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September 9, 2009

Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rico


Puerto Rico
(pronounced /ˌpwɛrto ˈriːko/ or /ˌpɔrtə ˈriːkoʊ/), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: "Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico"), is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of theDominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands.

Puerto Ricans often call the island Borinquen, from Borikén, its indigenous Taíno name. The terms boricua and borincano derive fromBorikén and Borinquen respectively, and are commonly used to identify someone of Puerto Rican heritage. The island is also popularly known as "La Isla del Encanto," which translates in English to "The Island of Enchantment." source

The Puerto Rican musical genres of bomba and plena are of African and Caribbean origin respectively and danced to during parties and African-derived festivals. Many Boricuas who claim West/Central African ancestry are descendants of enslaved Congo, Igbo and Yoruba from Africa. After the abolition of slavery in 1873 and the Spanish-American War of 1898 a number of African Americans have also migrated and settled in Puerto Rico.




1 comment:

Fly Girl said...

Puerto Rico has a rich and complex culture. Very beautiful and sometimes puzzling in terms of the racial identity.

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