What pirates want...Puerto Rican arts & crafts - Legends of Puerto Rico, Inc.

You must see the thousands of international and local pirates searching for Puerto Rican arts & crafts in Old San Juan.

There are 26 types of craftsmanship made in Puerto Rico. Most of them are functional. In some you may sleep in it (hammock), animate a party (musical instruments), smoke it (freshly hand rolled cigars), get dressed (bobbin lace, seed jewelry, “corozo” seed rings), play with children (toy cars and rag dolls), taste it (native candy) and the list continues.

The wood carved saints are the Puerto Rican craft mostly known worldwide. The low-income families who wished to have a catholic saint in their homes begun developing this art. They would carve their saint with a regular knife. With the pass of time the necessity born to satisfy a religious belief has been transformed into one of the Island’s most popular hand crafted art.

My hometown of San Sebastián de Las Vegas del Pepino is known for the artisans that specialize in hammock weaving. The “Casa Pepiniana de la Cultura” organizes the annual Hammock Festival that takes place during the first weekend of July. We inherited the art of hammock weaving from our “Taíno” Indians. It is the only Puerto Rican craftsmanship that provides us the ideal medium to have sweet dreams.

It is sad to learn that some of Puerto Rican arts and crafts are no longer created. Among the lost ones are the magüey hammock weaving and the straw hats. Others that are endangered are the machete’s handles, reed basketry weaving, folk sponge, fish scale jewelry, paper flowers and folk pottery. Efforts are made to rescue them.

The Popular Arts and Arts & Crafts Division of the Puerto Rican Culture Institute have been involved in the rescue and conservation process of many traditional craftsmanship that were endangered. Among the most important arts & crafts that could be rescued are musical instruments known as “el cuatro”, “tiple” and “bordonúa”. In addition to bobbin lace, “soles”, wood carved saints and masks.

More than 7,000 artisans are certified, per life, under the Arts and Crafts Development Program, Puerto Rican Industries division at the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Other artisans practice their craft, but they are not interested in being certified.

The law requires that the artisans be certified at PRIDCO, in order to be eligible to participate in their development program and at the festivals. To qualify, the work has to be done with raw material and not use pre-fabricated elements. There are no statistics that indicate how many artisans use their talent as their way of living and how many are active. PRIDCO commenced certifying the artisans during the early 1990’s.

Foreigners residing in the Island can be certified as artisans with the condition that they utilize elements of the Puerto Rican culture.

The Arts and Crafts Development Program grants economic incentives to certified artisans to purchase working materials, machinery and tools that contribute to the development of arts and crafts in Puerto Rico

The Office for the Arts and Crafts Development manages this program, and sponsors fairs and workshops for the community. This office is in charge of facilitating marketing services, training and provides monetary aid for the artisans’ participation in conferences and seminars workshops and course fees.

The artisans exhibit their work at arts & craft fairs, patron saint festivals, designated tourist areas, crafts centers and private commercial properties. Most of their income is made at the fairs.

Three gigantic fairs are dedicated to this art during the month of July: The Puerto Rico Tourism Artisan Fair with approximately 300 exhibitions and The Hammock Festival at San Sebastián exhibits approximately 200. The Barranquitas Artisan Fair is the longest running in Puerto Rico and exhibits approximately 200 local craftsmen. During the month of December, The Bacardi Artisan Fair takes place in Cataño. July is the month dedicated to the Artisans.

The patron saint festival was originally celebrated as a religious event. With time, its purpose became a town party. The Municipalities Administration subcontracts private companies or individuals to organize the festival. Part of their duties is to contract the artisans.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company and the Municipalities Administration of San Juan have designated public and tourist areas for the artisan to work and sell their craftsmanship in Old San Juan. The three places in which you can find artisans during the weekend all year long are: Dársenas Plaza, Eugenio María de Hostos Plaza, and The Princes Promenade.

If you are in the north, visit The Craft Center Melao Melao administrated by the Culture Department of the Municipality of Vega Baja. While in the south, stop by the Artesanías Tabailba at Playa Station in Ponce. The shopping mall Plaza Las Américas is the largest private property that exhibits art & crafts 7 days a week all year long. You will have a good bargain when purchasing the craft directly from the artisan; in addition, you will be sure that you are investing in an original Puerto Rican arts & craft.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company has available a free map titled “Following Puerto Rican Crafts Route”, which is addressed to people that wish to venture on their own.

The general history of Puerto Rico craftsmanship is extensive and the personalized story of each piece adds a spectacular color to our culture. There are two options to study this art: through formal studies or get familiarized through a narrative and entertaining walking tour in Old San Juan.

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