After more than four centuries within the Spanish world, the island came under the sovereignty of the United States. The change brought a new government, a new national framework, new institutions—and inevitably, new ideas about how Puerto Rico should fit within them. But political systems can change much faster than cultures do. More than a…

Whenever the future of Puerto Rico comes up, particularly in conversations about political status, one comparison seems almost inevitable: Hawaii. The argument usually goes something like this: Hawaii was an island territory of the United States, eventually became a state, and Puerto Rico could simply follow the same path. Or, depending on who’s making the…

Ask someone to name America’s oldest city and you’ll probably hear St. Augustine. Ask about America’s great historic fortifications and they may point toward the mainland. Ask where you’ll find the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, and suddenly the answers become less certain. That’s where Puerto Rico enters the conversation. Puerto…

Puerto Rico is usually associated with baseball, boxing, basketball, and an extraordinary tradition of athletes who have represented the island around the world. American football is different. Puerto Rico has no NFL franchise, and the sport has never occupied the same place in island culture that baseball does. And yet, Puerto Rico has been part…

Puerto Rico is a small island. Its influence is anything but small. Across different periods of history, Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans have left fingerprints on what the world drinks, eats, listens to, manufactures, plays, and even sends into space. Some of those contributions are obvious. Puerto Rican rum and reggaetón need little introduction today.…

Washington D.C. is not an enormous city. But somehow, it feels enormous. Maybe it is the monuments. Maybe it is the museums, the government buildings, the portraits of presidents, or simply knowing that decisions made along these streets have affected people thousands of miles away. Including us in Puerto Rico. For this episode of Chronicles…

Puerto Rico is small. Roughly 100 miles long and about 35 miles wide, it occupies only a tiny piece of the Caribbean. On a world map, it can almost disappear beside the enormous landmasses of North and South America. But size has never been a particularly good way to measure Puerto Rico. For centuries, this…

Greenland is suddenly at the center of a much bigger conversation. The United States wants greater influence in the Arctic. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in Greenland. Europe is paying attention. Denmark is paying attention. And the reasons go far beyond acquiring a very large piece of ice-covered land. Greenland sits in one…

There are roads you take because they are beautiful, roads you take because they are historic, and roads you take simply because they get you where you need to go. Puerto Rico Highway 22 manages to be a little bit of all three. Officially known as the José de Diego Expressway, PR-22 stretches roughly 84…

Río Piedras is one of those places in Puerto Rico that almost everyone knows, thousands pass through every day, and surprisingly few people actually stop to look at. Founded in 1714 as El Roble, Río Piedras began as a transit town—a place along the road rather than the final destination. Cattle, agriculture, roads and travelers…

On July 25, 1898, United States troops landed at Guánica on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. American forces then moved inland toward Ponce and other strategic points. Spain still exercised sovereignty over Puerto Rico. The Treaty of Paris had not been signed. In fact, it would not be signed for more than four months.…

There are certain childhood traditions that stay with you because of the gifts you received. And then there are traditions that stay with you because, for a few hours, the adults in your life convinced you that something impossible had actually happened. For me, Three Kings Day in Puerto Rico was the latter. When I…

Puerto Rico is famous for rum. There is the polished stuff: carefully aged barrels, handsome bottles, international brands, tasting rooms and cocktails served beside swimming pools. And then there is pitorro. No fancy bottle required. No advertising campaign. Sometimes not even a label. Known by names including ron caña, ron cañita and pitorro, this potent…

Puerto Rican Christmas is one of the longest and most festive holiday seasons in the world—and naturally, we have the drinks to go with it. From Nochebuena and Christmas Day through New Year’s Eve, Three Kings Day and the San Sebastián Street Festival, Puerto Rico knows how to stretch Christmas into a season of food,…

Some of the best trips are the ones you never intended to take. This particular Sunday didn’t begin as a road trip. My wife, Mariela, had work to do. She needed to visit a property in Río Grande for one of the destination weddings she plans in Puerto Rico. I went along. That could have…

