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Rafael Antonio Nazario’s debut CD 'Patria Anorada', released in 1999 was runaway hit. The reason behind this success is probably the emotional yearnings that come through and the bonding the young musician has with his homeland Puerto Rico which is visible, or rather audible to all who hear it. His music has been described as "Nuevo Latino" and "Nueva Salsa". It is clearly inspired by his love for traditional music of Puerto Rico, like the salsa, plena and bomba. The CD also confirms his virtuosity as a pianist.
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So you have been to Puerto Rico! Now everyone and his cousin will expect you to be an accomplished chef in terms of Puerto Rico recipes, though you may have visited the Caribbean territory for reasons far removed from cuisine! The food of Puerto Rico is amongst its most sought after natural assets. The confluence of influences from many distant continents does indeed give it an image and a taste of distinction!
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Puerto Rico weddings are in as romance in the balmy climes of Puerto Rico is a certainty. The prospects of a vacation in the Caribbean, without ever having to leave the security and the convenience of the United States, makes Puerto Rico weddings a statement to which everyone would love invites! People of all ages can enjoy themselves in Puerto Rico, and the easy availability of reliable sitters means that you can tag children along without ever upsetting any social schedule.
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Laguna Tortuguero in Vega Baja is one of the largest lakes in Puerto Rico, although it is not much like the lakes we’re familiar with. Fed by rainwater, freshwater springs and natural drainage, Laguna Tortuguero in turn drains directly into the Caribbean Sea. As such, it is situated very close to the northern coast of Puerto Rico and is susceptible to being breached by the sea when violent storms and hurricanes strike the island.
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Guánica is a town of about 10,000 people located on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico, roughly 20 miles west of the large city of Ponce. Originally named “Guaynía”, it was the place where Ponce de Leon, Puerto Rico’s first governor, landed and set up his capitol in 1508. The settlement was destroyed by a Taino Indian rebellion in 1511 and lay in ruins for many years as de Leon shifted the seat of government to San Juan on the northeast coast.
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A forest doesn’t immediately come to mind when thinking of the islands of the Caribbean Sea, so the name “Caribbean National Forest” may sound somewhat odd. Get past this impression, however, and you’ll find that you CAN see the forest for the trees! Puerto Rico’s Caribbean National Forest is indeed a very special place, and the world owes Spain’s King Alfonso XII a debt of gratitude for establishing the park in 1876. It was only 12 years earlier, in 1872, that the very first national park in the United States (Yellowstone National Park) was created by an act of Congress.
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How can such a melting pot have a culture of its own? Puerto Rico may be the meeting point for so many different races, but it is able to retain a flavor all of its own. It started with the Spanish and the Taino Indians, and continues between various people from Latin America and the U.S. mainland until today. European, Africans, Chinese, and Cubans have all landed on the territory’s shores, only to be swamped by the distinctive force of Puerto Rico culture. The land neither imposes its own style on any settler, nor allows any colonial influence to overpower it.
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There is very little recorded history of Puerto Rico before the Spanish colonialist arrived. It is therefore difficult to understand why the people of this land accept foreign rule without any murmur of protest. Medieval cruelty can explain why Europeans were able to subjugate Aleutian and other native communities in the Americas, but why do people of Puerto Rico accept their subservient status with the United States in this day and age?
