I continue sharing some of my experiences traveling throughout Latin América this Hispanic Heritage Month. As always, it’s my hope that these reflections help you contextualize our region and ignite a bit of curiosity to explore beyond the tourist traps of our countries.
The beauty of the Caribbean can be admired from anywhere in Quisqueya.
Today, I share with you all a bit of my experiences traveling to Quisqueya, the eastern half of the island of Española or Hispaniola as it is known in English. You might have heard of this place by its modern name: Dominican Republic or, in Spanish, República Dominicana.
The ties between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic are strong. Perhaps not as strong as the historical ties between Cuba and Puerto Rico, but in more recent times, PR and DR have shared much history and culture. The Dominican population in Puerto Rico is quite large. In fact, I would venture to guess that no family in Puerto Rico hasn’t had a Dominican person as part of it. (My own family has welcomed two Dominican people into the fold… and as result of one of these marriages, at least two of my cousins are DominiRican.)
A day trip to the mountains offered a great experience eating right by the stream.
The first time I traveled to Quisqueya was from Puerto Rico. The flight is short, and I did what most Boricuas do when they travel to DR: stayed at a resort by the beach.
But, being the person I am, I could not just stay there. I rented a car and went on to explore at least a little bit of Santo Domingo, its capital city, as well as a couple of cities and towns in the vicinity.
Santo Domingo is the oldest Latin American capital. It was the first city established by the colonizers in the Américas, having been founded in the XV century. (The only city established by the Spaniards in the Américas during that century.) The old city is a beautiful place. I have visited Santo Domingo twice, and I find it mostly charming, filled with history, and somewhat magical. Walking through the ruins of the Monastery of Saint Francis (Monasterio de San Francisco) in the old city is stepping into over 500 years of history, colonization, slavery, and independence. As I walked around the city during my first visit, it was important to me to visit the tomb of one of the most prominent figures in Puerto Rican history, politics, ad struggle for decolonization: Don Eugenio María de Hostos. “Nobody is a prophet in their own lands” goes the saying, and that’s exactly what happened to Hostos. I will not go into details about his life here, but he is known for bringing public education to most of Latin América. Although he received some recognition in his native land, it was his adopted country of Quisqueya who offered him eternal rest. When I visited the first time, his body was the National Pantheon, where the heroes of the nation rest. Standing by tomb was my show of gratitude to Hostos, for inheriting so much to us in Boriquén. The Pantheon in itself is an impressive building filled with history, and a place that the visitor should not miss.
San Pedro de Macorís was another town visited during my first time in Quisqueya. As luck would have it, there was a youth baseball game when I visited. Witnessing this was a gift. Baseball is in Dominican’s blood. Being able to witness a bit of this youth tournament was a great way to see the soul of the Dominican people firsthand. I highly recommend catching a baseball game — of any leagues — when you visit.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia is an emblem of modernity and Dominican culture.
During my second visit, I traveled to Punta Cana, a very well known tourist destination. Again, as I didn’t want to spend all my time at the resort, I rented a car and went exploring. I drove to the city of Higüey, where the Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of Altagracia is located. This advocation of the Mary, the Mother of Jesus in the Christian faith, is the patron saint of Dominican Republic. The modernist building is filled with a combination of ancient and modern expressions of the Roman Catholic faith. It really is worth exploring, as it shows a face of the Dominican culture that is often ignored. The Virgin of Altagracia is part of the national identity of many of the Quisqueyanos. As I drove from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo on this second trip, I made the obligatory stop at Los Altos de Chavón. I didn’t find the place particularly interesting, it’s just a replica of a XVI century Mediterranean villa, but the views are beautiful and the restaurant had a pretty good selection of traditional Dominican meals, which was a plus.
