despite those who say, go back to your own country, puerto rico is part of the u.s. it s not a state. but its inhabitants are 100% american. and this right here is el viejo, san juan, the oldest part of a heavily fortified colonial city established in 1521 by none other than ponce de leon. and the spaniards named it puerto rico, aka rich port, so you can get an idea of what their intentions were for this island. sugar, spices, gold, just a few of the perks the spanish enjoyed for over 400 years. that is, until the u.s. was happy to help, you know, liberate the island from the spanish and make it a u.s. commonwealth. that means puerto rico is neither an independent country nor an official state. and its people don t have a vote in the u.s. congress or in presidential elections. despite all of that, puerto ricans are unstoppable. and their cultural impact on the u.s. and the world? massive. to really get to the bottom of how puerto rico has not only survived but thrived requi
and this right here is el viejo, san juan, the oldest part of a heavily fortified colonial city established in 1521 by none other than ponce de leon. and the spaniards named it puerto rico, aka rich port, so you can get an idea of what their intentions were for this island. sugar, spices, gold, just a few of the perks the spanish enjoyed for over 400 years. that is, until the u.s. was happy to help, you know, liberate the island from the spanish and make it a u.s. commonwealth. that means puerto rico is neither an independent country nor an official state. and its people don t have a vote in the u.s. congress or in presidential elections. despite all of that, puerto ricans are unstoppable. and their cultural impact on the u.s. and the world? massive. to really get to the bottom of how puerto rico has not only survived but thrived requires an understanding of the cultural history of the island. so that s what we re going to do now. and in case you re new to this show, that s l
oh, that s right. despite those who say, go back to your own country, puerto rico is part of the u.s. it s not a state. but its inhabitants are 100% american. and this right here is el viejo, san juan, the oldest part of a heavily fortified colonial city established in 1521 by none other than ponce de leon. and the spaniards named it puerto rico, aka rich port, so you can get an idea of what their intentions were for this island. sugar, spices, gold, just a few of the perks the spanish enjoyed for over 400 years. that is, until the u.s. was happy to help, you know, liberate the island from the spanish and make it a u.s. commonwealth. that means puerto rico is neither an independent country nor an official state. and its people don t have a vote in the u.s. congress or in presidential elections. despite all of that, puerto ricans are unstoppable. and their cultural impact on the u.s. and the world? massive. to really get to the bottom of how puerto rico has not only survived
For this island. Sugar, spices, gold, just a few of the perks the spanish enjoyed for over 400 years. That is, until the u. S. Was happy to help, you know, liberate the island from the spanish and make it a u. S. Commonwealth. That means puerto rico is neither an independent country nor an official state. And its people dont have a vote in the u. S. Congress or in president ial elections. Despite all of that, Puerto Ricans are unstoppable. And their Cultural Impact on the u. S. And the world . Massive. To really get to the bottom of how puerto rico has not only survived but thrived requires an understanding of the cultural history of the island. So thats what were going to do now. And in case youre new to this show, thats like our whole mo here. [upbeat latintinged music] [upbeat latintinged music] music has become the love language between the u. S. And puerto rico. From the time of the tainos to the Enslaved Africans who were brought here later on to modern day, music has been an out
- right. - so it s not just the port. it s old puerto rico. it s finance. it s economics. and it s psychology. - so how do we guide puerto rico out of this situation that puerto rico is in? because it gets hit by hurricane. and then it gets hit by an earthquake. i mean, all these things are devastating. - i think identity, community, and culture are the foundation for us in order to to rebuild into the future. - and what what do you mean by that? - when when we go back to the days after those disasters, when there is no satellite, when there s no internet, when there s no tv, all we had, it was community, culture, and our identity. - right. because you didn t get the fema funding. - it s a very long process in order to to get the reconstruction done. - who could forget the infamous paper towel incident when donald trump thought he was greeting fans and passing out swag in the aftermath of a disastrous hurricane maria?