Human Characteristics

The culture in Puerto Rico is very diverse. Multiple religions and beliefs came to Puerto Rico early on, making the country very unique.  The people of Puerto Rico represent a cultural and racial mix.

In the early 18th century, the Spaniards, in order to populate the country, took Taino women as brides. Thereafter, the citizens needed people (slaves) to help maintain their crops and build roads, so they brought over African slaves. Soon after the African slaves came over, Chinese immigrants were imported. Soon after the word got out about Puerto Rico, the Chinese and Africans were followed by the Italians, Germans, and even some Lebanese people. Next Puerto Rico became a colony of the United States in 1898, and  so Americans came to live there also.

As time went on, a significant amount of Cubans fled to Puerto Rico  from Fidel Castro's Communist state. But more recently, Dominican Republic residents fled because the country is economically depressed. Despite many different racial customs, Puerto Rico civilians love to display the loyalty to their culture and folklore.

Architecture

Most of the old structures have survived since the 16th-century. The most notable of these include El Morro Fortress, the San Juan Cathedral, and the Dominican Convent. Casa Blanca, a mansion built for the island's first governor, Ponce de León, still stands.

El Morro Fortress

Overlooking the entrance to San Juan bay, is the El Morro Fortress. It was built in 1539 to protect San Juan from enemies coming from the sea. When it was first constructed back in 1539 El Morro was just a simple tower, the layout that you see today was designed several years later in 1587 by engineers Juan de Tejada and Juan Bautista Antonelli based on the established Spanish military fortification design principles of that time period.

Within the fortress is a Main Plaza. The soldiers would gather there for parades and daily inspection. In the middle of the plaza is a well. The well was used for drinking water for the soldiers. It held  220,000 gallons of rainwater, enough to last the fortress a whole year!

Around the edges are rooms that were used as living quarters, storerooms, powder magazine storage, prison cells and also cannon firing positions. Also, in a much larger room was a chapel were the soldiers could worship and pray.

San Juan Cathedral

The San Juan Cathedral is the oldest structure in the U.S., and the second in the Western Hemisphere. The building that is sitting there right now isn't the original one though. The original was destroyed by a hurricane in 1540.

The Cathedral placement is no accident. Its location on Cristo Street is just  short walk from the San Juan Gate, along the Caleta de las Monjas. It was the first stop for travelers who landed on the island and walked through the city through the seaside entry. Sailors and travelers stopped at the Cathedral to thank god for a safe voyage.

As beautiful as it is, the cathedral is also famous for two famous reliquaries (it once carried many more treasures, but the repeated theft and damage has stripped it of much of its original finery). The first of these is the final resting place of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, the first governor of Puerto Rico. His remains were not always at the Catedral. Originally,  he was found at the Iglesia de San José, but he was moved here in 1908 and placed in the white marble tomb you see today.

The cathedral also holds another long-deceased figure. Look for the wax-covered mummified remains of St. Pio, a Roman martyr killed for his faith. The saint is encased in a glass box.

Dominican Convent

Dating back to 1523, the Dominican Convent was founded by Dominican priests. It first served as their monastery, but also served as shelter from the Caribe Tribes that frequently attacked The convent later functioned as barracks for the Spanish militia until the Unites States Army made it their Caribbean Headquarters. 

Casa Blanca

Built in 1521, Casa Blanca was made out of wood. It later burned down and was rebuilt with stone and masonry. It served as the first fortification of the San Juan islet and residence for Juan Ponce de Leon and his family. Even though he died on his expedition to Florida, his family and there descendants lived there until the mid-18th century. It also served as safety from the Taino rebels when they attacked.  In 1967 the building was given to the government, and from then on was declared a historical monument.

Traditions

Weddings

Throughout history there have been interesting similarities in the wedding traditions all around the world, but there are also some differences in the way they get married and celebrate such event. One unique characteristic of a Puerto Rican wedding is the bridal doll. A bridal doll, in a dress identical to the brides' gown, is usually placed on the head or center table with souvenirs attached to its dress. During the reception, the bride and groom will walk to each person and thank him or her for their presence at the nuptials. Each person is then pinned with a souvenir, some people in return pins dollars into the doll's dress.

