Puerto Rico..."La Isla del Encanto"

My sister recently went on vacation in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean, and she sent me not one, but two postcards from that island!


"Puerto Rico" is Spanish for "Rich Port." Before this, it was called "Boriken" or "Borinquen," from which the term "Boricua" is derived as referring to people of Puerto Rican heritage.

During the time that it was a Spanish colony, it became a sort of a stopover island for the Spanish galleons laden with goods from its oceanic conquests such as the Philippines en route to Spain. The historic district of Old San Juan (Viejo San Juan) is where you can find the famous Fort El Morro, one of many fortresses built to resist invaders and pirates (of the Caribbean?).

What's interesting about these structures is that they resemble Fort Santiago in Manila, Philippines. It's no wonder, because the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards around the same time that Puerto Rico was.



This second postcard is of Ponce--the second largest city of Puerto Rico--named after Juan Ponce de Leon's grandson, Loiza Ponce de Leon. There you can visit the Parque de Bombas, or their historic Fire Station; the Trully Main Square, and the "Hacienda Buena Vista" Cathedral.

If you click on both postcards, you'll notice an emblem with a frog on it. That frog is Puerto Rico's beloved "Coqui", so named because of its unique call that sounds just like it's pronounced. It is said to be found only in Puerto Rico and, according to local legends, was named after a tribal chieftain whose name is immortalized by the sound the frog makes.

Chef Andrew Zimmern recently featured Puerto Rico on his "Bizarre Foods" show on the Travel Channel. Coupled with my sister's photos and stories...it all just makes me want to go the "Island of Enchantment," too!



¡Feliz Viernes, everyone!