(Zayas, 2012)

If I had to strip way at Puerto Rico’s culture, at the very heart and core you would find the values that have made this such a beautiful, interesting nation. Family, respect, education, language, religion, pride… these are just a few of the many principles Puerto Ricans hold dear. As a quick reminder of these people’s background, this is a group known for being sensitive, empathetic partiers with a relaxed sense of time who admire intelligent, hardworking, dedicated people who view criticism, aggressiveness and greed as rude (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 2014).

Family Throughout my research, time and time again the importance of family to Puerto Ricans came up. This starts from childhood, where children are given affection and leeway to learn (Torres, 2002) but, what I find interesting, is that much of this learning is done through nonverbal observation as opposed to verbal instructions (Santiago-Irizarry, 2001). In addition to doing a lot of learning, it is expected that the child learns Spanish to converse with family members (Torres, 2002). This appears to be a crucial time in a person’s life, as Santiago goes on to mention that these young children are expected to learn another critical value to this culture – respect. Children are expected to understand the hierarchy of their family: Dad is the provider, Mom looks out for our well-being, my extended family and godparents will play a crucial role in my life (Torres, 2002) and you respect the elderly, who usually seem to hold the most authority over family decisions (Vigil, 1996). As you grow up, another value begins to develop – importance in placed in the family, not in the individual (Vigil, 1996). What this value basically means is that all value is placed in the group as a whole and that you should not place value in yourself, and in return the group will place value in you instead of themselves. Because such value is placed in the group, it is no surprise religion plays such a big role in the lives of Puerto Ricans and that education is crucial, especially since there is a very real expectation for you to buy your own land to build a home or business on (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 2014).

Pride After family, pride is hands down the next value Puerto Ricans prize. Puerto Rican culture places a great deal of worth in their nation and region (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 2014). Language is often seen as a cultural marker due to the number of United States influences that seem to be escalating. It is easy to understand how many Puerto Ricans feel that their relationship with the U.S. is more of a battle than a benefit. Since the county has become a commonwealth of the U.S., there have been policies put in place for English to mandatorily be taught to all students. It is my personal belief that this is why the Puerto Rican dialect of Spanish is being fought for by the people of this nation – to keep alive the customs and culture. Santiago also went on to explain that many Puerto Ricans believe the escalated crime rate is due to the straying of tradition (Santiago, 2001).

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