Between Coffee, Music, and Art: Seventeen Years of Building Community Through Culture
Updated: 1 day ago
As Puerto Rico celebrates Puerto Rican Artisan Month, we are proud to highlight the impact of Between Coffee, Music, and Art (Entre Café, Música y Arte), a cultural gathering that has spent the past 17 uninterrupted years transforming Mayagüez's public square into a vibrant oasis of artistic self-management and cultural preservation.
What began in 2009 as an initiative by cultural advocate María Cajigas Nieto, together with a coalition of artisans committed to preserving Puerto Rican culture, and in strategic partnership with entrepreneur Wilmer Aguiar, owner of Friend's Cafe, has continued to bring living art and culture to the historic Cristóbal Colón Plaza in Mayagüez.
Over the years, the project has evolved into an exemplary model of community-driven
cultural management, demonstrating remarkable resilience and remaining firmly rooted in artisan leadership despite countless challenges.
Today, guided by the principle "Artisans Working for Artisans," the nonprofit organization RUTA Artesanal Boricua Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, serves as the steward of this public space, transforming it into a living showcase for some of Puerto Rico's most authentic artistic expressions.
RUTA Artesanal Boricua Inc. was established to create new opportunities that
serve communities, cultural organizations, and visitors who are passionate about Puerto Rican heritage.
Among its primary objectives are:
Creating a new professional sector by diversifying income opportunities through Certified Artisan Interpreters recognized by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and Aquila.
Expanding employment opportunities and fair compensation for active artisans.
Empowering and promoting Puerto Rico's artisanal heritage by developing markets throughout the Island's diverse tourism regions.
The artisan markets organized by RUTA Artesanal Boricua Inc. celebrate all nine recognized artistic disciplines.
For nearly two decades, the Mayaguez market has served as both a stage and an open-air gallery, welcoming local, national, and international artists whose work spans the full spectrum of artistic expression.
Among the participants are: many distinguished Visual Artists and Artisans: Urban artist
Flavor Hot Cru; multidisciplinary artist LuzAngel; acclaimed American visual artist Timothy Waldron; artist and educator Nadia Rodríguez, artisan and president of ArCuCoop; Florida-based artisan designer Willie Alexander; nationally recognized jeweler Coralí Flores Lugo; and many others.
Musicians: The acclaimed Puerto Rican duo Julia Rita and Raúl Grant; versatile performer Omar lloy; singer-songwriter Jaime David Vazquez; and the captivating musical project Agua de Musa.
Writers, Poets, and Cultural Leaders: The literary collective Las Musas Descalzas; multidisciplinary artist Ingrid Ramos; authors Lala González and Ángela Valentin; and the enduring legacy of the late Raquel Brailowsky, whose contributions continue to inspire.
Today, RUTA's weekly cultural calendar continues to energize the community by providing an open platform for artistic and cultural engagement.
