On Friday we traveled to the city of Ponce. It was a long drive from the northeast side of the island to the south coast. Although we left our complex early, we missed our first tour. The tour would have showed us where the Ponce massacre occurred and where everything transpired. Because we missed our tour, we walked over to the museum which displayed pictures from the event and explanations of why the massacre happen. For me, this was one of the best parts of the day because it really demonstrated the amount of control the police had but also the lack of citizen power. I see the imbalance in today’s society especially with the events in Ferguson. It made me think of how the polices’ influence can change a peaceful protest into a violent battleground and what these implications mean.
After the museum we had a trolley tour around the city. What really resonated with me was the fact that while the streets and houses were in poor condition, the community was in high spirits. Every man, women, and child waved at our bus driver as we passed by. The citizens in Ponce reminded me of my hometown. Minnesota is known for their friendliness and because of that I really felt a connection to that city. I also like that the lion is the city mascot along with the colors red and black. It reminded me of my family’s closeness and unity. After the bus tour we grabbed a quick lunch. While an hour for lunch in Minneapolis would be plenty of time, here in Puerto Rico, they have a different perception of time. Island time can impede on my after lunch plans because of the easy going/no rush culture. I am not used to it because at the U everything is go go go. There is a structured schedule and everyone needs to meet it but I am enjoying the cultural differences.
Continuing with our exploration, up the mountain we went to explore a coffee plantation that was established in the 19th century by the queen of Spain. The history of the plantation was extremely interesting. So much has changed, not only in the production of coffee, but also in the technological advancements that hindered the people whom lived in that time period (also I am so glad the fashion has progressed beyond the 1800 style dresses!). Learning about the process the slaves had to go through to make the coffee was astonishing. There were so many slaves that worked all their life and it makes me feel so fortunate that I was not one of them. Because I am of African, Persian, and Indian decent there is a big chance I would have been a slave. It really opened my eyes, seeing what they built and how much they accomplished all for no money at all. Although relations between light and dark skinned individuals has drastically improved, the division of race, class, and age is very prevalent to the social structure in Puerto Rico. Thinking back to when I was growing up, there was no question as to if my skin color defined who I was. In my hometown, there is very little segregation among us. But we live in a different time. Growing up in the 1800’s would have been completely altered and I am grateful I had the opportunity to tour a location that was so saturated with slaves and the history of the blacks in Puerto Rico.