Welcome to American Boricua
Photojournalist Wanda Benvenutti at the summit of Mt. Evans, Colorado
American Boricua is the first modern visual history of Puerto Rican life in all 50 states of the U.S. Wanda is traveling throughout the country to interview and photograph Boricuas who live, work, love, and carry on the business of being Puerto Rican here in the United States.
What most people do not know about Puerto Ricans is that while we have been citizens of the U.S. for nearly 100 years, we are born as U.S. citizens on both the island and the mainland. What this means is that who we are is rooted in deep tradition, yet living within the U.S. creates cultural transformation and new traditions. The word “Boricua” itself, as a term of endearment Puerto Ricans use for one another, is steeped in history. It is derived from the Native Taino word for the island, “Boriken”, which means “Brave Noble Lord”. It is the essence of that “sabor”, that flavor that makes Boricua culture unique. This documentary project examines how Boricuas define home, family, culture, and identity.