Once in Santo Domingo, I noticed how boisterous the city is. We stayed near the Malecón — the boardwalk — and all we heard were honks and car noise. The constant honking, day and night, was a nuisance and something I didn’t particularly wanted to experience while in town. Thus, I would highly recommend finding places to stay that are a bit removed from the city, or at least not on main streets. The other disappointment I experienced was seeing the huge amounts of trash that washes up on the coast by the Malecón. Of course, this is not a Dominican only issue. The whole Caribbean is responsible for throwing our trash to the sea, making it easy to collect on the coast of our countries. I think that my disappointment was a combination of realizing that this was all of our fault as well as noticing how little the Dominican authorities are doing to keep their coast clean.
Los Altos de Chavón offer a beautiful view of the coutryside.
However, in spite of my disappointment in the city, the drive to the mountains was different. We took a day trip to explore nature. The drive was relaxing and the sights were beautiful. Taking in all the nature of the country was needed after a couple of sleepless nights due to the honking and constant noise in the capital. I found a river with an open restaurant where they bring you the food right to the middle of the stream. You can go to one of the tables by the river and enjoy the freshness of the waters while also relaxing and having some snacks and a beverage. It was the best part of the trip, and I highly recommend exploring the countryside when you visit Quisqueya.
República Dominicana is filled with beauty, history, and personality. The historic sites are worth visiting, as Quisqueya was the first colonial settlement in the Américas, and understanding its history provides much context for who we are today — both as people of the Américas and as Latin folk. I highly recommend driving around and exploring the hidden areas of the country: the countryside, the farms, the small towns… Catching a baseball game or joining a dominos game at any of the main plazas in any city or town are things that every visitor should do.
A view of my little settlement of Castañer, where I grew up, in the mountains where the municipalities of Lares (my birth town), Adjuntas (my hometown), Yauco, and Maricao meet.
I continue my journey of sharing with you all during this Hispanic Heritage Month a little bit about each Latin American country I have visited. Today, I want to invite you to come to my own home-country: Puerto Rico!
I was hoping to publish this yesterday, September 23rd, but unfortunately, as the saying goes: life happened. September 23rd is significant for many Puerto Ricans because it is the anniversary of the Lares Revolt, or as we know it, El Grito de Lares. You can read more about this event through the link embedded in the prior sentence, but here’s a short explanation.
In 1868, a group of people from Puerto Rico and Cuba were ready to raise in armed revolution against the Spanish Empire. There were coordinated efforts to overthrow the Spaniard government in both colonies, at around the same time. Unfortunately, the Spaniard government heard about the plans and things had to change. In Puerto Rico, the revolutionaries decided to go ahead with the revolt ahead of the original planned date. On September 23rd, a group from Lares, a town in the mountains of the Island, marched from the hacienda of Manuel Rojas and his family to the center of town. They proclaimed the Republic of Puerto Rico from the balcony of the Roman Catholic Church in the main plaza, and installed a temporary government. As they moved through the mountains to take on other towns and cities, the rebellion was squashed by the armed Spaniard forces, bringing to an end the dreams of a free country. Just a few years later, in 1898, when the Island was just admitted to the Kingdom of Spain as an official province, with representation in the Spanish Courts (Congress), the United States invaded and made Puerto Rico, first, a military colony, and later, an unincorporated territory. Or, in simple English: Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States.
Of course, I have my own opinions about the political realities of the Island. However, this post is about our culture, our island, and the wonderful places you can explore when you visit. If you want my opinions on the political realities, you can find some here on this blog or just by reading some of my posts elsewhere such as my social media channels.
A mural honoring our African ancestors in an ancient building in Old San Juan.
With all that out of the way, here is my beautiful Puerto Rico! Almost everyone who visits the Island stays only in San Juan, the capital city. Although the city has some beautiful, important, and historical places to visit, staying only there is a huge mistake travelers make. It is especially sad when travelers only stay in the Condado area, where most hotels and tourist traps are. If you only visit Condado and Old San Juan, you might as well just stay in Miami Beach, Cancún or any of the other clones of soulless blocks of concrete make for USAmericans’ entertainment. If you want to keep reading, you will know where to experience the real Puerto Rico.
