Overview: Isla del Encanto

Narrow, winding roads travel through Puerto Rico’s mountainous and hilly terrain. Beachy, woody and desert-like areas are mixed within the terrain making them hidden gems. Homes hide on the side of mountains while towns are at the foot of the hills. Stray cats and dogs roam around on one mission: to look for food.

La isla del encanto or “the island of enchantment” is known for its beautiful beaches, sunsets, unique cuisine and now cryptocurrency?

Eleven journalism students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee traveled to Puerto Rico to educate people from the U.S. mainland on the rising issues, culture and of course, the cuisine. They were also on a journey to see the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The Aftermath of Hurricane Maria

Playa Lucia, or “Dead Dog Beach” is the beach within the municipality of Yabucoa in southeastern Puerto Rico. Stray dogs or “Satos” (slang for stray dogs) are common throughout the island, but the beach is known for dogs being dumped fending for themselves. No dogs were seen on the beach, but the students came across many other strays in other areas. In almost every municipality a dog could be seen walking alone, with the outline of their bones peeking through their sparse fur.

The eye of Hurricane Maria hit Playa Lucia back in September 2017 and all that was there were the left-over tiles from foundations of buildings and one abandoned facility with weeds growing through the cracks. A group of friends hovered around the graffiti covered building. One man was hammocking overlooking the beach as the sun was setting. He had brought his car up to the lines of palm trees, probably to avoid the broken glass and piles of garbage, where he had strung his hammock.

Despite what the media portrayed, there was not as much destruction from the hurricane. However, it was still clear that a disaster had struck and torn the town apart. Old, abandoned boats sat in grassy fields, fences that lined the town were twisted in unnatural ways and a few blue tarps could be seen throughout the mountains.

More than 50% of the population was left without power, affecting more than 45,000 businesses and 1,800 public services after Hurricane Maria hit, according to the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) admitted that they were underequipped and underprepared for the 2017 hurricane season in an MIT case study.

FEMA sent boxes filled with non-nutritious and non-sustaining foods to homes in Puerto Rico after the hurricane hit, according to Dr. Ricia Anne Chansky, professor in the Department of English at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez.

Ariana Delgado, an employee at La Rumba Bar and Restaurant in Yabucoa, 12 minutes from Playa Lucia, remembers how in the morning they could not get out of their houses. “It was horrible,” she said.

Delgado was shocked by what she saw after stepping outside for the first time after the hurricane.

“The whole mountain was wiped away,” Delgado said. “Like a nuclear bomb, everything was gone.”

Another employee said she would wash her clothes in the river with a rock because they did not have power. Two men in the back of the bar laughed and one said, “I did too.”

When Hurricane Maria hit, power outages would go out from 30 minutes to 2 hours or days at a time. This is a continuous problem that locals are facing. At La Rumba, the power was not restored until nine months later, but the power still goes out multiple times in the afternoon every day.

Damian Fernandez-Morales experienced many shortages of resources, including gas.

“I had to wait in line for 17 hours to put gas in my car,” said Fernandez-Morales. “It was terrible, but I was lucky it could have been worse.”

Thousands of homes were destroyed in the hurricane. Dolores Rosario used to live with her family, but now resides on her own in Salinas because of the hurricane.

“My house was swept away by the hurricane and sailed down the river,” Rosario said.

Puerto Rico has a mountainous terrain, especially in Utuado, in the central area of the island. Homes in Utuado slid down the mountainside and into rivers. Maria Gonzalez-Edwards showed a picture of a house that had slid down a mudslide from her visit in 2018, almost 14 months after Hurricane Maria hit.

A local radio station in Yauco, a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico, was calling and checking in on residents while the hurricane was approaching, according to Edrick Pagan-Ruiz, owner of a jewelry vendor in Yauco. 

“A pregnant woman was on a radio call live with her two children as the hurricane swept them away in their house,” Pagan-Ruiz said. “They didn’t survive.” 

Unfortunately, many citizens of Yauco suffered similar fates. A historically poverty-stricken town was impacted severely by the hurricane. Pagan-Ruiz recalled him and other community members seeing bodies flowing through the river. At the edge of the town lies a baseball stadium that was blocking the flow of the river.

