Ponce Massacre by Carlos Raquel Rivera (Interpretation and Analysis)

Ponce Massacre
Source: Princeton Program in Latin American Studies

In the history of human culture, art has served many different purposes. It commemorates past events, conveys political messages, expresses complex ideas, inspires religiosity, and adds a degree of beauty to the world. Today, I’m going to talk about a piece of art that serves as a historical record of a little-remembered event: the Ponce Massacre of 1937.

Carlos Raquel Rivera’s linocut print, aptly entitled Ponce Massacre, commemorates the massacre of the same name that killed nineteen people in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

On Palm Sunday, March 21, 1937, members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and other civilians gathered in the main plaza of the city of Ponce to stage a march in protest of the unjust imprisonment of Pedro Albizu Campos, a key figure in the Puerto Rican struggle for independence. All protesters were unarmed, and the organizers had obtained permits for the protest. However, On the day of the protest, they were confronted by the Insular Police force, which was armed with riot control equipment and submachine guns. After a brief argument between the mayor, the captain of police, and a Nationalist leader, the protesters were ordered to disperse. The protesters decided to march anyway, and the band began to play “La Borinqueña,” Puerto Rico’s unofficial national anthem. Just as they began to march, the Insular Police opened fire, killing fourteen Nationalists, three bystanders—including a thirteen year old girl—and two police officers who were caught in the crossfire. Reparations have never been offered to victims of the massacre or their families and those responsible for the massacre never faced repercussions.

As an event, the Ponce Massacre encapsulates the United States’ attitude towards its colonial past. Between the military takeover of Puerto Rico in 1898 and the creation of the Puerto Rican Commonwealth in 1952, the United States exercised totalitarian control over Puerto Rico, using that power to decimate the Puerto Rican economy and impose harsh restrictions on Puerto Rican civil liberties.

Rivera’s print encompasses this reality in one, stark image. Ponce Massacre depicts a mass of people—some living and some apparently dead—in front of two-story house. One of the figures carries a Puerto Rican flag, a symbol that was banned at the time of the massacre. There is a sense of struggle among this group; Rivera uses shadow and visual confusion to suggest that the group is pushing forward despite adversity.

A giant eagle looms above the house, dwarfing the protestors and their flag. The eagle symbolizes the United States and the power it represents. At its core Ponce Massacre recreates the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized, highlighting the blatant inequity and imbalance of power that colonization represents.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.