Do Puerto Ricans know their ethnic ancestry?

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Boriquen

Most islanders have been taught in school that their major ancestry is from Spain, Africa and Taino indian in that order. But in reality according to history of travel records of ships bound for the island, including Columbus` Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, many of the travelers and crews were from the Canary islands, Irish, Scots,Spaniards, Brittish, French and Italians who were living in Spain and the Canary islands before traveling on to Puerto Rico. Africans were brought in as slaves also, but not as many as most people think since the economy of the island at those times was not that great. African slaves went mostly to Cuba, Santo Domingo, Haiti and other islands in the Caribbean. One of the reasons that islanders wanted the abolition of slavery in the island was because the economy couldn`t support them and the slaves. There was a majority of Tainos living on the island but there were also bands of Caribe indians there as well as in Culebra, Vieques and some of the other small islands of Puerto Rico, In fact a resent study of islander`s Mitochondrial DNA surprised many because it shows that contrary to what has been taught in schools for so many years, that the Tainos were decimated to the point of extinction by Spaniards, it turns out that 80 percent of the islanders have 60 percent Taino Mitochondrial DNA. Most Puertorricans have a mixture of Taino, European and African ancestry. Whereas before this study it was beleived that they were descended from Spaniards, African and Taino in this order. Not many people know also that there were many people that came from Arab countries as well as Jews, who had been living in the Canary islands and Spain and then migrated to Puerto Rico. Many last names like Perez are Jewish names and many of our spanish words like camisa are Arabian. Towards the beginning of the 20th. century there were Russians, South Americans, Germans, Cubans, Dominicans and islanders of the Virgin Islands moving into Puerto Rico as well as some Americans from the mainland. This trend still continues to this day, there are more mainland Americans intermarrying with Puertorricans and living on the island as well as many Russians and Orientals. In fact you can find Chinese and Japanese restaurants in just about all of the islands towns and in the Metropolitan area alone there are hundreds of Chinese restaurants. The island is well known as one of the biggest melting pots in the world and although our main language is spanish and many of our customs, law and culture comes from the Spaniards, it is all mixed with our Taino and African roots as well. So as you can see, we are so used to our mix that the result is that we consider ourselves Puertorricans or Borinquenos or Boricuas first because it is such a unique mixture, as well as Americans.

ElCaballito

Puerto Ricans are desendants of Spaniards, Africans and Taino Indians. Few Puerto Ricans and claim that they are direct desendants of any one of these races as most of them are mixed. Though there are some that are have full Spanish or African bloodlne, there are no full blooded Tainos left.

I dont generally think that the average puerto rican knows there ethnic ancestry. I dont think its a big issue for them.

I am not from puerto rico but I know my ancestry...African, Dominicano y Irish!

Mr. Vitamin C

I have all three branches. I have been confused with East Indian, American Indian, and Jewish. Funny eh?

dreamer026

Well I am Puerto Rican and the majority of my ancestors were from Spain. :)

frencheyes2003

supposedly, indian, spanish and african. There are also puerto ricans with dutch, and english background.

matrushka2525

PR was first inhabited by the Taino natives, but became extinct shortly after the Spanish colonized the island. Once the Indians were exterminated due to exploitation and slavery, the African slaves were introduced into the island. Historic records also say that in the past 200-300yrs Portuguese, German, and other European families settled on the island. Most Puertorricans are descendants from a mix of Spanish, African and Taino blood. But some are direct descendants of the African slaves and most of them live on the east side of the island, because thats were the slaves use to settle after their escape attempts. Others are direct descendants from the Spanish and others from the Indians.

In my case, all I know is that from my father's side I have Spanish descent and on my mother's side I have a more direct Portuguese descent from a family of slave traffickers. In the island people would classify my ethnicity as white. Its funny because next to a 'gringo' I look more colorful, and of course in the US they would classify me as Latina.

Tammy

I think most of the puertorricans know the essential that we are a mixture of tainos, africans and spanish people. I think that is enough for most of us!

Why are you so interested in know what we know about ourselves?