I was born in the municipality of Lares, as a matter of fact. And so was famous singer-songwriter José Feliciano of “Feliz Navidad” fame. But that’s as much as we share with each other. However, the town of Lares itself is worth visiting. Not only because it’ll give you a clear idea of how is life in the mountains, but also because of the wonderful things you can find here. Right next to the plaza there is a famous ice-cream shop where you can have some of the most famous Puerto Rican delicacies in ice-cream form. Arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), coquito (a coconut based drink), rum, garlic, salted codfish, and a bunch of other familiar and unfamiliar flavors are just some of the ice-creams you can try at Heladería Lares. On the way to the town of San Sebastián from Lares, you can also see the beautiful flora of the Island, and even dip into one of the many great waterfalls on the side of the road.
I personally do not enjoy much of the eastern part of the Island. However, there is plenty to visit there. El Yunque is a rainforest that our Taíno ancestors venerated as it is the place where Yucahú, the Supreme Being, resides. El Yunque is also the natural barrier the Island has to stop the constant hurricanes that every year threaten the country. The islands of Vieques and Culebra can also be reached from the eastern side of the country. Although I am not of a beach person, I have enjoyed visiting both islands for different reasons. If the beach is your thing, Playa Flamingos in Culebra has constantly being rated as one of the top beaches in the world. A short small plane ride will take you from the mainland to either one of the Islands, as the ferries that carry passengers and cars are often out of service.
On the mainland, the town of Loíza can show you our deep connection with Mother Africa. Loíza is a town full of culture, rhythm, music, dancing, and delicious foods from our African ancestors. It is quite common to see tambores (drums) being brought out of any house, and immediately a party will start. Everyone will gather around the drums and listen carefully as they communicate with the Orishas who accompanied our ancestors from Mother Africa to the Caribbean. Bomba and plena, two of our African-inspired dances can be experienced here more often than in other parts of the Island. The area of Piñones, just west of Loíza, is a couple of miles of coastline covered with kiosks and food trucks where you can try all sorts of delicious small bites from our culinary traditions.
The Three Kings Hill, entrance to the Pork Highway in the town of Cayey.
On the way south through the town of Cayey, you can find what some have called the “Pork Highway.” This stretch of mountain roads is filled with roasted pork eateries. The Puerto Rican diet is based mostly on pork, and roasted pork — lechón asado — is king here. At the bottom of the road, you can find The Hill of the Three Kings, a monumental sculpture to the Wise Men — or Three Kings — from the Christian tradition, who are said to have visited the infant Jesus at his home to bring presents of gold, myrrh, and incense. Christmas is long in Puerto Rico, starting with the USAmerican holiday of Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday of November) and running through eight days after the Feast of Epiphany on January 6th. The celebration of the Three Kings — Reyes Magos — is the biggest Christmas party in the Island. A visit during this time of the year is highly encouraged.
I was born and raised in the mountains, so this areas is very close to my heart. I already mentioned Lares, but there are so many other wonderful places to visit around the central mountains range. My hometown of Adjuntas has much to offer. Visitors can see the wonderful work of community initiatives such as Casa Pueblo, a world leader in advancing solar power for underserved communities. The organization also has other initiatives as a coffee farm, organic coffee production, a butterfly farm, and El Bosque del Pueblo, a forest that was reclaimed from the nation’s government and private hands who wanted to mine precious minerals at the expense of the rivers and creeks that run through the area. Moreover, my hometown has lakes, creeks, and rivers you can explore, and the second highest peak in the mountains, Cerro Guilarte, where you can spend a day of hiking. The municipal government also hosts a weekly folk art market at the main plaza (full disclosure, my sister is a town councilmember), and you can find the best bakery goods at a bakery on one side of the plaza while the best pizza in town on the other side. OK, I know I have spent a lot of time here, but I know and love my town, so I had to give it a bit more shout outs!
