Puerto Rican community proud of indigenous roots
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Filed Under:
National
Taino heritage is the center of attention at the annual celebration in Jayuya, a community known as the indigenous capital of Puerto Rico.
Jayuya is named after a Taino chief, whose statue was dedicated in 1969. That was the year of the first National Indigenous Festival of Jayuya.
The beauty pageant plays a big role in the festival. Contestants are awarded extra points for their indigenous features.
"It’s not white culture and blue eyes; it says that the part of our blood that comes from indigenous culture is just as important," Félix González, the festival's president, told The New York Times.
A 2003 DNA study found that 61 percent of Puerto Ricans share Taino genetic markers.
Get the Story:
Tradition Counts More Than Beauty at a Pageant
(The New York Times 12/2)
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