Puerto Rico – Fake Flamenco

Afro-Latinos, Immigration, Spanish Culture and Language, Sports

Minnesota Twins Dance La Bomba

The Minnesota Twins are starting the 2019 season off well. Part of their secret is the team has seventeen players from Spanish-speaking countries on their 40-man roster. That’s three shy of half the players! The Twins fabulous Latin American baseball player contingent has been given the moniker, La Bomba Squad, named for Puerto Rican traditional […]

Afro-Latinos, Spanish Culture and Language

Best Post I Read This Week

I received a great tip this week from the website called Blog on the Hyphen that focuses on Latinxs* literature, culture and arts. It reblogged this article by Miguel Luciano about the Young Lords of New York. The essay shows reproductions and murals of historic photos by Hiram Maristany and indicates where they are placed […]

Afro-Latinos, Spanish Culture and Language, The Americas

Who Was the First Free Black Man in The Americas?

According to what I’ve read, the first documented free man from Africa to land in the Americas was Juan Garrido. He was born in present day Angola, moved to Portugal, then to Sevilla, Spain. A few researchers think he may have been the servant or slave of Pedro Garrido on his first voyages of conquest. […]

Architecture, Spanish Culture and Language

Who Built This Lookout?

Nearly twenty years ago, we spent our honeymoon in Puerto Rico. They call it the isle of enchantment, and we agree it’s a wonderful place. A key landmark of San Juan is Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the fortress known as El Morro. We spent an afternoon walking around taking cutesy pictures of each other […]

Spanish Culture and Language

Santa or the 3 Wise Guys?

In the United States, St. Nick is a national obsession. His likeness is big business; tree ornaments, droopy red hats, pajamas, sweaters and bath mats stamped with his image. Most recently he’s been turning up as inflatable outdoor decorations! Why is Santa so central to winter giving traditions in the United States? Let’s talk a […]

food, Spanish Culture and Language

Could a Chef Win the Nobel Peace Prize?

José Andrés, Spanish chef extraordinaire, has received a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nomination for his humanitarian work feeding people in crisis. His work in Puerto Rico alone is enough to impress and to raise the spirits of a jaded cynic. In tandem with 26 restaurants and 20,000 volunteers, his organization made 3.7 million meals for […]