Why We Love the Puerto Ricans

We love the beautiful floral in Puerto Rico, including its state flower, the hibiscus.

Casa de Espana, designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro de Castro, is a popular tourist attraction because of its old Spanish Moorish architecture. Built in 1932, it now houses different social organizations whose members are of Spanish descent.

We enjoy eating tasty tamales filled with garbanzo beans with your choice of other filler ingredients, including chicken, shellfish, raisins, capers, spices, olives and sofrito. These tasty treats are usually wrapped in a banana or plantain leaf and boiled.

We love watching the Puerto Rico national baseball team in action, including Ivan Rodriquez trying to steal a base from shortstop Derek Jeter. Baseball is the most popular sport in Puerto Rico.

Nos encanta bailar! The Puerto Rico Salsa Congress is an annual event held in San Juan that showcases hot salsa bands, instructors and performers from around the world, including Cano and Dominguez from Spain.

Puerto Ricans love fried plantains, and we enjoy sampling popular dishes made with the fruit, such as mofongo and alcapurria.

We enjoy watching popular Puerto Rican performers and entertainers, including Jennifer Lopez (pictured) and Ricky Martin.

Take a stroll along Puerto Rico's beautiful coast, and soak in the atmosphere of a relaxing, carefree culture.

We love sampling authentic Puerto Rican food, such as this hearty soup made of chicken, plantains and rice.

Puerto Ricans know how to whip up some delicious food in the kitchen. We can't turn down tasty empanadas, empanadillas and pastelillos -- pastries filled with ingredients such as chorizo, turkey, chicken, spinach, coconut and mozzarella.

We enjoy listening to traditional Puerto Rican music and their influence on many music genres, including Afro-Rican jazz, merengue, reggaeton, guaracha, salsa romantica, danza and bomba.

Puerto Ricans know how to party. We love the San Sebastian Festival, a 4-day Mardi Gras-like celebration in honor of the island's rich culture and history. The festival draws thousands of spectators and visitors each year.

Yellow rice with pigeon peas, pieces of salami and red pimiento is a traditional Puerto Rican dish.

We enjoy taking a relaxing trip to commune with nature at the Puerto Rico's Caribbean National Forest. Make sure you check out the Cascada Juan Diego's falls and pool, located in the El Yunque rainforest.

We celebrate special Puerto Rican holidays, including the annual Three Kings Day Parade in Spanish Harlem. The parade celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, which marks the day the 3 kings brought gifts to baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Boxing is a major sport in Puerto Rico. It has produced more amateur and professional world champions than any other sport in history. On June 6, 2010, Miguel Cotto (pictured, left) won the World Boxing Association's Super Welterweight title.

We love visiting Puerto Rico's historic sites, including El Morro. Every year, 2 million visitors explore the old fort, located on the island's northernmost tip.

We love taking a guided tour and dip in the bioluminescent bay, located off the coast of Vieques Island. It's beautiful during the day, but at night, microorganisms cause the bay to glow whenever the water is disturbed, leaving a trail of neon blue.