“Dead bodies washed up in the baseball stadium,” Pagan-Ruiz said. “It was horrible.”  The media portrayed areas like Yabucoa to still be suffering post-Maria. Instead of an abundance of blue tarps, only a few could be seen. The only shocking destruction the students witnessed was a church in Guayanilla, but it was destroyed by an earthquake.

Cryptocurrency

Social media feeds, news sites and blogs perpetuated the belief that cryptocurrency in Puerto Rico was a rampant, uncontrolled and dangerous wealth that had negatively impacted local communities. What they found is different from what the media portrays the island to be.

Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that has recently sparked the interest of many people, especially celebrities. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and owner of Twitter, owns three cryptocurrencies: Dogecoin, Ethereum and Bitcoin. People use cryptocurrency to make quick payments, to avoid transaction fees or because cryptocurrency offers some anonymity, according to the Federal Trade Commision.

The perceptions conditioned media viewers to believe cryptocurrency was used in stores in Rincón, a popular surfing town, and that a lot of land was brought up by young cryptocurrency millionaires.  

So they drove to Rincón to find out the truth. The students expected to be able to spend cryptocurrency and witness the disparity caused by cryptocurrency.

The municipality is notably different from the others, but when they asked store owners if they take cryptocurrency as a form of payment, they shook their heads no. After speaking with locals and other store owners, they quickly learned that what they saw online was not entirely correct. Cryptocurrency did not have an oppressive hold on Rincón, and it is not yet that established like it is in El Salvador.

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, helped the country to become the first nation to adopt bitcoin as legal tender. Cryptocurrency is still in the beginning stages in Puerto Rico, but it is on the rise.

Wisconsin Artist Sabrina Jordan, known under the artistic alias, Bean Baye, is getting ready to release her first collection of NFTs in the summer. She has been working on a summer collection for the past few months, which will feature zodiac signs portrayed as diverse, naked women. It will contain multiple ethnicities and highlight various features of women’s bodies. She uses the app ProCreate to illustrate NFTs with different colors and brushes.

NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are a type of cryptocurrency that is becoming popular around the world. They are unique and cannot be replicated, making them special. They are like digital ownership certificates, according to Director Shirley McPhaul of Crypto Curious, Puerto Rico Block Trade Association. He said the ownership could be for a JPEG, an MP3, MP4 or even a house or car.

The Church of Assisi Parish

The first Indigenous people of Puerto Rico were the Taínos, who lived on the island before Christopher Columbus arrived during his second voyage in 1493. The Taínos called the island Borikén(Borinquen) which translates to “The great land of the valiant and noble Lord.” Many Puerto Ricans today identify themselves as Boricua meaning a person from Puerto Rico by birth or descent. Some towns in Puerto Rico still have the Taíno name including Utuado, Mayagüez, Caguas and Humacao.

Puerto Rico remained under Spanish rule for around 500 years, but the United States got Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War in 1898. It was not until 19 years later, Puerto Ricans became citizens of the United States, making the island a U.S. territory.

Puerto Ricans began leaving the island in the 1920s to find employment in cities like Milwaukee. Many people came to Milwaukee because they had connections. Don Rafael Reyes, 89, came to Milwaukee from Utuado in 1957. The community refers to him as “Don” to show respect, a custom in Latinx cultures, according to his close family friend, Maria Gonzalez-Edwards, 60, who helped translate. When asked why he decided to move to Wisconsin, he responded, “Like everybody else; looking for a better place to live.”

The St. Francis of Assisi Parish strengthened the community in Milwaukee. “There’s a very strong bond, whether it’s a Puerto Rican, whether it’s in a Puerto Rican family, or that’s generally in any Latina family; that sense of relationship,” said Gonzalez-Edwards. “I mean, we all know each other. Yeah, they all grew up together. They’ve seen their children grow up in this church.” Gonzalez-Edwards said someone in the church remembers pushing her in a stroller when she was a baby.

The Puerto Rican community in Milwaukee is upwardly mobile. Many came from the early 1950s to seek employment and a lot of Puerto Ricans ended up working in fields picking food or working in foundries casting metal like Don Reyes.