Puerto Rico is famous for having what is often called the longest Christmas season in the world. It is one of those claims Puerto Ricans repeat with a certain amount of pride — usually while holding a glass of coquito, eating a pastel, or explaining why the Christmas decorations are still up halfway through January.…

The Forgotten Fruit Born in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is home to remarkable natural wonders, rich traditions, and a history shaped by Indigenous peoples, European empires, Africa, and the Caribbean. Yet among all of its treasures is one that remains surprisingly unknown—even to many Puerto Ricans. It isn’t El Yunque. It isn’t the coquí. It…

The Story of the Christmas Tree, Dr. Agustín Stahl, and Bayamón’s Holiday Legacy Every December, millions of families decorate a Christmas tree without giving much thought to where the tradition came from. For many, it’s simply part of the season—a familiar ritual of lights, ornaments, music, and family gatherings. But the Christmas tree has a…

Christmas in Puerto Rico doesn’t arrive quietly—it bursts through the door with music, family gatherings, parrandas, laughter, and, of course, a chilled bottle of coquito waiting in the refrigerator. For many Puerto Ricans, the first glass of coquito marks the official beginning of the Christmas season. Yet despite its popularity, surprisingly few people know the…

Every holiday season, kitchens across Latin America fill with the aroma of steaming leaves, seasoned meats, and family traditions passed from one generation to the next. Whether you’re in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, or Central America, chances are someone is wrapping a special holiday meal in a leaf. But while many people compare…

When most people think about turkey in Puerto Rico, they immediately think of Thanksgiving, pavochón, cranberry sauce, and family gatherings. Because Thanksgiving is an American holiday, many assume the turkey arrived on the island only after the United States took possession of Puerto Rico in 1898. The truth is far more interesting. Turkey was already…

The Story Behind November 19, 1493 Every year on November 19, Puerto Rico marks one of the most consequential dates in its history. It was on this day, in 1493, during his second voyage across the Atlantic, that Christopher Columbus reached the island the Taíno people called Borikén. That single event would forever alter the…

History isn’t just a collection of dates and battles. It’s the story a people tell themselves about who they are. But what happens when some of those stories become myths? Puerto Rico has one of the richest and most fascinating histories in the Atlantic world, yet many of the ideas repeated in classrooms, political debates,…

Most people think of New Orleans as a French city. Most people think of Puerto Rico as simply another Caribbean island. But what if I told you these two places have been connected for more than 250 years? In the latest episode of Chronicles & Cocktails, we travel from the colorful streets of the French…

For more than a century, Puerto Ricans have proudly served in the United States Armed Forces, fighting in nearly every major American conflict since World War I. From the trenches of Europe to the frozen mountains of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, the skies over Libya, and modern military operations throughout the Caribbean, generations of…

Puerto Rico is often celebrated for its tropical beaches, vibrant culture, and world-famous cuisine. But beyond the palm trees lies something even more remarkable: one of the oldest collections of European colonial architecture in the Americas. In this episode of Chronicles & Cocktails, I take you on a journey through ten of the oldest buildings…

Why I Spent Years Researching the History of Puerto Rico’s Mountain Town Published on Chronicles & Cocktails If you’ve ever driven through the mountains of Puerto Rico, chances are you’ve passed through Utuado. You probably admired the green hills, crossed one of its rivers, stopped for a cup of coffee, or maybe visited the famous…

Separating fact from fiction—one myth, one cocktail, and one story at a time Every destination has its stereotypes. Puerto Rico is no exception. Ask almost any Puerto Rican who has spent time talking with visitors, and they’ll tell you they’ve heard the same questions over and over again: “Do I need a passport?” “Do you…

Puerto Rico may be only 100 miles long, but every road tells a different story. One of the greatest mistakes visitors make is believing that Puerto Rico begins and ends in Old San Juan. While our capital is extraordinary, the real personality of the island lives in its towns—the plazas where generations have gathered, the…

