By Carlos Quiles
The term diaspora refers to those groups who, for one or more reasons, leave their place of origin and resettle elsewhere—while retaining their identity, customs, culture, and the defining traits that mark them as a distinct collective. Most often, when we speak of the diaspora, we refer to those communities already established in their new surroundings. The factors behind this displacement are many and complex in scope and substance—ranging from hunger, war, unemployment, and political persecution to colonial status, regional decline, and natural disasters. Given the limitations of this space, we do not intend to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the term. Instead, these remarks serve to frame the subject at hand: the presence and contributions of Ramón López to the Puerto Rican community of Chicago.
The Puerto Rican diaspora in Chicago—understood as the city’s Puerto Rican community, akin to others across the United States—took shape largely due to Puerto Rico’s colonial status. From its earliest confrontations to assert its dignity, this community organized itself as one of struggle and resistance. To this day, it draws strength from the principles of cultural identity, idiosyncrasy, and the nationalist ideals rooted in its Puerto Rican homeland.
It was in 1994 that anthropologist, artisan, artist, and multitalented creator Ramón López arrived in Chicago. From the very beginning, he immersed himself in the life of the community, bringing with him a deep sense of commitment and a multiplicity of contributions that would reinforce the foundational pillars of this Puerto Rican diaspora.
In addition to his artistic and artisanal gifts and his academic training as an anthropologist, Ramón possessed a powerful calling for popular education, particularly among marginalized communities. His political ideology—grounded in the liberation of Puerto Rico from colonial rule—and his profound cultural awareness and national identity became offerings he placed at the service of the diaspora.
During his time as an active member of the community, Ramón López’s contributions were many and lasting. He was instrumental in conceptualizing and physically constructing La Casita de Don Pedro, an homage to Puerto Rican heritage and resilience. He documented, through ethnographic essays, the emergence and symbolic significance of Paseo Boricua—both within and beyond the diaspora. It is to him that we owe the very naming of that corridor, now iconic as the heart of the Puerto Rican community in Chicago. He also played a crucial role in the installation of the monumental steel Puerto Rican flags that mark the boundaries of the community in Humboldt Park. It was Ramón who interpreted those sculptures as acts of spatial sovereignty and cultural affirmation.
He was the creator of the beaded flag pendants—dijes de mostacillas—bracelets and necklaces featuring the Puerto Rican flag, which came to symbolize diaspora identity in handmade form. He was a co-founder and contributor to Boricua, the monthly newspaper of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC), and served as an educator and curriculum developer at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School and ASPIRA. In these roles, he helped shape a culturally relevant education that integrated Puerto Rican history, artistic production, and community activism. From 1994 to 2002, he was a key organizer of the Three Kings Day Parade, weaving together Afro-Taíno roots, bomba music, and popular education into its celebration. As a passionate advocate for cultural symbolism in the visual arts, he led workshops and published essays on cultural resistance in the diaspora. He also composed La bandera más grande, a song considered the anthem of Paseo Boricua.
All these efforts—and many more not named here—stand as vital contributions to the growth and continuity of the Puerto Rican diaspora in Chicago. For all of this, and with deep gratitude, I have taken the liberty—without official authority but with heartfelt conviction—to name this remarkable community as Puerto Rico’s 79th municipality.
Without a doubt, Ramón López remains one of the most important mentors and inspirations for new generations of Puerto Rican cultural workers and activists—not only in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community but in Boricua enclaves across the United States and within the Puerto Rican Nation itself. To forget this vital figure in our cultural and liberation struggles, both at home and abroad, would be an unforgivable act.
