Cottage Museum
Since its opening on February 4, 2006, the House of Puerto Rico cottage hosts a museum aimed to share with the community elements of Puerto Rican culture and history. The Cottage Museum hosts exhibits, workshops, and events. It is open to the public every Sunday afternoon at noon to 4:00 pm.

Culture Corner
The House of Puerto Rico’s monthly membership meeting takes place every first Saturday of the month at 3:00 pm in the Hall of Nations.  There are no meetings in July and December. At the end of the meeting we include the “Culture Corner,” a series of educational as well as entertaining presentations.  Each month there is a different topic. The meeting ends with a taste of Puerto Rico Pot-luck and social hour.

The Cultural Corner Program is designed to provide cultural education and fun to the members and to share the Puerto Rican Experience. Topics include Three Kings Celebration, Puerto Rican Stories, San Diego Latino Film Festival, Día de Los Niños Activities, Music from Puerto Rico, Impact of Mexican-Spanish Culture on Puerto Ricans in San Diego, and Latino Heritage Month. These topics vary every year. A list of topics is provided in our website.

New Programs:
We added many new social programs: Fiesta Nights, the Domino Club, Sabor Criollo, and the Parranda group.

Fiesta Night is scheduled once a month as an informal get-together at a local event in town. These include salsa music & dancing, theater, and concerts.

The Domino Club meets every 1st Sunday of the month (noon – 4pm) outside the cottage museum. The Domino Club sponsors its annual Tomás Perry Domino Tournament during the Día de San Juan Family Picnic.

Sabor Criollo is a seminar series focusing on the varieties of Puerto Rican cooking. These include the basics of sofrito & rice, plantain dishes, pork dishes, soups (asopaos), and desserts. These classes are enjoyed by women, men, and children alike.

The Parranda Group is an informal group to share our musical traditions for the Christmas holiday season. We hope to provide joy our fellow houses and visit military and children hospitals.

In Puerto Rico, the parranda is a progressive party where a group of friends and family arrive at a home providing music & song. They are then welcomed into the home to eat, drink, and dance. Then the 'party' continues to the next home. There are those who continue all night ending with a breakfast. This tradition starts around Thanksgiving in late November until Three Kings Day in early January.

To receive notices of upcoming programs & events, visit our website (left side panel) to register in our distribution list.

Lawn Program:
Every year in September the House of Puerto Rico holds their Lawn Program. The entertainment is provided by the Areito Borincano Folkloric Dance Group of San Diego and musician/composer member Manny Cepeda. The beautiful dances and costumes of the Puerto Rican Culture as well as the authentic music are displayed in a colorful program.

Food:
Stop by our food booth where you will be able to enjoy delights such as Rice with Pinto Beans or Pigeon Peas (arroz con habichuelas ó arroz con gandules), Deep Fried Meat Turnover (flour: pastelillos or plantain: alcapurrias), Cod fish fritters (bacalaitos) and the popular desert Flan. For the Ethnic Food Fair in May and the December Nights, the menu will be the same as for the Lawn Program.

Social Events:
The members of the House of Puerto Rico have several fun events during the year. In March, as part of the San Diego Latino Film Festival, the House of Puerto Rico hosts a Puerto Rican film and provides a pre-show featuring Puerto Rican music. In June, we have the Día de San Juan Family Picnic which usually takes place at the Admiral Baker Field in San Diego. In December, we have our annual Christmas Gala Dinner-Dance Party, a festive event, held at the Portuguese Hall in San Diego. These are all in addition to our participation in HPR's Ethnic Food Fair, International Christmas Festival and our Lawn Program.

The House of Puerto Rico develops a number of events and programs designed with the children in mind. The Three Kings Day celebration is done during the membership meeting in January. Here the children are visited by the Three Kings bearing gifts. In March, the College Student / Youth Committee (CSYC) sponsors the Día de Los Niños and in June, the Kids Games as part of the HPRSD Family Picnic.

Oye Boricua Nights
Oye Boricua nights is a social night for high school and college students.  Music, dancing fashion show, dance lessons and food are provided at Oye Boricua nights. These events are planned and organized by CSYC.

Scholarship Program
An annual Scholarship Program is part of the House of Puerto Rico’s contribution to help young college students.  It is called the “Casilda Pagan Scholarship” in honor of the founder of the organization. Application form is available on our website and is due on July 31st.

Youth Program
Cultural workshops designed for children are in the works. For more information, contact HPRSD.

House of Puerto Rico
The idea for a House of Puerto Rico in Balboa Park started in October 1972.  A group of San Diego Puerto Ricans led by Doña Casilda Pagan joined forces and organized ”La Casa de Puerto Rico.” After many years of fundraising, planning and hard work this vision is now a dream come true. The House of Puerto Rico Cottage Museum was inaugurated on Saturday, February 4, 2006.

Puerto Rico
On the 19th of November 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico.  San Juan was already a city in the early 1500s.  One of the first universities in the New World was founded there.  Puerto Rico remained under Spanish rule and was granted autonomy in the late 1800s.  During the Spanish American War, the US defeated the Spanish Navy in the Pacific and the Atlantic.  The American fleet then proceeded towards Puerto Rico.  The 5,000 defenders surrendered to the U.S. landing force of 15,000.  Thus,in 1898, Puerto Rico became a colony of the USA. 

The Foraker Act of 1900 made Puerto Ricans “citizens of Puerto Rico, entitled to the protection of the US”.  In 1917, congress passed the Jones Act granting US citizenship to all persons born in Puerto Rico.  In 1950, congress enacted Law 600 that recognized Puerto Rico’s right to self-rule and authorized the organization of a government based on a constitution drawn up by Puerto Ricans.  The constitution creating the “Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico” (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) was effective on the 25th of July 1952.  Since then, Puerto Ricans have elected their own governor, cabinet members, and congress.  Puerto Rico elects a “Resident Commissioner” in Washington who sits in congress (and can be a committee member) with voice but no vote.  Puerto Ricans can vote in the US elections if they reside in the continental US.  However, they cannot be candidates for the presidency of the US if they were born outside the continental US.

Puerto Ricans have contributed as citizens of the US in many different ways.  Did you know that the first shot of World War I (by the US) was fired by a Puerto Rican serving in the US Army, Colonel Teofilo Marxuach, in Puerto Rico?

The House of Puerto Rico is an organization set for growth due, to a large part, to the opening of its cottage museum in Balboa Park.

The objectives of the House of Puerto Rico San Diego are:

• To promote a better understanding amongst people of all nationalities and races.
• To promote and cultivate the Puerto Rican culture and social activities with its members.

Their vision is to expand the cultural, educational, economic and political awareness to other parts of California. To always be there for each other and for you.

More cultural programs are in development. To be a part of this growth, become a member by visiting the website: www.houseofpuertorico.com.

Land Area: 8,870 sq km
Population:  3,944,259 (July 2007 est.)
Capital City: San Juan
Language:  Spanish, English
Religion:  Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
Form of Government: Commonwealth
Economy: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 2004.
Export: chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment

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Source: The World Factbook - Puerto Rico