When I mailed off my DNA sample, I expected a few surprises. What I didn’t expect was just how closely my personal story would mirror the history of Puerto Rico itself. The results didn’t simply tell me where my ancestors came from—they told the story of centuries of exploration, migration, conquest, trade, survival, and cultural…

What are the oldest foods in Puerto Rico? The answer goes far beyond mofongo and arroz con gandules. Puerto Rican cuisine is one of the oldest continuous culinary traditions in the Caribbean, shaped by Taíno agriculture, Spanish colonization, African traditions, and centuries of cultural exchange. In the latest episode of Chronicles & Cocktails, we travel…

For 286 years, Utuado has stood at the heart of Puerto Rico’s central mountains, preserving a story unlike any other on the island. Founded on October 12, 1739, this historic town has witnessed Spanish colonial rule, the coffee boom, the American invasion of 1898, hurricanes, economic transformations, and generations of Puerto Ricans who have proudly…

In this episode of Chronicles & Cocktails, I share something personal: The Utuado Collection — a shelf of books written by Utuadeños or about Utuado’s history, culture, and people. No scripts, no filters — just stories, authors, and memories, with a glass of bourbon in hand. These books hold pieces of who we are —…

IntroWhat does it really mean when we say Puerto Rico is American?From the landing of U.S. troops in 1898 to the modern-day presence of federal agencies, Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States is as complex as it is defining. In this episode of Chronicles and Cocktails, host Josué Vázquez Cruz, The Spirited Historian, explores…

IntroWhen Bad Bunny took center stage at the NFL Halftime Show, Puerto Rico wasn’t just represented—it was celebrated.In this episode, Josué Vázquez Cruz uses pop culture as a lens to examine how Puerto Rico’s music and identity have shaped modern America.The featured drink? The Café con Ron Martini—a blend of coffee, rum, and Caribbean soul.…

Puerto Rico may be small in size, but it’s overflowing with history, culture, and unique wonders. From the streets of Old San Juan to the glowing waters of La Parguera, this island has stories that capture the imagination. In this article, based on Episode 09 of Chronicles and Cocktails, I share 10 fun and historical…

September 20, 2017 — Hurricane María changed Puerto Rico forever. Entire towns were left in ruins, power and water were gone for months, and thousands of lives were lost. This episode is my most personal: a reflection on the storm that reshaped our island. From San Juan’s blacked-out streets to the devastation in Utuado and…

Every town in Puerto Rico carries a founding story — a tale of faith, geography, and community. In this episode, I travel through the history of all 78 municipalities, plus the early settlements that came before them: Caparra, San Mateo de Cangrejos, Río Piedras, and La Tuna. Each foundation marked not only a place on…

Few streets in Puerto Rico carry as much meaning as Avenida de la Constitución. Stretching from Kilometer Zero in Old San Juan past the Capitol, it is both a physical road and a symbolic one — representing Puerto Rico’s political journey. Along this avenue stand the Capitol of Puerto Rico, the Supreme Court, and the…

Bad Bunny’s concerts fill San Juan with fans from around the world. But beyond the Coliseo, Puerto Rico offers food and drink experiences that are just as unforgettable. In this episode, I take you on a road trip across the island to discover authentic Puerto Rican flavors. These stops show Puerto Rico’s diversity — from…

Old San Juan isn’t just about forts and plazas. It’s also home to some of Puerto Rico’s finest museums — places where history, art, and identity come alive. In this episode, I visit five museums that showcase the island’s cultural soul, paired with a refreshing Tropical Sangria. Together, these museums preserve the stories of a…

Few buildings in Puerto Rico carry as much history as the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. Built in 1521, it is the second-oldest cathedral in the Americas and the oldest in continuous use on U.S. soil. In this episode, I explore its history, relics, and secrets — paired with a simple but powerful Caribbean cocktail.…

Walking through Old San Juan is like stepping into a living museum. Founded in 1521, this walled city has witnessed conquest, battles, and centuries of everyday life. In this episode, I explore the plazas, streets, and fortresses of Old San Juan — and pair it with a cocktail inspired by the city itself. San Juan…