Visiting the colony of Puerto Rico
Have you dreamed of visiting the colony of Puerto Rico?
It makes me wince to hear Puerto Rico described as a colony, but that doesn’t mean we should shy away from talking about it.
Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony for more than 400 years before it came under United States imperial rule in 1898 as a result of the Spanish-American war, when the U.S. "took possession" of Spain's colonies, including Puerto Rico.
Read here to learn more about Puerto Rican history.
Its status as a territory remains in part due to the indifference of mainlanders regarding Puerto Rican life and policy. Author Daniel Immerwahr documents in his book How to Hide an Empire how little mainlander Americans understood about Puerto Rico through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Puerto Rican citizens are American citizens but they don't have equal representation in Congress. Puerto Rican residents are not allowed to vote in presidential elections because they don’t have representation in the Electoral College.
Since 2016, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico does not have autonomy over its economy. Spending has to be approved by a board of people appointed by the U.S. President thanks to the PROMESA (Puerto Rico Oversight Management and Economic Stability) act.
Puerto Rico is dealing with gentrification as more wealthy mainlanders move to the island for tax breaks and a cheaper cost of living. The more mainlanders move, the more it stresses the local housing market, driving rent and mortgage prices up, pushing out families who’ve called parts of Puerto Rico home for generations.
Journalist Bianca Graulau puts a face to these issues in her video, Are Puerto Ricans being Pushed Out?
There have been decades-long debates among Puerto Ricans about whether U.S. statehood or independence is better. The issue could come to a vote in Puerto Rico soon if a binding vote passes Congress. It would allow Puerto Ricans to choose between becoming a U.S. state, an independent country, or independent with free association.
Spray paint on the facade of an empty building in Old San Juan that says, "Puerto Rico is not for sale."
What should tourists do to show solidarity with Puerto Ricans?
Stay in Puerto Rican-owned vacation rentals, paradores and guest houses instead of investor-owned Airbnbs or multinational hotels. (I'll share some recommendations in an upcoming newsletter. If you know of some you'd like me to add to the list, let me know.)
Buy local goods, hire Puerto Rican tour guides, and eat at Boricua-owned restaurants.
Be clear that no matter how long a mainlander American lives in Puerto Rico, no length of time will make them Puerto Rican (looking at you, Giovanni Feroci). Be vocal in your disapproval of property flipping investments that dislocate Puerto Ricans like The San Jose Hills Apartments.
Don’t insert yourself in Puerto Rican statehood or independence discussions. Although it’s important to understand the issues Puerto Ricans are facing today, it’s not a mainlander’s place to ask Puerto Ricans to share their thoughts or give opinions on it.
Support Puerto Rican-led campaigns. Whether it’s supporting climate justice activists or supporting journalists covering the issues, do what you can to amplify and uplift the work Puerto Rican are already doing.
One more thing...
Speaking of supporting Puerto Rican journalists, let me introduce you to my colleague Lillian Agosto Maldonado! I met Lillian in cohort 3 of CUNY's Entrepreneurial Journalism Creator's Program where she encouraged me to cover Puerto Rico for Inherited Travel.
Lillian has just launched a newsletter called Parallel Worlds, a magazine that explores Puerto Rican identity everywhere. I encourage you to check it out. There are more Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. mainland than there are in Puerto Rico at the moment, and she's promising to document her own journey within that experience.