A Rich Stew of Culture Name Cassia Edwards

A Rich Stew of Culture

1. What are the 3 main cultures in Puerto Rico?

- Native Taino
- Spanish settlers
- African slaves

2. How are the intermingling of these cultures visible in the physical features of the people?
- Range in skin tone from very light to very dark; they can have Native American,
African, or European features, and their eyes range from the lightest of blue to
the darkest brown.

3. How are the intermingling of cultures exhibited in Puerto Rican cuisine?

- Puerto Rican food includes the hearty spanish paella, a stew of rice, seafood,
chicken, and vegetables; the african snack mofongo, which is made of plantains
and pork cracklings; and frituras de yautia which combines the Taino-grown taro
root and the African fritter.

4. What religion did the Spanish import?

- Catholic

5. What is Santeria?
- The Catholic religion of the Spanish mixed with the religious customs of the
African Yoruban tribe.
 6. What is Espiritismo?
- The Native American Taino religion with some elements of Catholicism.

7. What is bomba and plena?

- Influences from Spanish and African music

Now read page 87 - 89 and answer the following questions

8. After 1898, what became the main crop of Puerto Rico?

- Sugarcane

9. Explain how Puerto Rico fell into poverty?

- They had a population explosion along with the unstable sugar-based economy

10. Describe what Operation Bootstrap was and when it was implemented.
- In 1948 a program called Operation Bootstrap was sponsored by the Puerto
Riacn and U.S. government to help alleviate some of the economic problems .
The program encouraged people to move from rural areas into cities to work in
new United States–owned factories.

11. Eventually, what happened once most of the jobs in the factories were filled?
- Puerto Ricans who moved to the cities to find work were left unemployed.

12. How did the large unemployment rates in Puerto Rico affect migration to United States
cities?
- Thousands of Puerto Ricans migrated from Puerto Rico to various cities in the
United States.

13. Why was Spanish Harlem, named Spanish Harlem?

 - Many Puerto Ricans made home in Brooklyn(East Harlem) in an area of New
York

Prejudice and Discrimination

14. In what ways were Puerto Ricans discriminated against?

- Language is a barrier
- Darked skinned Puerto Ricans being experienced racism

15. What were mutual aid societies?

- Societies that offered comfort and insurance against the uncertainties of life in
the barrio.

Puerto Rican Music

16. What is Salsa?

- A type of Latin music that actually originated in New York. It features African,
Cuban, and Latin rhythms, and it is fast paced and spicy, like its name.

17. Who is Tito Puente?

- A popular Puerto Rican musician and bandleader who brought salsa to the
forefront of music in New York through his jazz-influenced big band.
Spanish Harlem
18. Where is Spanish Harlem?
- New York

19. What is the ‘barrio'?

- The neighborhood

20. Describe life in the barrio. Why wasn’t there a need to learn English?
- The streets of the Spanish Harlem resonated with the beat of Spanish and Latino
music.
- There was no need to learn English because all the residents and business
owners spoke Spanish.

21. Describe life for young people. What are some of the things they did when not in school?
- They were forced to learn English for school. When they weren’t at school they
played games with what they had

22. What are some Puerto Rican foods?

- Bacalaitos
- Codfish fritters
- Fried pork rinds
- Piraguas
- Snow cone

23. What were some popular dances?

- Mambo
- Meringue
- Bolero