Jíbaro
A mountain farmer of Puerto Rico and, by extension, the symbol of the island's rural identity. The classic image wears a pava straw hat and comes bundled with coffee, the cuatro and sung décimas. The word can read as an insult depending on context while also being a point of cultural pride, so use it carefully.
Example
The jíbaro figure shows up in monuments, on coffee labels and in the cultural anthem of the mountains, not only in tourist folklore.
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Related terms
Culture
Cuatro puertorriqueño
The national string instrument, with ten strings in five double courses and a body shaped like a violin. It is the...
Culture
Décima
A sung ten line stanza that trovadores improvise over jíbaro music, often as a verbal duel between two singers. The...
Crafts
Sombrero de pava
A wide brimmed straw hat worn by mountain farmers that became a symbol of jíbaro identity. It appears in monuments,...
History
Hacienda cafetalera
A mountain coffee estate, many of them from the nineteenth century, with a main house, drying platforms and sometimes...
Frequently asked questions
Is the word offensive?
It depends on tone. As cultural identity it is a badge of pride, and as an insult it implies someone is unrefined.
Where do I see that culture today?
In the mountain towns, at jíbaro music events and at the coffee festivals of the central range.
