Pa’ Borinquen con Cariño
Para Borinquen con cariño is a visual love letter to Puerto Rico, a place that had been calling to me long before I ever arrived. I grew up in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Colombian parents. While Houston shaped much of how I move through the world, I have always felt more Colombian than American. Music, memory, and culture raised me.
Puerto Rico lived in my imagination for years. I grew up listening to salsa and reggaetón, and it was through music that I first felt connected to the island. Even the lyrics of certain songs sparked curiosity about la isla del encanto, its people, its pride, and its power. There was something in the rhythm, the emotion, the accent, and the energy that made me feel like I already belonged.
When I finally visited Puerto Rico for the first time, camera in hand, it felt like meeting a part of myself I had not known was missing. The island welcomed me with both its beauty and its struggle, its celebration and its depth. In each photo I took, whether waiting at a bus stop, walking past residenciales, or watching waves crash along the coast, I saw pieces of something deeply familiar. Puerto Rico showed me its soul, and I saw my own reflected in it.
This series captures that connection. Through these photographs, I invite others to experience Puerto Rico not just through its landscapes, but through its spirit. I want people to feel the joy, the pain, the pride, and the pulse that makes this island legendary. I also hope to honor the cultural bridge between Puerto Rico and Colombia, a connection that lives through rhythm and resistance.
Being from Colombia and raised on music from both places, I felt at home in Puerto Rico. Many of these photographs were inspired by lyrics I grew up with, sounds that now echo through my lens. This series is more than a travel diary. It is a dream realized, an artistic milestone, and a celebration of two cultures that have shaped who I am.
Puerto Rico brought out the best in me as a photographer, as a storyteller, and as someone learning to see the world through love, memory, and connection.
