- 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? clearly, that wasn t the kind of help the people needed. when hurricane fiona hit in 2022, the u.s. government stepped up and made a $60 million
pretty, right? but as recently as the 1950s, it was against the law to fly it anywhere in the country. why? because it was a symbol of independence. the ban is gone now. but so is the original flag. the shade of blue was changed to match the good old stars and stripes. but through it all, bomba has survived. [percussive music] it s incredible how, sometimes, culture can disappear. but a few people can bring it back to life. and then, it has a whole new existence. - we lost a lot. - when we talk about bombas, we have the drums. - yeah, yeah. - and they actually have two roles. we have one that keeps the groove going. [percussive music] - we call that. - buleador. - and we also have. he s the one who actually provides notes on the drum. - there s also the. the space where we play, which is batey. - batey, yes. - batey is basically the center of the community. anybody from the community can come learn and play.
so i try to develop the cities in terms of their culture. i m also the founder of a school of architecture that exists in the city. so i have a relationship with the with ponce. - what is the difference between old ponce and the ponce that we re seeing today? - if we go back to the 19th century, ponce was the commercial capital of puerto rico. so the port was responsible for bringing products from europe, managing those into the islands. - it was a cultural hub. - yes. - i mean, because you re equidistant from south america and the us. it s the first country that you hit as you re coming from europe. - it was a cosmopolitan city with theaters, with music, with architecture. - yeah, yeah. - after the change in sovereignty, many, many political decisions and economical decisions shift that activity into the port of san juan. we have an economical crisis. - right. - so it s not just the port. it s old puerto rico. it s finance. it s economics. and it s psychology.
and nobody should know who the vejigante is. - the vejigante tradition began in medieval spain and made its way to puerto rico 300 years ago, where communities like ponce made it their own. - masks can be in many different sizes. it can be made with many different colors. it can be made with many different material. here, we exhibit a mascara that is made out of higuera. higuera is a seed from a tree. and its purpose is to keep evil spirits away from the home. - i i guess the scarier the mask, the better job you do of keeping - yeah, it s it s the same as the gargoyles on churches. - right. right. right. - same same job. - same principle, yeah. - mm-hmm. - the artist who created these masks, don miguel angel pérez santiago, was a huge force in ponce s vejigante culture. when he died, the community banded together to preserve his art. - his family did not know what to do with his property. they just wanted to throw everything away. - right. - and then, my grandfather and his collea
to become an independent nation, both the u.s. and puerto rican governments have said, not so fast. i mean, get this. you see this flag? pretty, right? but as recently as the 1950s, it was against the law to fly it anywhere in the country. why? because it was a symbol of independence. the ban is gone now. but so is the original flag. the shade of blue was changed to match the good old stars and stripes. but through it all, bomba has survived. [percussive music] it s incredible how, sometimes, culture can disappear. but a few people can bring it back to life. and then, it has a whole new existence. - we lost a lot. - when we talk about bombas, we have the drums. - yeah, yeah. - and they actually have two roles. we have one that keeps the groove going. [percussive music] - we call that. - buleador. - and we also have. he s the one who actually provides notes on the drum. - there s also the. the space where we play,