Quinceañeros

The quinceañera tradition started centuries ago with the indigenous people as an important social ritual to commemorate the transition from adolescence to womanhood. At that time, fifteen year old girls were taken from their families to prepare for womanhood by learning about the history and traditions of her people. The return of the girl to the community was cause for a great celebration because of her new found knowledge and understanding of what womanhood entailed. Today, this celebration often includes a religious ceremony at church, more often practiced in the Catholic Church, although other religions have similar services to celebrate the young woman's coming of age, followed by a party.

The girl on her special day wears an extravagant white or pastel ball gown, similar in style to a modern day wedding gown. During the festivities, males take turns dancing with the girl and as customary, the first dance is a waltz danced with her father. Dinner is often included as part of the night's festivities and the cutting of the multi-tiered cake.

Land Use

The dark brown is urban. The medium brown is rural high density populated, and the lightest, whitesh brown is rural low-density populated.

Religion

Puerto Rico is an island that's constitution allows all citizens to practice their faith freely. There are many religions on the island, but the two main religions in Puerto Rico which are practiced are the Catholic faith, which holds the majority with 85% of the population, and the Protestant faith, which is followed by only about 8% of the people.

The rest of the population is either non-religious or practice other forms of religion. Over the years the Roman Catholic religion has proved the most popular form of religion for many Puerto Ricans.

The various Protestant denominations were introduced to the island when America started taking control of Puerto Rico.

The other religions denominations represented in Puerto Rico all have churches or places of worship to go to throughout the island. Other examples of religions or beliefs held by the people of Puerto Rico is the practice of spiritualism; Santeria, which originates from Cuba; and Judaism. The Jewish community is small but is made up of three different forms of Judaism, that being Orthodox, Reform and the Conservative, each with their own place of worship. You will also find mosques in Puerto Rico. Other religions to look out for are Taíno; Mayombe, a Congo belief; and Palo Mayombe, an African Traditional Religion, and Roman or Folk Catholicism.

Food

The dishes in Puerto Rico display a variety of cultures. Their appetizers are usually soup or stew to start of lunch and dinner. But the main meal consists of rice and usually something deep fried. Also, they love chicken. So when they aren’t having something deep fried they enjoy chicken.

Transportation

Transportation in Puerto Rico is like most countries around the globe. They have railways, airports, seaports/harbors, railways, cabs, cars, and buses. Puerto Rico has 3 international airports,  and 3 railways(one is a tourism railway though), The Tren Urbano Railway

The Tren Urbano Railway provides passenger train service between various points of the San Juan Metropolitan Area, between Bayamón, Guaynabo and several important sections of San Juan. The second railway is the Port of Ponce Railway, the only industrial railroad. It consists of a small railroad yard and a railroad ferry terminal. Puerto Rico also has an extensive system of roads and highways featuring tolled freeways. There are a total of more than 8,950 of paved road in Puerto Rico

Physical Characterisics

Sandy Beaches

Sandy beaches are the most visited and accessible coastal system in Puerto Rico. All around the Island you can access different beaches with different characteristics such as colors, sand texture and wave action. For that reason people tend to come across diverse areas for different purposes. Reefs are perfect for snorkeling not only for scenery of the reefs, but since there are little to waves. Swimming can also be enjoyed at any beach ranging from tall, choppy waves, to little to no waves at all. It all depends on the characteristics of the land to decide on what you can and can’t do. But human recreational use is not just the only reason to value the sandy beaches; there is a lot more to it like wildlife.

In Puerto Rico there are many ecosystems of which 7 of them (Rain Forest, Dry Forest, Sandy Beach, Rocky Shore, Coral Reef, Sea Grass Bed, Mangrove Forest & Lagoons) are the more  predominant and important to the Island. Of the 7 ecosystems, 5 of them are classified as Coastal and Marine Environment. For starters, we will begin with the Coastal Environment.

Most of the sandy beaches on the north coast hold sand dunes. These dunes are like mounds of sand, protecting the ecosystem within its barrier safe from the vicious wind that usually overtakes the vegetation. These animals rely solely on the plants to live, and without the protection, the plants would die, leaving the whole ecosystem in ruins.

Sand dunes mark the limit between the land and the sandy beaches, also there are critical in providing protection against hurricanes waves, erosion and floods.

