As a result, Puerto Rican bloodlines and culture evolved through a mixing of the Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno and Carib Indian races that shared the island. Today, many Puerto Rican towns retain their Taíno names, such as Utuado, Mayagüez and Caguas.
Most Puerto Ricans Check 'White' On The Census. But Why? : Code Switch Many Puerto Ricans grow up being taught that they're a mixture of three races: black, white and indigenous. But on the U.S. census, a majority of Puerto Ricans choose "white" as their only race.
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2023 est.) Nationality: Noun Puerto Rican(s). Adjective Puerto Rican. Ethnic composition: white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%.
The European heritage of Puerto Ricans comes primarily from one source: Spaniards (including Canarians, Catalans, Castilians, Galicians, Asturians, and Andalusians) and Basques. Though, the Canary Islands of Spain has had the most influence on Puerto Rico, and is where most Puerto Ricans can trace their ancestry.
… Hispanics are Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans. More than half of all Hispanic Americans are of Mexican ancestry. Some of them descended from settlers in parts of the United States that were once part of Mexico—including Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.
The average Puerto Rican is made up of 12% Native American, 65% West Eurasian (Mediterranean, Northern European and/or Middle Eastern) and 20% Sub-Saharan African DNA, so don't be surprised if your family tells you that their ancestors came from somewhere utterly different to your expectations.
Puerto Rico's first inhabitants were the Taínos, a group of indigenous people who lived on the island for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrival. Organized in small clans and villages led by caciques (chiefs), they survived by fishing, hunting, and basic agriculture.
Puerto Rico's culture is a colorful tapestry of old and new, mixing indigenous, Spanish, and African traditions. You'll find expressions of that culture all around the Island — from art museums to vibrant murals, from bomba dance lessons to lively festivals that fill the streets.
The Taíno name for Puerto Rico was Boriken. This is why Puerto Rico is now also called Borinquen by Puerto Rican people, and why many Puerto Ricans call themselves Boricua.
Hispanic or Latino origin includes people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central and South American, Dominican, and other or unknown Latin American or Spanish origin. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
The Taíno people populated most of the Caribbean and some adjacent territories during the pre-Columbian era, long before the arrival of Spaniards and others to Puerto Rico.
The Taíno were an Arawak people who were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Puerto Rico.
The scientists discovered that Puerto Ricans have a very high genetic variation. Compared with other Latino groups sampled, Puerto Ricans have the highest proportion of European genetic ancestry, about 72-75%. The rest of the genome came from indigenous groups (13%) and Africans (12-15%).
Welcome to the heart and soul of the Caribbean! Puerto Rico is an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea consisting of the main island, four small islands, and hundreds of cays and islets.
Today, depending on the source, Puerto Rico's population is between 75 and 85 percent Roman Catholic. Although weekly church attendance is far below that figure, the Catholic Church has great influence on Puerto Rican life.
Puerto Ricans are known for their warm hospitality, often considered very friendly and expressive to strangers. Greetings are often cordial and genuine.
According to the National Geographic Genographic Project, "the average Puerto Rican individual carries 12% Native American, 65% West Eurasian (Mediterranean, Northern European and/or Middle Eastern) and 20% Sub-Saharan African DNA."
Puerto Rico is largely composed of mountainous and hilly terrain, with nearly one-fourth of the island covered by steep slopes. The mountains are the easternmost extension of a tightly folded and faulted ridge that extends from the Central American mainland across the northern Caribbean to the Lesser Antilles.
French immigration from mainland France and its territories to Puerto Rico was the largest in number, second only to Spanish immigrants and today a great number of Puerto Ricans can claim French ancestry; 16 percent of the surnames on the island are either French or French-Corsican.
Puerto Rican genealogy is made exponentially easier because of the use of multiple surnames. Puerto Rico used the Spanish practice of using the last names of both parents. A child born would be given a first and middle name and then the first last name of the father followed by the first last name of the mother.
Boricua. The name given to people born in Puerto Rico. El nació en Puerto Rico, es Boricua – He was born in Puerto Rico, he is Boricua.
Puerto Rico began to produce cattle, sugar cane, coffee and tobacco, which led to the importation of slaves from Africa. As a result, Puerto Rican bloodlines and culture evolved through a mixing of the Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno and Carib Indian races that shared the island.
Puerto Ricans are proud of their cultural heritage and history, stemming from a mix of Taíno, Spanish, and African traditions. Whether it's through music, art, food, traditions, festivals, or one of many other bountiful options, culture is present—and waiting to be discovered—in every corner of this Caribbean paradise.
Spanish Colonialism
The explorer swiftly claimed the island for Spain and renamed it San Juan Bautista. For 400 years, Puerto Rico was under Spanish colonial rule.