PUERTO RICO CULTURE

PUERTO RICANS ARE CARIBBEANS WHO ARE ON AN ISLAND AND HAVE U.S. CITIZENSHIP. THE ISLAND IS THE EASTERNMOST AND SMALLEST OF THE GREAT ANTILLES. THE CARIBBEAN IS TO THE SOUTH. IT HOUSES U.S. MILITARY FACILITIES AND AN ARMY. SINCE THE 1940'S THE NAVY HAS BEEN HERE AND THEY DAMAGED THE ECOLOGY, THE ECONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE. MONA IS THE NATURE PRESERVE AND WILDLIFE REFUGE UNDER GOVERNMENT JURISDICTION. THEIR LAND IS 3400 SQUARE MILES IN A UNIQUE TROPICAL ECOSYSTEM. THERE IS A RUGGED 2/3RDS OF THE ISLAND THAT SEPARATES A NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN. THE SPANISH WORD HURRICANE ORIGINATED FROM THE TAINO WORD 'JURACAN', THE SACRED NAME FOR THIS PHENOMENON.

SPAIN TURNED PUERTO RICO INTO A MILITARY STRONG HOLD. SAN JUAN WAS WALLED AND FORTIFIED. THE HIGHLANDS WERE ISOLATED AND IT WAS A REFUGE FOR SETTLERS, RUNAWAY SLAVES, AND TAINO DESERTERS. PUERTO RICO IS DENSELY POPULATED - 4 MILLION, WITH 2.7 MILLION IN THE U.S. 70% OF THE ISLAND IS URBAN. TAINOS WERE INDIANS WHO WERE HERE BEFORE EUROPEAN DOMINATION. THEY ONCE HAD 30,0000 FOLKS AND WERE REDUCED TO 2,000 BY THE 17TH CENTURY THROUGH DISEASE AND EMIGRATED TO OTHER COUNTRIES.

THE SPANISH INTRODUCED SLAVERY INTO THEIR LABOR FORCE, BUT IT NEVER BECAME A HUGE PROBLEM UNTIL PLANTATIONS WERE DEVELOPED. THEN THERE WERE AFRICAN SLAVES, INDENTURED AND FREE LABOR. CHINESE LABOR WAS INTRODUCED IN THE 19TH CENTURY AND IMMIGRANTS CAME FROM ANDULUSIA AND OTHER ISLANDS. DURING THE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH, GERMAN,LEBANESE, SCOTTISH, ITALIAN, IRISH, ENGLISH, AND AMERICAN FOLKS CAME HERE.

PUERTO RICO IS MOSTLY SPANISH SPEAKING. AFRICAN LANGUAGE CONTRIBUTED SOME WORDS. NATURAL AND HUMAN MADE CULTURAL SYMBOLS ARE OF GREAT VALUE. SOME WORDS NATURAL AND AND HUMAN MADE CULTURAL SYMBOLS. A TINY TREE FROG, ROYAL PALMS, TAINO PETROGLYPHS, MUSIC AND NATIVE FOODS ARE SOME OF THESE FEATURES.

URBAN SPRAWL IN SAN JUAN HAS ERODED THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY. IN THE RURAL AREAS, WOOD AND STRAW STRAW HOUSES HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY BY CEMENT
BLOCK HOUSES. THE TROPICAL CLIMATE REQUIRED THE IMPORTATION OF PRESERVED FOODS.

MOST FOLKS OWN PRIVATE LAND. OWNING A HOME HOLDS IMPORTANT CULTURAL VALUE. THIS LED TO AGRARIAN REFORM THIS LED TO AGRARIAN REFORM IN THE 1940'S AND THE PARCELA PROGRAM IS A LOCAL HOMESTEADING EFFORT, BY WHICH THE GOVERNMENT GAVE LAND HELD BY LARGE CORPORATIONS FOR EXPLOITATIONS OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS.

DURING THE 1950'S OPERATION BOOTSTRAP WAS A WAY THE COUNTRY DEVELOPED INDUSTRIALIZATION. A RISE IN TRANSPERSONAL BUSINESS HAVE REDUCEDTHE PROCESS OF INDUSTRIALIZATIONS. PUERTO RICO IS DEPENDANT ON MANUFACTURING AND SERVICES. THE GOVERNMENT IS A EMPLOYER. TOURISM IS THE IMPORTANT SERVICE INDUSTRY. THEY IMPORT CHEMICALS MACHINERY, FOOD TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS, PROFESSIONAL CLASS IN PUERTO RICO IS PRIMARILY WITH GOVERNMENT.

A GOOD FAMILY AND EDUCATION ARE CONSIDERED MORE IMPORTANT THAN WEALTH. THE MAIN GOVERNMENT IS THE PROVIDER OF WELFARE. THEY HAVE MANY ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES AND HAVE PRODUCED A HIGH RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT. PUERTO RICO RECEIVES FEDERAL AID AND DOES NOT GET EQUAL COVERAGE FOR WELFARE. THEY HAVE A HIGH COST OF LIVING AND THEY ACCUMLATE DEBT.

A LIST OF THEIR ORGANIZATIONS IS VAST A GENDER RELATIONS ARE EGALITARIAN. WHEN THEY LIVED ON SUBSISTENCE WOMEN WERE IMPORTANT ECONOMIC PRODUCERS. MOST UPPER AND MID CLASSES HAVE DOUBLE SALARY.IT'S AN IDEAL MALE WORLD. WOMEN ACTIVE IN PUBLIC LIFE CONSIDER FAMILY LIFE A CORE VALUE. THESE KIN ARE THE MOST ENDURING SUPPORT NETWORK. MOST FOLKS PREFER MARRIAGE VS LIVING TOGETHER. REMAINING SINGLE IS OK TOO.

PEOPLE RAISE THEIR CHILDREN WITHIN THE FAMILY. WHEN A MOTHER IS UNAVAILABLE AND RELATIVES PREFER TO RAISE KIDS VS. CARE PROVIDERS. THEY LIVE SIMILAR TO FOLKS IN THE U.S.

ONE MUST RESPECT OTHERS BY LEARNING ONESELF. THOSE WHO CAN CHOSE PRIVATE SCHOOLING. ACCORDING TO THEM EDUCATION IS NOT JUST SOMEONE WHO HAS ACHIEVED BANK LEARNING, BUT IS SOMEONE WHO IS COURTEOUS AND POLITE.SOCIAL DRINKING IS APPROVED APPROVED, DRUNKENESS IS NOT. ABOUT 30% OF THE POPULATION IS PROTESTANT AND ALL MAJOR DENOMENTAIONS ARE HERE. THERE ARE MANY CATHOLICS, SOME DEVOUT AND OTHERS NONOBSERVANT. AFRICANS INTRODUCE WITCHCRAFT AND SPIRITUAL MEDIUMS ARE MOSTLY WOMEN WHO HOLD DIVINATIONS AND SEAMS IN HOMES. HEALTH CARE HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED AND THAT HAS REDUCED TROPICAL DISEASES AND LIFE EXPECTANCY HAVE BEEN REDUCED.

THE ARTS ARE IMPORTANT TO THE NATION AND LOCAL ARTISTS HAVE ACCESS TO SUPPORT THEM FROM THE U.S., COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES. THERE ARE ALSO MANY AUTHORS AND GRAPHIC ARTISTS. PERFORMING ARTISTS ARE RANGING FROM POPULAR TO FOLKSY MUSIC. THEY ALSO HAVE BALLET COMPANIES.

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