Bomba and Plena

Bomba and plena are percussion-driven musical traditions from Puerto Rico that move people to dance. Often
mentioned together as though they were a single musical style, both reflect the African heritage of Puerto Rico,
but there are basic distinctions between them in rhythm, instrumentation, and lyrics. You can hear the difference
in these songs. In "Baila, Julia Loza" the drums or barriles are lower pitched and form a different rhythmic
accompaniment than the panderetadrums in the plena example, "Bilala hasta las dos."

Julia de Burgos
Julia de Burgos, the best known female poet in Puerto Rico and one of the best of Latino America, was born on
February 17th, 1917 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. De Burgos graduated from the University of Puerto Rico as a
teacher. She also studied in Havana and later moved to New York. At age nineteen her first verses were
published. Her best-known poem is "Ro Grande de Loza". De Burgos published several books including;
Poemas Exactos de m Misma, Poemas en Veinte Zurcos and Cancin de la Verdad Sencilla. She received
several honors and homenages before and after her death. De Burgos died on July 6, 1953 in New York.

Francisco Oller
Born in Puerto Rico, 1833. Painter and educator. Oller initiated the long tradition in Puerto Rican art of
depicting scenes of Puerto Rico. He captured the beauty of the landscape and its tropical fruits, and he often
painted scenes illustrating some of the islands social ills. He first studied in San Juan under painter Juan Cletos
Noa and later continued at the Real Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, under Federico Madrazo. In 1858,
Oller traveled to Paris, where he frequented the studio of Thomas Couture and attended L'Acadmie Suisse and
L'Ecole Imperiale et Spciale de Dessin. He also frequented Gustave Courbets studio and met Camille Pissarro.
In 1865 he returned to Puerto Rico and in 1870 he established an academy of drawing and painting in San Juan.
In 1874, he returned to Paris, where he met Dr. Paul-Ferdinand Gachet (physician and friend to Vincent Van
Gogh and the subject of one of Van Goghs most famous portraits), who purchased Ollers work El estudiante
(The Student). In 1884, after eight years in Madrid, his commitment to Puerto Rico led him to return to the
island. In 1895, he traveled for the last time to Paris to exhibit his famous work El Velorio (The Wake). In 2006,
the Ponce Art Museum organized an exhibition that traveled to the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts; the
exhibition included Ollers work as well as works by Jos Campeche and Miguel Pou. Ollers artistic career
spanned the period from the realism of Courbet to the Impressionists, with many of whom he established close
friendships while he lived in Paris. Francisco Oller died on May 17, 1917 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Jos Campeche y Jordn

Jos Campeche y Jordn (December 23, 1751 November 7, 1809), is the first known Puerto Rican visual
artist and considered by art critics as one of the bestrococo artists in the Americas. Campeche y Jordn loved to
use colors that referenced the landscape of Puerto Rico, as well as the social and political crme de la crme.
Campeche was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His parents were Toms Campeche (17011780) and Mara
Jordn y Marqus. His father was a freed slave born in Puerto Rico and his mother was a native of the Canary
Islands. His father, a restorer and painter of religious statues, was an early influence on the young Campeche's
interest in the arts. Campeche was trained by Luis Paret y Alczar, a Spanish court painter banished from Spain.

Pedro Albizus Campos

Pedro Albizu Campos (September 12, 1891 April 21, 1965) was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician, and
the leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Gifted in languages, he spoke six; graduating
from Harvard Law School with the highest grade point average in his law class, an achievement that earned him
the right to give the valedictorian speech at his graduation ceremony. However, animus towards his mixed racial
heritage would lead to his professors delaying two of his final exams in order to keep Albizu Campos from
graduating on time. During his time at Harvard University he became involved in the Irish struggle for
independence. Albizu Campos was the president and spokesperson of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from
1930 until his death in 1965. Because of his oratorical skill, he was hailed as El Maestro (The Teacher). He was
imprisoned twenty-six years for attempting to overthrow the United States government in Puerto Rico.In 1950,
he planned and called for armed uprisings in several cities in Puerto Rico on his independence. Afterward he
was convicted and imprisoned again. He died in 1965 shortly after his pardon and release from federal prison,
sometime after suffering a stroke. There is controversy over his medical treatment in prison. Died April 21,
1965 (aged 73) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Jos Celso Barbosa

Dr. Jos Celso Barbosa Alcala (July 27, 1857 September 21, 1921) was a Puerto
Rican physician, sociologist and political leader. Known as the father of the Statehood for Puerto Rico
movement, Barbosa was the first Puerto Rican, and one of the first African Americans to earn a medical degree
in the United States. After his return to the island in 1880, Barbosa made many contributions to medicine and
public health. He initiated an early form of health insurance, encouraging employers to pay a fee to cover future
needs of their employees. In 1900 Barbosa was among the first five Puerto Rican leaders appointed to the
Executive Cabinet under Governor Charles H. Allen, in the first civilian government organized by the United
States. He served in the Cabinet until 1917. From 19171921, Barbosa served in the first elected Puerto Rican
Senate.