The Pava

The pava is a wide-brimmed straw hat favored by the jibaros in Puerto Rico to provide sun protection when they worked the sugar cane fields long ago. The jibaros are country people who live in the mountains of Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny raised the visibility of the pava, which he donned at numerous concerts and events.

Did you know Puerto Rico's agricultural sector was wiped out during the industrialization of the island's economy after World War II? How my mother ended up in New York City.

Puerto Rican cutouts, 1959

 

Today is the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. 

It's a bittersweet celebration, considering the enormous problems the island faces. 

Both of my maternal and paternal grandparents and my mother were born in Puerto Rico; my dad was born in NYC. I still have cousins on the island.

Puerto Rico is one of the last colonies owned by the U.S. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but do not have a vote in presidential elections. They have been drafted to fight in all the major U.S. wars since 1898.

This playset was produced by the Board of National Missions of the United Presbyterian Church in the US. It was published at a time when Puerto Ricans left the island in droves as the federal government decided to switch the economy from farm-based to factory-based. You couldn't make a living off the land anymore. And factory wages were poor. So, many came to the mainland.

The inside folder of this playset shows a factory amidst the palm trees and an open field.

Here is one of the booklets included in this playset.

Updates:

About 3 million people live on the island today. 

The Taino people lived on the island when Columbus arrived. 

According to the U.S. Library of Congress:

When Christopher Columbus arrived on the Bahamian Island of Guanahani (San Salvador) in 1492, he encountered the Taíno people, whom he described in letters as "naked as the day they were born." The Taíno had complex hierarchical religious, political, and social systems. Skilled farmers and navigators, they wrote music and poetry and created powerfully expressive objects. At the time of Columbus’s exploration, the Taíno were the most numerous indigenous people of the Caribbean and inhabited what are now Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. By 1550, the Taíno were close to extinction, many having succumbed to diseases brought by the Spaniards. Taíno influences survived, however, and today appear in the beliefs, religions, language, and music of Caribbean cultures.

Puerto Rico Pavilion, 1939 World's Fair

The title of this unused postcard says it all: "Souvenir From Puerto Rico, U.S.A., Your $200,000,000 Market"-- the self-sufficiency of the island was not as important as its identification as a market for mainland goods. 

The reverse of the card describes the Puerto Rico Pavilion at the New York World's Fair featuring "alluring displays" of the commercial importance "of this American stronghold of the Caribbean--an island filled with scenic beauty and charm and possessing a climate unsurpassed the year around."

A year after Hurricane Maria, the island is still struggling to recover.

Check out Unidos, a project of the Hispanic Federation, which was founded by Luis Miranda, Jr., a longtime political activist (and the father of Lin-Manuel Miranda).

La Intendencia, San Juan, Puerto Rico ca. 1920s

La Intendencia, formerly the Spanish colonial exchequer, a fine example of 19th century Puerto Rican architecture, now houses Puerto Rico's State Department.

No postcard markings on back and so small (about 4 x 2.5 inches), I think it was a booklet of souvenir images, meant to be posted in a scrapbook or photo album, not mailed. The number 12 in upper right hand corner indicates it was part of a larger set of images.

One year after Hurricane Maria, the island is still struggling; the infrastructure is still fragile and blackouts frequently occur. The Hispanic Federation is one of the best conduits for sending aid to the island. Find out how you can help here.