*** Puerto Rico Puerto Riqueño Boriqeño boys wear ropa del niño







Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Figure 1.--These Puerto Rican brothers and their sister look to have been photographed during World War II. The clothes look rather American to HBC. Three of the children were reportedly named Josefina, Poldo, and Frank. Note that the boys wear long pants rather than knickers. Even though America was an important fashion influence, we believe that because of climate, knickers were not commonly worn in Puerto Rico. This looks to be an affluent family photographed in the garden of their home.

Puerto Rico was one of the first Spanish colonies in the New World. The Spanish enslaved the Native American population they found on the island abnd through midstreatment they quickly died out. The Spanish than began importing Black Africans to work as slaves. Puerto Rico and Cuba were the last two Spanosh colonies. The United States liberated both islands in the Spanish American War (1898). Puerto Rico became an American Commonwealth. As a result Puerto Rican has been influenced by both Spain And the United States which combined with the Caribbean climate are the principal fashion influences. We have at this time very limited information on Puerto Rico. These Puerto Rican brothers and their sister look to have been photographed during World war II. The clothes look rather American to HBC. Three of the children were reportedly named Josefina, Poldo, and Frank. Note that the boys wear long pants rather than knickers. Even though America was an important fashion influence, we believe that because of climate, knickers were not commonly worn in Puerto Rico. This looks to be an affluent family photographed in the garden of their home. The boys have rather modern looking suits while the gir has a rather 1930s looking dress. Our information on Puerto Rico is very limited.

Historical Background

Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taíno Indians. They called the island Borinquen. Puerto Rico was one of the first Spanish colonies in the New World. Columbus landed on the island during his second voyage (1493). The Spanish enslaved the Native American population they found on the island and through midstreatment and exposure to European diseases they quickly died out. Many Tinos wee killed in an uprising against the Spanish (1506). The Spanish than began importing Black Africans to work as slaves. Puerto Rico did not have much of the gold the Spanish were seeking. The main crop quickly became sugar. The Spanish because of the strategic importance of the island built a massive fortification at San Juan--El Moro. The island gradually became a backwater of the Spanish Empire. Puerto Rico and Cuba were after the war of liberation on the mainland, the last two Spanish coloniesin the New World. The Spanish King issued a 'Cedula de Gracia' to increase the European population of Puerto Rico which ws largely slaves of African discent. The Crown awarded land grants to immigrants (early 19th century). The Puerto Rican abolitionist movement persued an extended struggle to end slavery on the island. Cuba and Puerto Rico were some of the last places in the Americas where slavery persisted. The Spanish National Assembly finally abolished slavery in Puerto Rico (1873). This left Brazil as the last bastion of slavery in the America. The United States liberated both islands from Spanish colobial rule in the Spanish American War (1898). The major battles of the War were fought on Cuba which had a substantial Spanish garrison. The Foraker Act established a civil government (1900). The Jones Act granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship (1917). This layed the foundatin for the drafting of Puerto Rico's Constitution and the holding of democratic elections (1952). Puerto Rico became an American Commonwealth, a status the island still has. There is no consensus in Puerto Rico about seeking statehood or independence.

Economy

Puerto Rico was like most of the Catibbean islands inhabied by the Taino, an Arawak people. The economy was a mix of hunting and gathering along with agriculture. The island enviroment more or less forced the islanders to move away frim nomadic hunter-gatering and adopt a at least primitive agriculture. The Taínos both hinted and fished to supplement gatering and agriculture. They made canoes for boh fishing nd trading. Basic marine technologywere necessary for their abcestors to get to the islands. It involved making dug-out canoes. Their main crops were corn, cassava, garlic, potatoes, yautías, mamey, guava, and anón. Cirn anf pototatoes were an engineered crop develop in Peru and Mexico, showing how agricultural technology had spread throughout the Americas before the arrival of the Spanish. The economy was transformed with the arrival of the Spanish (1493). Strangely, the Spanish did not adopt sugar as their main crop like the Dutch, English, and French on their island (Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico). After the early years of the Spanish Main, the Spanish focus was more on the mainland. The economies of the Spanish islands became moee oriented on supply and prorecting Spanish shipping moving from the mainland colonies and Spain. Spanish colonial policy was to exlue foreigners and trade with foreign countries and colonies. Only after the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century did sugar become an important crop on the Spanish islands, especially Cuba. nother major change occurred in Puerto Rico when the U.S. Army liberated the island from Spain (1898). This introduced American economic patterns and a much more robust economic partner. Puerto Rico became an American Commnwealth. Special laws were past to promote economic development on the Island, primarily by offering tax breaks. The result has made Puerto Rico the most wealthy island in the Caribbean other than small islands like the Caymans with tax have banking industries. Cutbacks in the subsidies in recent years have afversly affected the Island economy which is currently experiencing a Greek-style discal crisis.

Influences

Puerto Rico has been influenced by both Spain And the United States which combined with the Caribbean climate are the principal fashion influences. Puerto Rico was one of the ealiest Spamish colonies in the New World. colonization began at about the same time as Santo Domigo (1493). Thus Spain contrilled Puerto Rico for four centuries, although it was from an early point a backwater of the Empire. Spanish fashions modified by the climate dominated the island. This only changed with the Spanish American War (1898). The United States seized the island whicgh became a Commonwealth. We see Spanish colonial style clothing fir some time. Here there were social class issues. The better off urban population began wearing American styles fairly quickly. Spanish colonial styles persisted longest in the countryside anong the less affluent families. American styles gradually were adopted, although some were not really suitable for the Caribbean semi-tropical climate. American fashions by the time of World War II were fairly standard as can be seen by the well-to-do family snapshot here (figure 1). We also see by this time less well off families in the countryside wearing American styles.

