Podcast: La Historia Boricua – A History of Puerto Rico and her People

By Roberto Gil Cancel Comas

Puerto Rico has a complex, dynamic, and little-known history. This podcast seeks to bring it to light by telling the story of its cultural origins and the struggles of its people. Let’s explore the tales that fill the centuries from the moment the first human feet touched the shores of the island of Borinquen up to the present day, weaving a chronological and coherent narrative of how we got here. We’ll cover pre-Columbian Taíno society, colonization and centuries under the Spanish Empire, the struggles for independence and autonomy such as the Grito de Lares, the Spanish-American War and the political evolution from the Foraker Act to the Commonwealth and the PROMESA Law, the roots of our music from plena to reggaetón, and the formation of the Puerto Rican diaspora and how it has remained in constant dialogue with the island. Join us on this journey if you want to understand the historical threads that have shaped the Puerto Rican nation. Roberto Cancel Comas, a Boricua and anthropologist by training with a graduate degree in development studies and over a decade of international experience, will be our guide on this journey through la Historia Boricua. This podcast is a monthly series that can be listened to in both Spanish and English.

Last accessed November 7, 2025