Asian roots. Boricua life.

Asian presence in Puerto Rico dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily through Chinese migration tied to commerce, railroads, and small businesses.

Chinese Puerto Ricans are the largest Asian-descended group on the island, with families established for generations, especially in urban centers. Many Chinese-Puerto Rican families run restaurants, groceries, and import businesses, but newer generations work across medicine, engineering, academia, and the arts.

Asian Puerto Ricans are fully Boricua—Spanish-speaking, culturally Puerto Rican, while maintaining elements of ancestral traditions at home. Identity today is hybrid and normalized, not foreign: Boricua first, Asian heritage included.

Asian influence shows up subtly in food culture, entrepreneurship, and education, rather than through large ethnic enclaves.