Rooted In Rhythm: Exploring Puerto Rico’s African Legacy Through Music And Flavor – Essence

While San Juan’s vibrant streets draw millions of visitors to Puerto Rico every year, just a short drive away lies Loíza — a town that pulses with the soulful rhythms of Africa’s enduring legacy. Here, the rich traditions of bomba come alive, telling stories of resilience, joy and pain through its intricate beats and movements.

“It’s a conversation with the dancers and the players,” says master drummer Tito Ayala, owner of El Batey de Los Hermanos Ayala. Bomba, born from the resilience of enslaved Africans, served as a powerful outlet to express complex emotions. But for Ayala, it’s more than just music; it’s a living history passed down through his family for generations. Today, he keeps the tradition alive through his children and teaching visitors wanting to learn the art of bomba firsthand.

“I teach people in Boston, Massachusetts. I lived in Boston for 42 years,” Ayala shares, recalling his time performing at Harvard University and the Berklee Performance Center. “My daughters in Boston, they do bomba. And when they come back to play here, it’s very important for me and my family.”

Today, that passion lives on in Loíza, where Ayala continues to teach bomba to anyone interested in learning — no set class times, no sign-up sheets. Some call ahead or make arrangements through a tour company, while others simply find their way to El Batey de los Hermanos Ayala during opening hours, hoping to hear the rhythms of bomba echoing in the air.

“A lot of people come to this place from around the world,” says Ayala. “They want to try playing bomba.”

One of the liveliest times to experience his teachings is during the Fiestas Tradicionales en Honor a Santiago Apóstol, or the Festival of Saint James, held every July. For a week, Loíza erupts in celebration with parades, bomba performances and colorful processions honoring the town’s patron saint. On the final day, El Batey becomes a focal point, with live drumming and dancing that invite both locals and visitors to join in.

“If you come here in July, you have a lot of fun. And people come with the costumes for the festival,” Ayala adds.

The festival is also when Loíza’s iconic vejigantes come out in abundance. Dressed in handmade coconut masks with horns and flamboyant costumes, they represent a blend of Spanish, African and Taíno traditions dating back to the Middle Ages. Over time, the vejigante evolved into a distinctly Puerto Rican figure — one seen today as a vibrant symbol of ancestry and identity.

Beyond bomba and the festival, Loíza offers year-round opportunities to explore its Afro-Puerto Rican legacy. One notable stop is Maria de la Cruz Cave Historical Park. The cave was once used as shelter by both free and enslaved Africans. Today, the historic site includes cultural exhibits and offers classes in bomba dance and turban tying.

Loíza’s bomba traditions are just one piece of Puerto Rico’s deep connection to Africa. According to Dr. Mayra Santos-Febres, writer and Principal Investigator for the Academic Diversification Project in Afro-descendant and Racialization Studies at the University of Puerto Rico, the island’s ties to the African diaspora run deep and wide.

“As in many other places in the Americas, we have a direct connection between Africa and the Caribbean and our territories because of the slave trade and also because of constant migrations between immigrants and workers from Africa that come through Puerto Rico in order to get into the United States,” Santos-Febres explains. “There’s a constant flux and interconnection between Africa, the Caribbean and many people from the Dominican Republic or the US Virgin Islands or Haiti or Cuba that try to migrate through Puerto Rico.”

These connections are evident in the very fabric of Puerto Rican identity. Santos-Febres notes that roughly 73 percent of the island’s population identify as mixed race, which includes African ancestry. “There has been a lot of research connecting people, from Puerto Rico, to the slave trade and tracing people that came from São Tomé in Guinea, in what is now called Equatorial Guinea, also a lot of Bantu people from Ghana all that region of the Ashanti people.”

This heritage is also deeply rooted in Puerto Rican cuisine, where the same African legacy that echoes in the drums of Loíza can be tasted in the island’s kitchens. Culinary traditions, passed down and reimagined through generations, fuse African techniques with local ingredients to create signature dishes like mofongo, made from mashed plantains, and sancocho, a hearty stew of root vegetables and meat.

While Loíza offers a deeply immersive experience in African-rooted music and culture, the broader celebration of Puerto Rico’s African diaspora influence can be found across the island — including at events like Culinary U, an annual food festival that highlights the island’s rich culinary heritage. The most recent gathering, held in October 2024 at the Wyndham Grand Río Mar Resort, brought these flavors to the forefront, telling their own story of migration, adaptation and cultural pride through food.

“We love to eat and drink in Puerto Rico. It’s part of our DNA,” says Evy García, Vice President of Sales at Wyndham Río Mar. Culinary U showcases a rich blend of flavors, with local and international chefs highlighting the island’s unique culinary heritage.
“We love to taste food from all over the world in addition to our cuisine that anybody that comes to Culinary U will be able to taste,” García adds.

Executive Chef Ramon Carillo reflects on how Puerto Rico’s cuisine embodies its shared African heritage alongside Spanish and Indigenous influences.
“We are a mix. We got a little bit of the African cuisine. We got a little bit of the Indian cuisine and we have some of the Spanish cuisine. And that makes our blend unique. When you travel in the whole Caribbean and you go to Jamaica, you go to Cuba, you go to Haiti, you feel that connection with all different races, come along and coming together.”

At Culinary U, Chef Carillo’s dishes featured ingredients like coconut milk, ginger and vibrant spices, honoring the island’s rich traditions. “When I share my knowledge and my flavors, I share my love,” he says. “I understand from the bottom of my heart love is everything when you cook.”

Whether it’s the heartbeat of bomba in Loíza or the bold flavors of a perfectly spiced mofongo at a resort kitchen, Puerto Rico’s African heritage continues to inspire and unite. Through music, food and history, the island offers visitors a vibrant glimpse into a legacy built on resilience, creativity and connection.

So, the next time you find yourself in Puerto Rico, don’t just stop at San Juan. Venture to Loíza, where the rhythms of Africa tell a powerful story of endurance and celebration — a story that’s still being written today.