Puerto Rico
The American Folklife Center was created in 1976 by the U.S. Congress through Public Law 94-201 and charged to "preserve and present American folklife." The Center incorporates the Archive
of Folk Culture, which was established at the Library of Congress in 1928, and is now one of the largest collections of ethnographic material from the United States and around the world.
Collections
The collections of the American Folklife Center contain rich and varied
material from Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican Americans that documents its
diverse folk traditions. Among its unique recordings are: many Puerto Rican
songs including two versions of "Contéstame si me amas" (Answer
Me If You Love Me) and "El terruño" the national song of Puerto Rico; religious
ceremonies recorded in Puerto Rico in 1948; a television broadcast and
two interviews recorded as part of the American Folklife Center's Chicago
Ethnic Arts project as well as the performances of boleros, merengues,
polkas, rancheras, and waltzes; a performance by cuatro player Yomo Toro
and his Conjunto Típico Puertorriqueño, including décimas,
plenas, and aguinaldos; a Puerto Rican church service at the Church of
the Nazarene; and interviews with and songs about Puerto Rican workers.
- Puerto Rico Recordings in the Archive
of Folk Culture [full text]
Puerto Rico participated in the Library's Bicentennial Local Legacies
project, which includes documentation of local traditions and celebrations
for the American Folklife Center's Archive of Folk Culture.
Published Recordings
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