In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Georgia Highlands College (GHC) held a virtual presentation on Tuesday, Oct. 5, featuring Rafael Ocasio, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Spanish at Agnes Scott College, as he discussed traditional folk stories and legends from Puerto Rico.
You can view a recording of his presentation here.
The presentation centered around his book, “Folk Stories from the Hills of Puerto Rico,” which has several tales that have been passed down throughout generations.
“Most will be familiar with some of the stories from the book, like the ‘Cinderella’ story, but they have a very unique Puerto Rican theme to them,” Cocurricular and Transition Programs Coordinator Clifton Puckett said. “The hope is that these familiar stories will act as a window through which we can see the Puerto Rican culture.”
Observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The presentation was part of GHC’s Department of Student Engagement’s ongoing commitment to offer engaging and educational multicultural experiences to students and the community.
“These events are important because they provide insight into the real culture of these countries and people,” Puckett said. “It’s also very easy to fall into the trap of lumping all of the Central and South American countries together, but Puerto Rico has a very unique culture from Mexico, and they have a very unique culture from Costa Rica, just like the U.S. has a unique culture from Canada.”
