luckily attempts generally ceased in the 1950-60’s as the United States had more pressing matters to attend to. The gag laws put in place are the reason that Puerto Ricans are so proud to display their flags today, wherever they may be, if there is a Puerto Rican, there’s a flag, which is something I can attest to considering there is one hanging on my wall right now, and a tiny one on the back glass of my car. The attempts at American integration were not entirely unfruitful though, as English became an academic language spoken in schools and universities, with exposure to American media doing the rest, alongside American products like Coca Cola making it to the island and sparking markets for these products from distant shores. Romero 12 Art mediums in Puerto Rico throughout its history, 18th to 20th Century The visual and auditory arts of Puerto Rico’s artists can be considered to be products of their time.