journal

Men carrying sugarcane on heads up gangplank to load on truck

From time to time, the internet burps up something amazing. Over the last few months, I've watched t13man upload some of the most captivating pics I've ever seen of Puerto Rico. Apparently taken in the late 40s and early 50s by more than one person, these photos capture midcentury puertorican life like nothing else I've ever seen.

Browsing through them, I'm struck by how radically things can change in 50 short years. On the one hand, I'm nostalgic (if one can feel nostalgia for something one has never experienced) for some of the idyllic scenes, such as the unspoiled beaches. On the other, I'm struck by the poverty some of the images depict. Driving around PR today, you'd never imagine what was there a few short decades earlier.
Posted by carlosmorales at August 2, 2007 06:10 PM