The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Puerto Ricans are US citizens and have rights like voting in federal elections but also obligations like paying social security. The population of Puerto Rico is over 3 million people and mostly of Spanish origin. The dominant religion is Catholicism. Puerto Rican culture features elements like salsa music, reggaeton, traditional foods, and observing religious traditions from their African heritage like Santeria. The primary language is Spanish.

2. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
• Is an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Unincorporated territory is an area controlled by the
government of the United States, but which is not a
part of the United States proper.
• Puerto Rican’s are US Citizens and possess all the rights
and obligations of citizens such as paying Social
Security, receiving federal welfare and serving in the
armed forces, except for the right to vote in presidential
elections and the obligation to pay federal taxes.
Seal Puerto Rican flag Coat of Arms

3. People
The population in Puerto Rico is made up of various
peoples. Their diversity is the result of the mixing of
different ethnic groups that, at one time or
another, (Taino Indians, Africans, Spaniards and Population: 3,989,133 (July 2011
others) settled on the island est.)
Ethnic Composition Marriage Rate: 9.2 per 1000
persons
White (Spanish origin) African American Divorce Rate: 4.47 per 1000
Asian Amerindian persons (2004)
Language: Spanish and English are
Mixed Other
the official languages but Spanish
is without a doubt the dominant
4%
language
3% 2% 11%
Average Family Size: 3.5 people
7% Average Family Income: Between
$25,000 & $26,000 per year
73%
Unemployment Rate: 13.5%

4. Religion
• The major religions are: Catholic
(85%), Protestants (8%), non
religious (2.3%), and others (3%).
Churches of many denominations
can be found throughout the Santeria
island.
Some islanders ascribe to
spiritualism (espiritismo), and
others practice Santeria, an Afro-
Caribbean belief system brought to
Puerto Rico from Cuba. There is
also a small Jewish community.

5. Culture
Puerto Ricans love their country, and at the same time accept the
free association with the United States, always emphasizing
loyalty to their own culture, folklore, hospitality and way of life.
Coqui: While the coqui-a tiny frog
found everywhere in the island is
only an "unofficial national
symbol", its image figures
prominently in Puerto Rican culture
and heritage. When Puerto Ricans
want to express their
nationality, they say: Soy de aquí
como el coquí (I'm as Puerto Rican
as a coquí).

6. Santeria
The practice of Santería dates to the
15th century. Not allowed to practice
their traditional religion, the Santería
priests, called Santeros, hid their rituals
under the guise of Roman Catholic
figures.
A Botánica is a specialized shop that
retails a variety of articles such as
figurines of plastic, wood, wax and
porcelain, pictures of saints, rosary beads,
candles, dried herbs, amulets, prayer
books, and other religious pieces,
mixing Christian, African and Caribbean
motifs.

7. Culture
• Azabache Bracelets - Mal de ojo , or evil
eye, is believed to result of excessive
admiration or envious looks by others. Having
newborn babies wear an azabache (a gold
bracelet or necklace with a black or red coral
charm in the form of a fist), is believed to
protect them from the evil eye.
• Quinceañeros - The quinceañera tradition
started centuries ago as an important social
ritual to commemorate the transition from
adolescence to womanhood. This celebration
often includes a religious ceremony at
church, followed by a party. Dinner is often
included as part of the night's festivities and
the cutting of the multi-tiered cake.

8. Salsa Music
The major type of music coming out of Puerto Rico is salsa, the rhythm of
the islands. Its name literally translated is the "sauce" that makes parties
happen. Originally developed within the Puerto Rican community of New
York, it draws heavily from the musical roots of the Cuban and the
African-Caribbean experience. Highly danceable, its rhythms are hot,
urban, rhythmically sophisticated, and compelling.
Tito Puente “King of Salsa”

9. Reggaeton Music
Is a relatively new genre of dance music that has become popular in
Puerto Rico over the last decade. The name is derived from the reggae
music of Jamaica which influenced reggaeton's dance beat. Reggaeton
was also heavily influenced by other Puerto Rican music genres and by
urban hip-hop music in the United States. Puerto Ricans have claimed
reggaeton as their own partly due to the fact that the movement was
originally anti-establishment. Reggaeton is now more accepted within
the commonwealth.
Daddy Yankee Ivy Queen Tito “El Bambino”

10. Puerto Rican Day Parade
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade takes place annually
along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, on the second Sunday in
June, in honor of the nearly 4 million inhabitants of Puerto
Rico and nearly 4 million people of Puerto Rican birth or
heritage residing in the United States. The first parade was
held on Sunday, April 13, 1958, in Spanish Harlem “El
Barrio”. The second parade was held for the first time along
Fifth Avenue in New York City.
1958 2007 2011

11. Food
• Although Puerto Rican cooking is somewhat
similar to both Spanish, Cuban and Mexican
cuisine, it is a unique tasty blend of
Spanish, African, Taíno, and American
influences, Locals call their cuisine "cocina
criolla“ .
• Rum is the national drink
• Piraguas : A shaved ice cone covered with
syrup of fruity flavors. Those who sells
"piraguas" are known as piragüeros .
carne frita con cebolla mojo isleño lechón asado

12. Health Care
Many Puerto Ricans classify illnesses, medicines, and foods according to an etiological and
therapeutic system which derives historically from Hippocratic humoral theories of disease.
Adherence to this system influences the way in which patients comply with therapeutic
regimens.
Major Causes of Death
per 100,000 population (1993)
Heart & Disease
29.2
38 Cancers
142.6
Diabetes
55.1
Cerebrovascular
Disease
95.4
Pneumonia &
Influenza

13. Health Care
• Diseases are classified as hot or cold and foods, medicines, and herbs are
believed to be hot, cold, or cool. Illness is believed to be caused when the
body becomes too hot or cold, which causes an imbalance. In order to cure an
illness, a food, medicine, or herb with an opposite quality than the disease
would have to be administered. While the temperature of the foods
themselves has nothing to do with their classification, the Puerto Rican illness
etiology attributes temperature changes as the causes of some illnesses. For
instance, arthritis pain is seen as cold, caused by placing hands into cold water
after they have been submerged in hot water. Also, the common cold is seen
as being caused by a chill or a draft felt by moving from a heated space into an
unheated space.
• Medical treatment of Puerto Rican patients who ascribe to the Hot-Cold theory
requires that the doctor or healer understand the theory. For instance, when a
patient has a cold and is asked to drink fruit juice, they may refuse. Fruit juice
is seen as cool, which would only make their cold worse. Adverse side effects
from medication can also cause a treatment issue. If a patient has a cold
illness, such as joint pains and is prescribed “hot” penicillin, he or she will take
the medicine. However, if she or he experiences a side effect of diarrhea or
constipation (both viewed as hot) from the medication, the patient will most
likely stop taking it. One way around this problem is that the doctor could
advise the patient to take fruit juice or another cool substance with the
penicillin in order to neutralize the effects of the medication. Puerto
Ricans refer to this activity as refreshing the stomach.

14. Mi esposo y su hijo