Puerto Rico’s Folklore Masks
Loiza (low-EESA), a coastal town located east of San Juan, primarily of African descent, annually celebrates the St. James Festival (Fiesta de Santiago Apostle). This traditional festival, celebrated every third week of July, was adopted from the Spanish settlers. In the 1500’s the Spanish colonists imported slaves from the Yoruba culture in Africa to work in the farms and coffee plantations on the island of Puerto Rico. The Spaniards frequently prayed to St. James the Apostle for strength and protection against evil and harm because during the holy battles between Christians and Moors, St. James led them to victory over the Moors. The Africans, forbidden to worship their gods, soon transferred their allegiances (at least outwardly) to St. James.
During the festival, St. James is represented by a “knight” and the vejigantes (veg-hee-gan-tehs) represents the Moors. The vejigante masks are traditionally made of dried coconut husks. They are carved out and painted with black and red, traditional colors of a god from the Yoruba’s folklore. They are very grotesque and crowned with horns. Their loose-fitting costumes are made of colorful scraps of material. It is said that during the colonial times when the pirates would invade the island, the landlords would dress their slaves as “vejigantes” to scare them away.
In the carnival-like parades that are held during the festival, the vejigantes run around while the bomba music is played. The bomba music reflects the African influence, which is distinguished by heavy percussion rhythms and accompanied by chants. The other participants of the festival are “la loca” and “el viejo” (the “crazy woman” and the “old man”). Their masks are made of papier-mach� paper bags. These masks and characters represent the fusion of the Spanish and African cultures.