There are other wonderful places to visit throughout the mountains. Aibonito has the Festival of Flowers. For those who are religious, Maricao has a shrine to the Virgin Mary that is very well known. Las Marías hosts the annual Festival of the Sweet Orange. Jayuya has the highest point in the mountain range, Cerro Punta, the Museum of the Cemí showing indigenous artifacts, and you can hike down to a river with a pretty well preserved collection of indigenous petroglyphs carved into a big boulder known as Piedra Escrita (Written Boulder.)
La Cruceta del Vigía, Ponce, from which you can see the whole city and some of the islands off the southern coast of the country.
In the south, the city of Ponce offers from much to visitors. The area of Serrallés Castle has the aforementioned “castle” — in reality, a huge mansion for the Serrallés family, who were early rum producers –, a Japanese Garden, and the Cruceta del Vigía, a lookout where you can catch a pretty impressive sight of the whole area all the way to some of the islands off the southern coast. The main plaza is also worth visiting. You can shop around the downtown area for folk art as well as for guayaberas, our traditional male shirts. The historic Fire Station is a jewel in the middle of the city. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe displays an ancient icon of this advocation of the Virgin Mary that comes from the town of Guadalupe in Murcia, Spain, from which the Mexican advocation takes its name and likeness. (Yes, the Virgin of Guadalupe comes from Spain. The story of the Mexican apparition is much later, and the advocation comes because the bishop who heard San Juan Diego first, saw in the image a Virgin that reminded him of his hometown.) The Museum of Art of Ponce is another jewel in the south, with the largest collection of art in all of the Caribbean. Still in the southern part, you can visit the beaches in Guánica, while also walking along the boardwalk right on the bay where the USA soldiers invaded the island. In Lajas you can visit, stay, and certainly eat, at La Parguera, a great beach neighborhood with a long history of fishing and community development. It is here also where you can witness the wonders of nature in their bioluminescent waters. If you are lucky enough to be there in a new moon night, you can take a boat to the area where these microorganisms make the dark waters look bright blue with their light.
The lighthouse, cliffs, and beach in Cabo Rojo.
The western part has the town of San Germán, which is deemed the “Mother of Towns”, as it was from here that most of the south, central, and western towns and cities were established. There you can also walk through ancient stone roads, and look at colonial architecture still used today. The Porta Coeli, an important museum of religious art, is located here, as well as the oldest private, religious university in the Island, the Inter American University, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA. Cabo Rojo is another beach town. As I said, I am not big on beaches, but Cabo Rojo has the only beach I actually like: Playa Sucia or La Playuela. To get there, you will drive through the salinas, a natural pool of salt water where salt is harvested, and which sometimes looks pink because of the microorganisms that overgrow here during certain times of the year. The cliffs by the old lighthouse are worth visiting, but with plenty of caution as many people have dater nature here, which is never a good idea. Mayagüez is the largest town in the western part. I had the chance to live here while in boarding school in high school, and college. The second largest campus of the University of Puerto Rico is here. The center of the town offers lost of entertainments yearlong, but Christmas is probably the best time of the year to visit Mayagüez. There are always parties on the main plaza, and lots of bars and restaurants offering live music — usually with local artists who might be students at the local UPR campus –, theater productions you can catch at the majestic Yagüez Theater. Rincón, a beach town next to Mayagüez, attracts amateur and professional surfers from throughout the world. The town just recently remodeled the park around the lighthouse, and you can come here to spend a relaxing time, dance to the live music, and catch a sight of the whales that come to this area every year.
The National Monument to El Jíbaro. The jíbaro refers to people from the mountains, usually laborers, who toil the land, work hard, value cooperation and community, and keep a humble semblance. Many urbanites rejected the jíbaro, and some still look down at us. I am proud to come from this culture and these people, and forever will be proud to be a jíbaro myself.
As you drive north, the cities and towns of Aguadilla, Isabela, and Quebradillas offer pristine beaches and a relaxing atmosphere. In Quebradillas you can also find the ruins of the old train that crisscrossed the Island. In the area of Guajataca, the old tunnel offers a pretty cool experience of stepping into history as you walk through it.