Sea Grass Bed

Sea grass are a variety of plants that have all adapted to living on the sea floor. They are found living closer to the sea floor, in shallow depths were the sun still penetrates. The sea grass grow better in sandy and muddy sea floor rich in organic material and calcium carbonate. Living closer to the shore, the sea grass also stops coastal erosion, and helps keep the water clean and livable.

There are sea grass beds found all around the island but more are found on the East and Southern Coasts. More common sea grass in Puerto Rico include Turtle Grass and Manatee Grass. The sea grass bed also provides nourishment, living spaces and shelter for the fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms that thrive there. Also animals like the manatee and sea turtle thrive by eating the sea grass.

Coral Reef

Coral are living things that live in a thick limestone skeleton that they create throughout their lives. They are the most reproductive system in the marine environment. The coral in the Puerto Rican Seas and Oceans make great homes for a diversity of animal and plant life. 

Like any other plant, there are different types of corals. The main two are reef-building corals, and other corals that do not help in forming a reef are ahermatypic corals. The ahermatypic corals don't help to form reefs because they don't have small symbiotic algae living in their tissue. This algae allows the coral to deposit calcium carbonate faster.

Coral reefs need warm waters to live. They have optimal development with temperatures of about 23 – 25º C, other corals can tolerate 36-40º C. Puerto Rico has warmer water that are perfect for sustaining coral reefs, they hit the water temperature right on the dot.

Coral reefs all can't be the same size and shape due to geographical reasoning, they have to be classified into types. The first type is called an Atoll. It is a coral reef that develops a ring around a central lagoon. The second is a fringing reef; a coral reef that develops as a narrow band close to the shore. The third and final type is a Barrier reef; A coral reef adjacent to landmasses and separated from them by a lagoon or channel of similar length.

Depth is another important factor for a proper development of coral reefs. This is due to the light requirement of hermatypic corals as they need plenty of light for the small algae inside the coral tissue to generate photosynthesis. Reduction of photosynthesis inhibits their ability to deposit the calcium carbonate to produce the reef. But along the coasts of Puerto Rico it is pretty shallow in most parts, perfect for wildlife.

Magrove Forests

Mangroves are hardy shrubs that live along the seashore in Puerto Rico. They are able to tolerate the tide change by seawater.  Also the tree there have been considered land builders, generating buffer zones between land and sea. Mangrove forests are one of the most diverse environments found in Puerto Rico. 

Puerto Rico has four types of mangrove trees, each of them with a different adaption to live and tolerate the always moving sea. Some trees adapted to standing more salt than others, so different tree thrive in different zones of the forest. The hardiest and closest to the sea is the red mangrove, next, further inland is the black mangrove, third is the white mangrove and fourth, the button wood mangrove.

The mangrove is a varied ecological system unto itself: the branches of trees where sea birds nest, the terrestrial roots where crabs and mollusks thrive and the submerged roots where a multitude of aquatic sea life exist such as sponges, anemones, clams, segmented worms, tunicate and a great variety of fish. The mangrove forest is the nursery for most of the animals of the sea.

Animal Life

I know that when you hear El Yunque rain forest you think of all sorts of colorful and exotic animals — like monkeys, jaguars, and macaws. But you are not going to see those there. This is because Puerto Rico was formed from an underground volcano — the island rose up from the ocean floor. So, while they do have some nice reefs and varied aquatic wildlife (including mammals, such as whales and manatees), they have a short list of land-based animals. 

Puerto Rico has a very varied geography — dry forest, rain forests, mountains and flood plains. So you will find different sorts of animals in different areas. Generally, you will different types of birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. The average person visiting will see/experience a few of the more typical animals, but most people will not see most of the animals that call Puerto Rico home. You will need to really look to see them!There are not a huge number of native species left on the island due to the human population growth and development of land. Many of the native species are on the endangered species list. 

The bugs in Puerto Rico are nothing short of huge! You will notice the large snails, beetles and walking-sticks in the rain forest and, the anoles that you can see everywhere. You may see larger lizards and even iguanas. Adult iguanas have no predators here in Puerto Rico besides cars, so their numbers have grown so much that they are actually a bad thing! Other animals include small crocodiles, and sea turtles. 

All land mammals that are here came with the humans.