Gonzalez-Edwards admitted Puerto Ricans love to talk a lot. They also love good food, good cooks and music. She said they love salsa, merengue and all kinds of music. There is a thriving cluster of Puerto Rican restaurants in Milwaukee, but the food was not as authentic.

Mofongo is a typical Puerto Rican dish made with fried plantains, and it is enjoyed by everyone.

Family is also an important value to Puerto Ricans. Gonzalez-Edwards explained people in Puerto Rico were already celebrating Christmas in October a year after Hurricane Maria hit.

“So that whole sense of being together and you know, family is really, really important,” said Gonzalez-Edwards. She felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and joy.

Puerto Ricans care deeply about their roots with the island. Many locals explained how important it was to them to be Puerto Rican. While some Puerto Ricans left the island to come to the United States, many had stories of how long their families have been on the island and how they plan to stay to keep that alive.

“Puerto Ricans are special people from the heart,” said Pagan-Ruiz. “We are intense people. Everything we do, we try to do the best because we are in a part of the world where people come from many different countries. If we don’t do it the best quality, we get overlooked.”

Wild Horses and McDonalds

Gentrification is impacting Puerto Rico and there is differing opinions on it. Traveling the entire island showed that rural areas and some cities have poverty and struggling communities.

The island even retained a lot of the same qualities from the mainland. The malls are similar with almost all the same stores. Mcdonalds, Starbucks and Krispy Kreme can all be found on the island. Even Burger King can be found in almost every municipality.

The highway traveled along the west coast cutting through mountains while heading into Rincón. Wild horses and cows were grazing on acres of land along the side of the highway. A peaceful presence could be felt as the sun was setting and glistening on the Caribbean sea.

Entering Rincón was like going through the wardrobe in Narnia. The surfing town was notably different from the rural parts of the island. It still is an intimate town, just a little more upbeat. English speakers were more prominent, white people more abundant and commerce was more Americanized.

The plaza was not a bustling central faction of the community as it was in Salinas, Yauco and San Germán. It was more of a novelty or a place to take pictures. There was even an American style pizzeria, bars and souvenir shops for tourists. The Americanization of community was relevant in Rincón, but not because of cryptocurrency.

Diverse Opinions on Statehood

Many Puerto Ricans have differing opinions on statehood. Residents are excluded from a series of benefits including voting in federal elections.

The U.S. government actively prevented Puerto Rican independence and refused to give residents the same identity and social programs all 50 U.S. states has received.

Alberto Maldonado, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center (RHC) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said the issue of whether Puerto Rico should become a state or not is a complicated issue, but he has a strict answer. “I don’t support statehood,” he said. “I like that I can go to the Olympics and see the Puerto Rican flag. It’s the prideful piece that I can’t get past.”

Victor Huyke, 59, the publisher of the El Conquistador Newspaper in Milwaukee, said he would prefer to have Puerto Rico as a state because it would take decades for the island to rebalance itself economically. He does; however, share many disagreements with the U.S. government.

“We’re good to serve in the military to defend the honor of this country, but we’re not good enough to get the benefits, asked Huyke. “That is pretty much a second-class citizen at its finest.” He said it is ridiculous that the different status of living on the island versus the mainland determines what rights people can have.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April that congress can deny Puerto Rican residents SSI benefits because they do not pay all federal taxes. José Levee, 73, said the government is not listening to elderly people. “This is a very bad thing because the help is for everyone,” said Levee. He feels let down by the government.

In 2019, Act 60 enabled Act 20 and Act 22 that were passed in 2012, to attract investors and entrepreneurs to the island. Wealthy investors have been taking advantage of the beautiful sunsets and the tax benefits that come with it. Once someone becomes a resident in Puerto Rico, they qualify for a series of tax benefits including exemption from U.S. federal tax on income and capital gains under Act 22 and export service companies can get a 4% corporate tax rate and exemption from full tax on dividends under Act 20.

Puerto Rico has an unemployment rate of 7.1% as of January 2022. Act 60 is supposed to help draw in people to improve the economy.

While investors are benefiting from Act 60, many locals are being pushed out of their homes because of the increase of property prices.