These are just some of my favorite places to visit in my Island! Of course, I had to leave so much more, which is equally beautiful. There are haciendas, and parks, and caves, and mountains to hike, and foods to try, and festivals to attend. As you can read, if your visit to the Island only consisted on staying in San Juan, you missed 99% of what makes Puerto Rico, the Enchanted Island of the Caribbean.
Hispanic Heritage Month starts tomorrow, September 15th through October 15th. It was set during this
time as many Latin American countries celebrate their independence sometime during that period. (But not ALL countries do, and my own country, although part of Latin America, it’s still a US colony, so no independence yet for us.) Here are a few notes for those of you who want to observe this celebration in your agencies, groups, churches, clubs, etc.:
– The name of the heritage month is “Hispanic” Heritage Month. We didn’t select it, it does not represent the entirety of the communities, and not all Latinos are Hispanic, etc. …. BUT… it’s the name of the month as it was instituted by the USA federal government. Don’t come up with other names that do not represent the history of our struggle and the history of how this heritage month came to be. That doesn’t stop all of us from advocating for a change. Using the official name as it is right now just helps maintain a connection with our past as we move forward. The most important thing you can do is to add descriptions of the communities you want to celebrate. For instance: “This Hispanic Heritage Month, our agency wants to highlight the contributions of Indigenous and Black people of Latin America by offering x, y, z.” Hopefully, one day — and as a result of our collective advocacy — this will be “Latin America Heritage Month.”
– Although all Mexicans are Latinos/as/xs not all Latinos/as/xs are Mexican. This is the most visible ethnic Latin group in our region, but we can say something similar, with other communities, in other locations. Please know that our community is diverse. When you organize your agency’s HHM celebration around one cultural tradition only, you are telling me two things. First, you don’t care about me as a Latino with roots in a different culture than the one you’re highlighting. Second, you don’t know much about our communities or your own communities, where people might come from any of the many Latin American countries.
– Please, make your celebrations as broad and inclusive as possible! Not all Latin people speak Spanish. Some Latin folk speak English as their primary language. French, Creole, Portuguese, and hundreds of indigenous languages are also Latin American languages and cultures. Keep that in mind, especially when trying to highlight the communities in your area. Don’t patronize us by haphazardly translating things into Spanish with Google translate. Also, be carful with asking a heritage speaker to do the translation! Spanish alone has so many dialects, and many heritage speakers learned from their parents who might not have had the opportunities to have formal education, and thus, do not know the intricacies and nuance of the different dialects. Usually, they have very regional dialects which might hinder clear communication with people from outside their regions. Moreover, heritage speakers — who must be celebrated for their work to preserve the language — are most familiar with spoken Spanish, and not with written Spanish. Celebrate diversity in speech and dialects, but also recognize that there is a standard version of one of our languages — Spanish — that is understood across dialects. Only professional translators who have spent their professional lives doing this will produce good content that is understood across cultures. I also know of a at least another Latin American language, Mayan, that also has many dialects, some of them not even mutually intelligible. So, only translate things when it makes sense for those things to be translated.
– Our music is as diverse as we are. Salsa, tango, merengue, cumbia, bachata, reggaeton, rock en español, plena, and myriad others. Don’t rely only on one type of musical style. HOWEVER, keep in mind that some genres of music — reggaeton which is one my favorite styles, so don’t take this as a negative comment on the genre, and Spanish trap, for instance — contain words or phrases that might be extremely offensive or very vulgar in some dialects. Please vet your music selection with people who speak the dialect of the musician. This way, you will have music that is inviting, instead of having music that might be liked by some people while being offensive to other audiences. Don’t play the music of the popular artist just because they just modeled for Vanity Fair (ha! Some of you will get the reference… and also, I love BB’s social commentary and some of his music, so don’t come for me. I am just using some general examples.) Every time I hear reggaeton music with vulgarity in its lyrics playing at supposedly “family friendly” event sponsored by an organization, I know the people there do not know my dialect and the cultural nuance of the use of curse words and vulgarity across different Latin American cultures. Again, vet your music selection with the people who speak the dialect of the singer.
