Tobacco, More Than a Cash Crop

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Tobacco in Puerto Rico is as much a commodity as it is a way of life.  It has served as medicine for the Taíno Indians and for today’s traditionalists.  It has also provided education to people who may not have otherwise received any.  In addition, Puerto Rico has the unique distinction of being originally responsible for introducing tobacco to Europe via Christopher Columbus.

El lector, a typical cigar rollers' workspace circa 1900.

After a rough start involving slavery and a ban on the sale of tobacco to foreigners imposed by Spain in the 16th century, commercial tobacco began to flourish in the 18th century.  This led to tobacco eventually becoming the third largest exported crop for Puerto Rico, just behind sugar and tobacco. 

In the two centuries following the tobacco boom, the men who rolled tobacco for a living became some of the most intelligent, free thinking men of the time.  This was because the manufacturers they worked for would pay men to read great works of literature to entertain them as they rolled, which provided free education for people who may not have access to it otherwise.

Despite the end of cigarette production 1930, small farm owners have continued to grow tobacco as cigar fillers.  In the 1950s, Puerto Rico’s cigar production paid off when the US was no longer able to obtain Cuban cigars.

Ramona has been rolling tobacco since she was sixteen!

Though Puerto Rico no longer exports cigarettes, cigars are still hand rolled in the Museo del Tabaco in Caguas, Puerto Rico and can be bought there for about a buck a cigar.  The museum also offers tours and hosts events, workshops, and seminars.  But the highlight of the trip, by far, is getting the chance to see some tobacco rollers in action.  So, if you're ever in Caguas, be sure to set so time aside to drop in during their business hours to see the show!

For a slightly more in-depth look at the history of Puerto Rican tobacco, check out the history page of yet another of the many companies that sell Puerto Rican tobacco, Don Abram Harris.

All photos by J. Schlasner (2013).

Business As Usual

by Vince Winston

Casually watching television a few years ago, I remember a commercial ad about crazy laws in the United States. It was publicity for a new website called dumblaws.com that would showcase unusual, uncommon and/ or silly laws. Things such as “one cannot catch a fish with their bare hands (Kansas),” “you may not drive barefoot (Alabama)” and “no vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour (California) were some of their showcased laws. Never thinking such laws as this truly were enforced or given any credibility, I found this not to be evident in Puerto Rico.

It was roughly 10am on the 6^th day of January, a particularly warm and cloudy morning in Juana Diaz, when it began to rain. A small group of my classmates and I, hoping to gain protection from the rain, rushed into Walgreens to purchase an umbrella so that we could enjoy The Three King Parade without getting wet. We approach the aisle that had umbrellas and other similar items, but it was blocked by a small portable aisle on both ends. Not thinking more than this being a simple barricade due to a spill (or something related), we carefully entered and retrieved a few umbrellas. While at checkout, we were told that it was against the law to sell “commerce” to customers at that time. We were dumbfounded by this information.

After speaking with our tour guide, Francisco Jusino, we were informed that it was against the law for a business to sell non-essential commerce to a customer before 11am on Sundays and Holidays. Additionally, most non-essential businesses were to not open until 11am on these days, but Walgreens evaded this law as this were deemed a pharmacy. Upon further conversations with our tour guide and a little research, we found this law to be true. Religious groups enacted these “blue laws” as they did not want people to have distractions from going to church and spending time with their family. With this law in place, it would give them ample time to do so.

This strong religious influence on the law shows the presence and importance that religion still plays in the Puerto Rican culture. For a tourist this may seem as an inconvenience, but to the people of this island it is business as usual.