The Mexican Culture Of Puerto Rican Culture Essay

For us to clearly understand the Young Lords, it must be understood how the Puerto Rican

Like many Puerto Ricans before me, I have questioned my cultural identity. We claim to be a commonwealth, a free associated state, but we are neither free nor a state. This is where our dilemma lies. What are we if not a state? What are we if not free? We are stuck in the middle, we have become a paradox, a contradiction. Now the question here lies: what- or better yet- who are we?

It is well known that the United States is made up of several different cultures and the health care system delivers care to a very diverse population. However, depending on ones culture-receiving care may be a challenge at times. In this paper we are going to take a closer look at the culture of Hispanic Americans. The Hispanic population has grown to over 55 million residents with in the United States in 2015, with an estimated growth rate of 2.1% per year (Krogstad & Lopez, 2015). Making this minority group on of the fastest growing populations within the United States (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).

For most of its history, Puerto Rico has been controlled by an outside power, and its people oppressed. While Puerto Rico is currently a U.S. territory, Spanish colonialism has had a significant impact on the island’s development and identity. The history of the island itself is proof of this fact, demonstrating each step Puerto Rico took to reach its current state. By examining the stages of Spanish control that Puerto Rico experienced, we can determine how each stage affected the structure and identity of Puerto Rico.

One of the most charming statements ever made about Puerto Rican diversity goes as follows:

Since the nineteenth century Puerto Ricans have been caught in the cross-streams of two cultures,

I relate each component with a historical event in Puerto Rican politics and also consider how through this historic mobilization Puerto Ricans have gained entitlement to more power, equality, representation, consciousness from other ethnic groups, and to some degree, social change. I focus on the Puerto Ricans’ migration to Connecticut, their development of ethnic awareness and power awareness, their realization of common interests, their competing ethnic projects, and the brokered representation they have endured as detailed in Jose Cruz’s book, Identity and Power: Puerto Rican Politics and the Challenge of Ethnicity. Finally, I examine an important point that Cruz only touched upon briefly, which is the idea of cultural citizenship in the Puerto Rican community. This added point helps us to fully understand the role identity politics played in Puerto Ricans’ lives.

Reading Craig Storti’s book, Figuring Foreigners Out, gives many new insights about my trip to Puerto Rico. In his book there are four categories that he covers that I will use to analyze and reflect upon my time in Puerto Rico. The four categories he uses are concept of self, personal vs. societal responsibility, concept of time, and locus of control. To begin I will examine Storti’s topic, concept of self.

In Reproducing Empire, Laura Briggs provides her readers with a very thorough history of the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rican discourses and its authors surrounding Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, from Puerto Rico's formation in the mainland elite's "mind" as a model U.S. (not) colony in 1898* to its present status as semi-autonomous U.S.

The United States gained Puerto Rico in 1898 through the Treaty of Paris, signed after the Spanish-American. Although the Puerto Rican community initially embraced U.S. intervention in 1898, hoping that the land of the free would finally bring liberty to the island, the following years were full of disillusionment. The sad reality was that the U.S. had no intention of ever giving up control of Puerto Rico because of its strategic location in the Caribbean. The United States government tried to Americanize the island. Which was acceptable for the island in the eyes of the elite until their power was being threatened. The elite’s on the island looked to the Jibaro as their symbol of national identity.

It is instead the leader's fault. Different from the United States Puerto Rico does not have state powers, simply because it is not a state. These powers include lack of voting representation in either House of Congress, the only delegate to the congress is the Resident Commissioner who is elected to represent the people, but does not have a vote for the final passage of congressional legislation.

As a child, Espada travelled from Brooklyn, New York to his homeland, Puerto Rico to visit his family for the first time. During his visit, Espada fears that Puerto Rican culture is vanishing and threatened by American values imposed on them due to the presence of American corporate powers. It is known that Puerto Rican culture is a mix of many cultures and is strongly influenced by Taino Indians, America, Africa and Spain ("Culture and Traditions in Puerto Rico"). During the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became the territory of the United States when it was conquered on July 25, 1898 ("Puerto Rico: A U.S. Territory").

When the United States invaded the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico (Guanica and Ponce), a majority of Puerto Ricans welcomed the Americans and enabled their invasion. They cooperated and aided the American expulsion of Spaniards. However, it is obvious by the consequences that the end result of U.S. invasion and rule was not what Puerto Ricans had welcomed in July of 1898. Puerto Ricans wished an end to autocratic rule and concentration of wealth, things they did not know would continue under American rule. The Americans were regarded as change and chance for progress, even though they retained the fear of not knowing U.S. intentions.

Like many of countries in Central America, the arrival of Christopher Columbus in Puerto Limon was met with troubles. However, the Ticos (as they are known) welcomed them with open arms and exchanged gifts with Europeans who passed through the area. Europeans were always given gold, coining the name “the rich cost.” Many natives fled areas penetrated by European settlements due to diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis. Unlike other places that were “discovered”, Europeans could not get the locals to work for them. So, Europeans were left to scratch out new farms themselves. After 1821’s independence of Guatemala, Costa Rica held elections for a new government the same year. (Shields). Once the new government had started, it put people to work by building road ways, schools, and encouraged businesses to start. Costa Rica never really rebelled against the Spaniards, but followed the lead of Guatemala.

Podemos ver la misma idea en SEVA por Luis López Nieves con el amigo del narrador, un doctor y fuera un profesor de historia de la Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, se llama Víctor. Él “ha pagado un precio muy alto para probar que cuando los norteamericanos entraron a Puerto Rico” (Nieves 14). Entonces es evidente que durante la manifestación los conquistadores solo estaban interesados en la “cage” y no “bird”.