CULTURAL UNIQUENESS

Cultural Uniqueness

Cultural Uniqueness

History

The true history of Puerto Rico is reflected in our literature, art, music, architecture and in our spirit. It can be seen everywhere, from the city's oldest to newest urban developments. Puerto Rico is many, many things. Its lands are among the most diverse in the region. It is rough mountains rise in the center, its serene beaches form the edge of the east coast and west (which are the Atlantic Ocean), and while in parts of southwestern beaches show the steep mountains plunge into the Caribbean Sea (Scarano 1998).

A line of rocky mountains through the center of the island from east to west, which very often avoid passing to the south the rain clouds. The area north of the island is covered with dense vegetation and fast flowing water, while in the southern area; the land is dry and sunny, home to tropical dry forest with several species of exotic birds. Puerto Rico is only about 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, so it is most distant points is 3 hours away. This means that wherever you are, every tropical landscape in the island will be one step away from you.

The mixture of these three cultures, Indian, Spanish and Africans formed the character of Puerto Rico. However, Puerto Rico has been part of the United States since 1898, and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. This close relationship with one of the most powerful nations has also left its mark. It is a fascinating combination of elements is what gives the island its distinctive character. Here, you will find towns and cities are living museums of Spanish colonial architecture, in turn full of activities. You can see the ruins with over a thousand years old.

Religion

Catholicism has historically been dominant for the island and is, in fact, the religion professed by the majority of Puerto Ricans, however, under U.S. control, has increased considerably, the presence of Protestants, Mormons (Latter-Day Saint) and Jehovah's Witnesses. Protestantism was totally suppressed under the Spanish regime, so that the first Catholic church, the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity in Ponce, now a parish of the Diocese of Porto Rico and the U.S. Episcopal Church, was not allowed to play the their bells until the arrival of American troops who marched through Ponce, after landing in 1898 (Scarano 1998).

Language

The official languages of Puerto Rico are Spanish and English: Spanish is the primary language while English is taught in schools as a foreign language. In 1996 were estimated at 3,437,120 people who spoke Spanish as a native language, and only 82,000 in those which they considered English their original language. The majority of residents in metropolitan areas is bilingual. In 1991, Governor Rafael Hernández Colón signed a law that stipulated that the only official language of the island had to be Spanish. The immediate effect was that English was not the second official language. While there were many to applaud the decision of the Governor, Commonwealth and other ...