Darth Eugene Vader

Puerto Ricans call ourselves "boricuas" in reference to BorikÃ©n the name the taino natives gave to our country. We are not like the americans who call themselves Italoamericans, Irish-american, etc. We call ourselves boricuas or Puerto Ricans.

General:
Puerto Ricans do know that generally we descend from Europeans (spaniards mostly (80-90%) but also people form France, Corcega, Italy, Germany, Portugal, etc.) Africans, and Taino natives, (and since 1898 from the USA with all the diversity that brings in to the mix).
For example:
* Famous Puerto Ricans with german ancestry:
Salvador Brau (historian), Ivonne Goderich (actress), Alfred D. Herger (TV producer), Angela Meyer (actress), Orwin Miller (singer), Jorge Raschke (evangelist), German Rieckehoff (olympic sports leader), Tomas Rivera Schatz (polithician), Agustin Stahl (physician), Lila Mayoral Wirshing (wife of governor Rafael Hernandez Colon).

* Famous PuertoRicans with french ancestry:
Giselle Blondet (actress), Evaristo Ribera Chevremont (poet), RenÃ© Farrait (entretainer "Menudo"), Felisa RincÃ³n de Gautier (politician), Marisol Malaret (Miss Universe 1970), Gilberto & Glenn Monroig (composers / entretainers), Fernando & Neftali Sallaberry (entretainers Menudo), Sylvia del Villard (entretainer), Luis Vigoreaux (TV Producer) and his sons: Luisito (TV Producer), Roberto (former senator)

However, the europeans colonist who travel to PR mixed themselves with the taino natives (before exterminating them with diseases and war) and later with the african slaves they brought to replace the taino. So most people with a last name from Spain, or other european origin have high probabilities of having also african ancestors.

A recent study of the University of PR revealed that two thirds of the Puerto Ricans still have taino genes.

However, most Puertorricans only know until their great -grandfathers or great great grandparents and not much before them. Those generations were born in PR and consider themselves boricuas not spaniards or anything else.

Individually:
A small minority of families in PR have investigated their genealogy and traced ancestry back to the european roots.
In my case my fathers line is mostly from Spain ancestry and my mothers line is african. People of my mother's line have traced our ancestry and have identified we came from the Mende tribe in Africa. The tribe was mentioned in the movie "Amistad" from Steven Spielburg with actors: Djimon Hounsou, Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey, and Antony Hopkins.

nicky13

well i am puerto rican
my great grandparents are still alive all of them! for im 15 years old
um from my dads side my great grandfather is italian and my grat grandmother is puerto rican but her mother was from spain
from my moms side my great grandparents are from madrid spain =]
but many puerto ricans are mixed and have european appearances
while others have african, indian taino, and hispanic appearances

coquinegra

as a rule, the vast majority of Puerto Ricans are a mix of Taino Indian, African and European of the Iberian peninsula. Of course there are other immigrants to the island. I'd offer that many Puerto Ricans downplay their African roots, racially, but not culturally. Many favor their Taino ancestry over their African. Many will cite a mitochondrial study, not understanding that mitochondrial DNA never alters...so one single maternal mitochondrial DNA will survive thousands of European, African and anyother kind of DNA mingling.

mistic_eyes03

personally I'm native american, spaniard, african, italian and french.. lol what a poppuri!

Michael ben Avraham

Well, my parents are cuban-jewish immigrants.

luiyo76

Unless you are me. My last name is CortÃ©s (like the conquistador "may his soul rot in hell"). I know they came from Spain, but from where and where is unknown. They might have come very early in history, and our blood is so much mixed that it is difficult to trace our ancestry. I'm sure this happens to many people in PR.
Plus Puertorrican History is so poorly teached in the educational system, it makes it even worse. Thats the politicians fault (may their souls rot in hell as well).

Ñ‡o!Æ’rÎµsh ma.

Most puerto ricans are of African descent as well
as many other Caribbean islands and depending
on their bloodline (family) sometimes a mixture of
Spaniard, European.

-Dominican :)

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