New York City is known for its extremely diverse communities and neighborhoods. As a Nuyorican missing my island, I decided to take a trip to Spanish Harlem or “El Barrio” as called by many, because of its dense and proud Puerto Rican community. I explored the the streets of Spanish Harlem in search of the vibrant, Borican street art as well as visiting “La Marqueta” to explore the small stalls that bring a little home back to the big city.

The Dos Alas mural located on 105th street between third and second Ave is meant to honor Cuban independence fighter Che Guevara and Puerto Rican nationalist Don Pedro Albizu Campos. The writing is a poem written by “Lola” Rodriguez de Tio.

Famous quotes from Che and Albizu are displayed on the mural.

Albizu says, “The law of love and the law of sacrifice admit the separation.”

Che says, “The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.”

Monique’s Lounge is a well known place for its salsa dance and music, and it is loved by the community.

After the fatal gas explosion in 2014 that killed eight people and left about 100 people homeless, the community came together and created a mural to honor the people affected.

The Church of Our Lady Mount Carmel located on East 116th Street was once known as a salvation place for the Italian immigrant population towards the end of the 19th century.

The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican social activist group founded by youth in the 1960s, demanded civil rights for Puerto Ricans. They also provided social services for the community like free breakfast as well as clothing in the First Spanish Methodist Church. In 2014 this street was changed to Young Lords Way.

El Mac created a portrait mural of  Puerto Rican artist and writer, Nicholasa Mohr, as a part of the mural festival done in 2015 to celebrate Hispanic Culture all throughout Spanish Harlem.

Next, I visited La Marqueta. In the summer there are stalls opened up outside but because it’s winter there’s a portion displayed indoors with seating.

One of the stalls was set up to look like an authentic Puerto Rican kitchen. In this stall a lady sells different kinds of Puerto Rican food.

This stall was set up to look like a bakery you commonly see in Puerto Rico – here a woman sold bread and other kinds of pastries.

The Marqueta also sells plenty of original art pieces. Here you can see a lot of artwork based around Taino (native Puerto Rican) culture such as the sun sign seen on the right a symbol for a coqui, a frog native to Puerto Rico on the left.

After leaving the Marqueta, I found so many other stores embracing Puerto Rican culture.

A music center just outside of the Marqueta displays CDs from famous Puerto Rican singers such as Hector Lavoe, Rita Moreno, and Cheo Feliciano.

Inside the store they sold traditional Puerto Rican instruments as well as traditional Vejigante masks.

At the end of my journey, I met a Vejito drinking coffee and wearing his leather jacket that proudly displayed the Puerto Rican flag. He explained the importance of being proud of your culture and how important it is for the people of Spanish Harlem to keep embracing their culture in the changing community.