Senator Maria De Lourdes Santiago, and vice president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, calls the wealthy investors “foreign opportunists.” She said they buy properties over the appraisal value.

“It provokes an imbalance in the market, and it makes it possible that prices increase artificially, and it makes these properties be outside of the accessible market for Puerto Ricans.” She said when they acquire the properties that owned by Puerto Ricans, they eject them and they will not be able to find another place to live.

“The end result is a massive displacement of Puerto Rican communities,” said Santiago.

Maldonaldo said in the last five years, Airbnb’s have been multiplying across the island.

“Locals are losing some of the shares they want to own,” he said.

When asked about Act 60, Michael Hoxsey, an expat, responded, “Oh yeah, it’s horrible.”

He said the idea to bring capital to the island to improve it is not working. “It is decidedly not working for Puerto Ricans,” said Hoxsey. “It’s working great for investors.”

After visiting Yauco, across a restaurant there was graffiti on the side of a building that said, “The Colony is Corrupt,” in big red letters. There were two small posters just to the left of the graffiti that read, “Occupy our Land,” We are Not Leaving.”

Politicians Are Not Listening

In Salinas, the sun is peaking in and out between the clouds, and several people can be seen selling Lotería (lottery) tickets. There is a road heading to the main street where cars drive past in a single file, frequently being backed up. Birds can be heard chirping and the occasional crow from a rooster. Locals, who speak little English, are mingling in the main square, some sitting on benches and others walking observing the statues and monuments in memorial of soldiers from Salinas who served in Vietnam. Most of the older people wear masks. It is common for people to wear masks, especially indoors. Each municipality has a main square, city hall and Catholic church. They made a small triangle with all three spots, with a tan pavement opening the center. Local businesses surround the plaza, including Vitamin Zone Gym, Natasha Mercado Salon and Superior Salinas Lumber Yard.

Off to one corner, Martin Laboy stationed his hot dog vendor in the shade, beating the 85-degree heat with a huge rainbow umbrella branching over him. As he was selling hot dogs and ice-cold bottled water to the locals, he expressed his concern about the environmental issues Salinas is suffering.

“People here are very mad about what’s happening because it gives a bad impression of the town and the local government,” Laboy said. “The mangroves should be protected because they are a part of the ecology. If there is anyone that should be prosecuted, they should be and maybe spend their time in jail.”

In Salinas, mangrove deforestation is a current issue. Mangrove forests are critical in protecting damage from severe weather systems, especially hurricanes. Locals said that by destroying the mangrove trees inside the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, between Guayama and Salinas, it increases the chances that more water will come into homes and damage properties if a hurricane happens again. The mangroves have been infiltrated for a long time, even before Karilyn Bonilla Colón, the mayor of Salinas, was elected. There has been a lot of distrust between the citizens and the government.

Laboy believes that politicians are vital for the economy because they are the ones that represent the town. He said what is happening here and in other municipalities about corruption deteriorate the confidence that people have for their government.

“I believe that politics are important, but the people that represent those politics have to do a better job and have the back of the people that represent them as a democracy,” said Laboy.

Three men who were sharing a bench, mingling amongst themselves, agreed that the biggest problem is the politicians.

“Politicians are not looking out for them,” one said. They said politicians work in a corrupt way, only benefitting political parties.

Locals expressed their anger towards the government, because they said they are aware of what is happening, and they choose to not do anything.

Maria De Lourdes Santiago, senator, vice president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, mentioned that the destruction in the Nature Reserve is an example of when authorities choose to ignore the issues and look to the side.

“For years, community leaders and environmental groups have denounced that individuals are destroying and building property in the reserve, but it is thanks to journalists who have brought these issues to the public,” said Santiago.

How Color and Art Can Transform a City

Puerto Rico is filled with color. Bright blue skies and green mountains make up most of the island. This is a drastic difference compared to the mainland where every city looks similar with black and grey architecture. In Puerto Rico, each municipality has its own culture and own story to tell, especially Yauco.

Yuaco is a town and municipality on the southwestern part of the island, and it is known for their coffee. The mountainous terrain and natural irrigation from rivers make Yauco an ideal area for coffee farming, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

This part of the island is not only known for its coffee, but also for its colorful murals. Driving into the town through winding roads, a big sign “Yauco” appears. Up the hill there are colorful murals on the sides of buildings. Buildings are covered with bright colors; yellow, orange, blue, green, pink and purple. The murals are on every building, even on people’s homes, making their way up the mountain.

