Articles tagged as Puerto Rico | Smithsonian Magazine

Teams of engineers looked for remedies to help save the telescope, but repairs would be too risky for a construction team to safely undertake.

After Suffering Irreparable Damage, It's Lights Out for the Arecibo Observatory's Iconic Telescope

The 1,000-foot telescope has been a pillar for astronomical research, leading to some of the cosmos' most exciting discoveries

Rasha Aridi

November 20, 2020

Luisa Capetillo, left, was a labor organizer and one of Puerto Rico's foundational feminists. Right, women on Election Day in 1936, the first year all women on the island could vote.

In Puerto Rico, Women Won the Vote in a Bittersweet Game of Colonial Politics

Puertorriqueñas' fight for suffrage shaped by class, colonialism and racism—but even today, island residents cannot vote for president

Rosa Cartagena

November 2, 2020

Rubble from the Museo de la Masacre de Ponce fell from the top of the building and caused the collapse of its second-floor balcony.

5.4-Magnitude Earthquake Damages Puerto Rican Museums

The Museo de la Massacre de Ponce and Casa Paoli were among the buildings affected by Saturday's tremors

Theresa Machemer

May 7, 2020

Google's Art Camera scanned dozens of works of art in high resolution.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Teams Up With Google to Digitize Puerto Rico's Art

The devastation of Hurricane Maria highlighted the importance of preserving the island's cultural treasures

Brigit Katz

November 11, 2019

Damage to the Philippine Legislative Building as a result of World War II. At the time, the Philippines was a U.S. colony.

Telling the History of the U.S. Through Its Territories

In "How to Hide an Empire," Daniel Immerwahr explores America far beyond the borders of the Lower 48

Anna Diamond

January 2019

A home on the storm-battered southeastern coast. The words on the sign, “Yo voy a ti PR,” translate roughly to “I’m rooting for you, Puerto Rico!”

The Slow Recovery in Puerto Rico

As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria approaches, Puerto Ricans feel not only devastated but abandoned

Erika P. Rodriguez

July 2018

Clockwise from upper right, the items Feliciano donated to the Smithsonian included: his beloved Concerto Candelas guitar, a Braille writer his wife Susan used, a pair of his trademark glasses, and a heartfelt embroidered note from a Japanese admirer.

For More Than Five Decades, José Feliciano's Version of the National Anthem Has Given Voice to Immigrant Pride

The acclaimed musician offers a moving welcome to the newest U.S. citizens and donates his guitar

Alice George

June 15, 2018

This Costa Rican Paradise Shelters Over 1,000 Stray Dogs

A photographer documents scenes from Territorio De Zaguates, a converted farm in the Santa Bárbara mountains that's giving abandoned dogs a second chance

Jennifer Billock

March 6, 2018

Members of Puerto Rico's Concilio Taíno Guatu-Ma-cu a Boriken presented a dance ceremony to invite the public to recover the collective spirituality of their Native ancestors.

Bringing Taíno Peoples Back Into History

A traveling Smithsonian exhibition explores the legacy of Indigenous peoples in the Greater Antilles and their contemporary heritage movement

Ranald Woodaman

December 28, 2017

A solar and battery-powered microgrid got San Juan’s Children’s Hospital quickly back online after Hurricane Maria.

Why Puerto Rico's Power Can't Come From Solar 'Microgrids' Alone

The island could benefit from on-site solar and battery backup, but the strategy isn't a cure-all for its energy woes

Peter Fox-Penner, The Conversation

November 10, 2017

Archaeologists Date Pre-Hispanic Puerto Rican Rock Art for the First Time

A new analysis looks at the thousands of images found in caves on Mona Island, a spiritual hub for the Taino culture

Jason Daley

November 2, 2017