– Look for as much representation of Latin American cuisine as possible! Generally speaking, south of the middle of Central America, no Latino cuisine uses hot spicy chiles! Perhaps your Argentinian best friend loves hot spicy food, or your Cuban spouse does; but that doesn’t mean Argentinian or Cuban cuisines are spicy hot cuisines. The staples of our cuisines vary also. Of course you are very familiar with the Mexican tortilla. But, did you know the Central American tortillas are thicker and don’t compare with the Mexican ones? Did you know that plantains are the staples of Spanish and Black Caribbean cuisine and that we never, ever use tortillas in our dishes? Did you know that in most South American countries bread is king? Also, find local Latin American restaurants of ALL types of cuisines, not just one. Around the area where I live in Pierce County and south King County in the state of Washington, for instance, there are Peruvian, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Argentinian, Colombian, Guatemalan, and Honduran restaurants. Order from them!
– Latinoness does not equal immigration. Do not center your events only on immigration issues! Sure,
that is the biggest reality of our community. But Puerto Ricans are Latino/a/x and we — on paper — do not face this challenge. Cubans and Venezuelans also do not face these challenges in the same way. Tejanos, Californios, Nuevo Mejicanos… and many other groups of Latin folk from the lands stolen from México are as Latino/a/x as we are and they do not face immigration challenges. Expand the issues you work on and you highlight in your celebrations. We have other challenges as well, such as lack of access to well paid jobs, racial and ethnic discrimination, anti-Blackness, lack of access to stable housing, etc. Additionally, we are not our challenges! We have contributed tremendously to USAmerican culture from the very beginning. Celebrate ALL of our contributions also, and don’t see us merely as recipients of your charity.
– Latinidad is not race. Mestizaje is not the only expression of Latinidad. Indigenous peoples are still here and thriving throughout Latin America and many of them here in the USA in spite of the many ways we have tried to erase them and their cultures. Black Latinos/as/xs exist… and they come from every single country in our beloved continent. Highlight their influence, their contributions, their resiliency and their Latinidad! Asian Latinos/as/xs also exist! Their contributions to our histories, cuisine, cultures, music, etc., is undeniable. Plus, Asian-Latino cuisine is the best. Ask any Peruvian! Don’t hide this rich history! Latin folk of Arab and North African heritage also exist! And when it comes to religion, at least two Latin American countries are almost majority Evangelical/Protestant: Guatemala and Puerto Rico. Don’t assume we are all familiar with Roman Catholic traditions and rituals. Almost half of Latin folk in the USA are Protestants or Evangelicals, and there are many, MANY Latin folk of other religious traditions: Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Spiritists, Santeros, Vodoo practitioners, atheists, agnostics, and everything you can think of.
– This note is for my Latino/a/x siblings: pay attention and be in solidarity! Who is not being represented and who is being left out? Are you an advocate for ALL of our cultures and traditions? Are you calling folk in to reflect on how they have centered only your or my culture and not the cultures of the other Latin folk who live in our communities? Speak up and advocate for each other as you also celebrate your own individual cultural heritage. It’s all about celebrating our diversity, not helping the people and institutions with power blend us into one thing. Make ’em learn about us! Don’t conform to their expectations!
– When in doubt: ASK!!!! Ask your colleagues what would be meaningful for them. If they are all from one single heritage, honor that and also, seek out others in your community from other cultural backgrounds so you can be more inclusive. We LOVE sharing our traditions, our stories, our cultures, our foods, our memories of back home, our histories, etc. Invite us to be partners in the celebration, and don’t do something for us, do it WITH us.
Have a wonderful celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and remember we are still here after October 15th!
SocioTheology 
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