Rafael Ocasio

This book highlights Franz Boas’s historic trip to Puerto Rico in 1915, which included the documentation of oral folklore. On that trip, a rising anthropologist involved in the project, John Alden Mason, collected one of the largest oral folklore collections from any Spanish-speaking country or territory. The stories, many of them written by rural cultural informants, the Jibaros, offer an outstanding view of an early twentieth century Puerto Rican identity. 

This exciting new bilingual anthology gathers Puerto Rican folktales that were passed down orally for generations before being transcribed beginning in 1914 by the team of famous anthropologist Franz Boas. It includes stories about historical figures like pirate Roberto Cofresí, unique twists on “Snow White” and “Cinderella,” and beloved local characters like the kind cockroach Cucarachita Martina.
 

Esta nueva y emocionante antología bilingüe reúne cuentos populares puertorriqueños que se transmitieron oralmente durante generaciones antes de ser transcritos comenzando en 1914 por el equipo del famoso antropólogo Franz Boas. La colección incluye historias sobre personajes históricos como el pirata Roberto Cofresí, versiones criollas de “Blanca Nieves” y “Cenicienta” y otros queridos personajes locales como la amable cucaracha Cucarachita Martina.