Chronology

We have at this time very limited information on Puerto Rico. Our archive is very limited and as a result we cannot yet sketch out chronolohical trends in any detail. We note very significant differences as to how children dressed deprnding on demofraphic and socia; class variables. These differences were notablr before World War II, but by the 1950s had begun to disappear. These Puerto Rican brothers and their sister look to have been photographed during World war II (figure 1). The clothes look rather American to HBC. Three of the children were reportedly named Josefina, Poldo, and Frank. Note that the boys wear long pants rather than knickers. Even though America was an important fashion influence, we believe that because of climate, knickers were not commonly worn in Puerto Rico. This looks to be an affluent family photographed in the garden of their home. The boys have rather modern looking suits while the girl has a rather 1930s looking dress.

Garments


Families

Family images are an imkportant part of HBC. These images are interesting because they show the fashions that all members of the family wore over time. HBC has limited its analysis to boys' clothing--itself a massive undertaking. These family photographs help to put the boys clothes into better perspective, showing what girls, women, and men were weraing at the same time. The family portraits also add some cultural context as they provides clues as to the social status or occupation of the parents--until the 20th century mostly the fathers. We have very little from the 19th centyury. Puerto Rico before the arrival of the Americans was very poor, a backwater of the Soanih Empire and Spain was a backwater of Europe. We know much more about the 20th century as Ameica brought education and public health to Puerto Rico. The economy languished, but was far more prosperous than under Spanish rule. Families wre of course affected by this. Family portaits provide wonderful historical records of fashion. They also offer fascinating insights into the structure of the American family.

Religion

Religious freedom in Puerto Rico as an American Commomwealth is guarateed by the U.S. Constitution. It is also guaranteed by the Commonwealth Constitution. Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony for 400 years. Spain was ardently Catholic and not only promoted the Roman Catholic church but used the Spanish Inquisition to keep other religions out of its colonies, including Protestants and Jews. Throughout the Spanish colonial era that was a strong connction between the Spanish coloniak Government and the Church. These restrictive edicts were relaxed in the 19th century, but only small numbers of indiciduals openly ahered to other religions. As a result the vast majority of Puerto Ricans are Roman Catholic. This is, however, more of a cultural than a religious matter. Church attendance is not high and we commonly see ,ost women, especially older women, and children in the churches. This is similar to the pattern both elsewhere in Latin America and in Europe with a few exceptions, namly Poland. Puerto Ricans do not follow Roman Catholic dogma and rituals as strictly as do the churches in Spain and Italy. The Roman Catholic Church until after World War II was a conservative institution, especially the Spanish Church which contolled church affairs in the country's colonies. The Church supported spnish colonial rule and slavery. The clergy in Puerto Rico was all Spanish. Puero Ricans were denined accdcess to the priesthood. Spain was one of the last countries to outlaw the slave trade and abolish slavery. Thus the Church supported slavery. This created resentment among the slaves and exslaves after abolition which affected attitudes toward the Church. Puerto Ricans did not achiece control of the Church until liberation by the Americans in Spanish-American War (1898). The new Purto Rican church leaders followed most Roman Catholic guidelines, but modified or ignored others. From the beginning of the Spanish conquest, there were Catholic missionaries aide vby side with the Conquistadores. As part of the conversion process, the priests often incorporated native beliefs and practices to make Catholcim more amenable to the people. In Puerto Rico this included both native Taíno and African traditions which were bended with mainstream tenets of the Catholic faith. Here African beliefs nay be he most important as so much of the indigenous Taino peoples perished soom after the arrival of the Spanish, because of both mistreatment and European diseases. Some authors believe that the Tainos laid the foundation. Perhaps an even more powerful if less formal religious ethic in Puerto Rico than Catholocism is espiritsmo (spiritualism)--some even describe it as the Island's real religion. It is a quasi-magical belief in occult forces, similar in many ways to Haitian Voodoo. Spanish colonial oiiciala outlawed spiritualism and the Church tried to root it out, but with little success. With the arrival of the Americans, restrictions on the free exercise of religion ended. Islanders generally embraced the idea of separating church and state. As a result, spiritualism began to flourish more openly. Protestantism also began to grow. There were Protestants on Puerto Rico before liberation, but with the arrival of the Americans, the numbers began to grow. This was an early beginning for a movement that since World War II has begun to sweep through Latin America. There are Protestant services for Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Evangelicals, and others. But it is the Protestant Pentecostal fundamentalism has had a major impact. There are now over 1,500 Evangelical on Puerto Rico. And unlike the Catholic Church you see devoted church attendance and family participation at the Evangelical services. There is also a difference in social orientation. The evngelical churches has not embraced the left wing ideas adopted by many Catholic church leasers, including now Pope Francis. There are a small number of Puero Rican Jews. There is a Jewish Community Center in Miramar and a Jewish Reformed Congregation in Santurce.

Individual Experiences

Our information on Puerto Rico is very limited. One reader has provided us some details about his personal experiences in the 1960s.






HBC







Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s] [The 1890s] [The 1900s] [The 1910s] [The 1920s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1930s] [The 1940s] [The 1950s] [The 1960s] [The 1970s] [The 1980s]



Related Style Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Long pants suits] [Knicker suits] [Short pants suits] [Socks] [Eton suits] [Jacket and trousers] [Blazer] [School sandals] [School smocks] [Sailor suits] [Pinafores] [Long stockings]



Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Page
[Return to the Main country page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries] [Girls]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]




Created: February 9, 2004
Last updated: 6:13 PM 12/26/2018