Each step up the mountain is blocked with color representing a new change and at the top all of Yauco can be seen overlooking the mountains outlining the horizon. Stray cats sleep peacefully sun-bathing, and a flock of rooster’s crow in the background.

The murals were done through June and July in 2018 by Samuel González Rodríguez, creator of Pintalto and Yaucromatic macro murals. He said the murals “completely changes the atmosphere and feel of this place.” Prior to the murals, the area was one of the most dangerous parts of Yauco with murders and drug trafficking. People abandoned their homes in fear of danger. However, four people stayed.

With tears welling in his eyes, Emilio Flores, a local who lives on the mountain got emotional talking about his family and childhood memories. Flores sometimes cries while walking around the neighborhood as he thinks back to when he was a child running through the streets and alleys, but now there is nothing left. Everyone he knew and saw everyday left. It is only him and three others who are still in the area.

“I wouldn’t change it for anything,” said Flores. “Someone can offer me a million-dollar house and I would still choose to stay here.” Yaucromatic was created to attract people to the community and change the negative perception that the community had. González Rodríguez wanted to gather art and culture to change the city through mosaics. He wanted to show how color and art can transform a city. When someone looks at the project, they might not be able to identify each individual building because the pattern is an optical illusion, according to González Rodríguez.

“Having this project is huge and it gives a glimpse what life in Puerto Rico can do,” said González Rodríguez.

A jewelry vendor that sells unique pieces attracts tourism in the area. González Rodríguez said having shops helps bring tourism to an area that is not highly visited. Yaucromatic had something unique about it, which was to turn Yauco into a tourist attraction within a month. This helped convince homeowners in giving the permits to paint their houses. He wanted to show that you can “do a lot with less.” The project helped the area to be the most visited sight in Yauco after it was one of the least visited. People came from France, Japan, China and South America, according to González Rodríguez.

The LGBTQ+ Community in Puerto Rico

The LGBTQ+ community in Puerto Rico is accepted in larger cities like San Juan, Mayagüez, Vieques, Cabo Rojo and Dorado, but it is very different in rural areas. Seven to 11 % are part of the LBBTT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transexual, Queer) and 9% of people 55 and older are part of the LGBT+ community, according to Waves Ahead.

Waves Ahead started in 2017 to offer support to marginalized and vulnerable groups of society. There are three locations in Puerto Rico: San Juan, Cabo Rojo and Maunabo.

“We are the only organization that is working with the LGBT community in Puerto Rico right now, Waves Ahead Executive Director Wilfred Labiosa said. “We began here in San Juan, but now we have three community centers. My goal is to have one on every key point on the country.”

At least 14 LGBT people are murdered in Puerto Rico from 2019-2021, likely more because hate crimes get underreported.

The LGBT community suffers many challenges including access to appropriate housing, financial instability and mental health related issues such as loneliness and social isolation, according to Wave Ahead. There have been reports of levels of anxiety, depression and suicide-attempts and death by suicide.

Puerto Rico has been an affluent epicenter for the art of drag since the 1960s. According to Labiosa, the bustling nightlife in areas like San Juan is largely due to the drag queens and transgender performers.

Now, Puerto Rican drag queens have taken the world by storm. RuPaul’s Drag Race has featured Puerto Rican queens since the first season with performers such as Nina Flowers, Alexis Mateo, Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.

“There was a dancer that was really famous, and she didn’t come out as a transgender woman until much later,” said Labiosa. “Before she died, she said, ‘I fooled you. I’ve been a transgender woman all of my life.’”

Labiosa said there have been a lot of influences on the straight community.

“There are comedians, straight and gay, who dress up in drag to do their performances,” she said.

Puerto Rico is becoming older and poorer. About 28% of the population is 60 years old and above and it is expected to increase to 40%, according to Wave Ahead. The older generation has some health concerns including attempts and deaths by suicide. 67.2% of deaths by suicides occur among the ages of 35 and 74, according to Waves Ahead.