Every handcrafted piece celebrates Puerto Rico’s culture.
Artisans of Puerto Rico
Every piece tells a story.
Across Puerto Rico, skilled artisans shape more than just souvenirs—they craft cultural legacies. At Discover Puerto Rico, we proudly partner with local creators who preserve tradition through sustainable craftsmanship. Each piece reflects a deep connection to identity, heritage, and care for the environment.
Whether it’s a mask carved from higüera (calabash) wood or a hand-stitched item made from leather, you’re holding a story—one that begins with Puerto Rican hands and connects you to the Island’s cultural soul.
Meet the artisans, discover the eco-friendly resources they use, and see how each piece is rooted in Boricua tradition.
A local artisan displays figurines and traditional masks known as vejigantes.
What is an Artisan?
In Puerto Rico, artisans—known locally as artesanos—are the cultural custodians who preserve and celebrate the Island's rich heritage through handcrafted works. Their creations are deeply rooted in the traditions of Taíno, African, and Spanish cultures, reflecting the diverse influences that shape Puerto Rican identity.
Every handcrafted piece reflects Puerto Rico's creativity and culture.
Types of Puerto Rican Handcrafts
Puerto Rican artisans specialize in a variety of crafts that reflect the Island's culture, history, and creativity. Using materials such as wood, clay, bamboo, leather, cotton thread, natural fibers, sea glass, wax, shells, seeds, spices, stone, metal, paper, glass, higüeras, textiles, tobacco, and other natural elements sourced from Puerto Rico's landscapes and coastlines, they transform everyday materials into works of art. From colorful vejigante masks and carved santos to handmade jewelry and delicate mundillo lacework, each craft tells a story and helps preserve the Island's cultural heritage.
Higüera
This native fruit, also known as calabash, is dried, hollowed, and sanded to create natural containers and surfaces. Puerto Rican artisans transform it into hand-painted art, decorative masks, and musical instruments, celebrating its long-standing use by our Taíno ancestors.
Guayacán
A dense and durable tropical hardwood native to the Caribbean, it is considered one of the strongest in the world. Its golden-brown wood has been valued for centuries in Puerto Rican craftsmanship, often used in religious carvings, tools, and ceremonial objects for its strength and symbolic meaning.
Cotton
Cotton
Puerto Rico is known for its tradition of mundillo, a delicate bobbin lace-making craft passed down through generations of artisans. Using cotton thread, wooden bobbins, and intricate patterns, artisans create detailed lace pieces for clothing, home décor, accessories, and decorative art. This tradition remains especially important in Moca, known as the "Capital del Mundillo", where local artisans continue to preserve and celebrate this cherished craft.
Coconut
Commonly used in Puerto Rican artisan work, the coconut shell is a byproduct of the fruit that’s cleaned, polished, and carved into beautiful items like jewelry, buttons, home décor, and even traditional vejigante masks. This sustainable material embodies the resourceful spirit of island life, transforming everyday natural waste into lasting pieces of art.
Leather
Traditionally crafted from treated hides, leather has long been used by Puerto Rican artisans to create belts, handbags, wallets, and decorative pieces. Its durability and versatility allow artisans to showcase detailed carving, tooling, and stitching techniques passed down through generations.
Carry a piece of Puerto Rico wherever you go.
What Local Makers Create
Vejigante Masks
Bright, colorful masks used in traditional festivals in Loíza, Ponce, and Hatillo. Their bold colors and playful horns make them one of Puerto Rico’s most recognized cultural symbols.
Wood Carvings (Santos)
Hand-carved figures, often made from local wood. Many represent saints, while others celebrate everyday Island life and traditions.
Higüera Art
Decorative pieces, musical instruments, and crafts made from dried higüera gourds. Each piece is carefully shaped, carved, and painted by hand.
Jewelry
Handmade necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings crafted from sea glass, shells, seeds, metals, and other natural materials found around the Island.
Leatherwork
Traditional artisans create belts, handbags, wallets, and other accessories using time-honored leatherworking techniques.
Textiles & Embroidery
Handwoven fabrics, embroidered designs, and clothing inspired by Puerto Rican heritage, colors, and patterns.
Ceramics & Pottery
Functional and decorative pieces shaped by hand, often inspired by Taíno heritage and contemporary Puerto Rican art.
Explore Puerto Rico's artisan markets and festivals.
Where to Find Puerto Rican Artisan Crafts
Throughout the year, artisan fairs and cultural festivals across Puerto Rico bring together local makers, traditional crafts, live music, and authentic food. These events offer visitors the opportunity to meet artisans, learn about their techniques, and purchase handcrafted items directly from the creators. Supporting these artisans helps preserve the Boricua cultural identity.
Recurring Artisan Markets in Old San Juan
The artisan market at Paseo de la Princesa takes place regularly throughout the year, giving visitors the chance to shop for handmade jewelry, vejigante masks, wood carvings, textiles, and other locally crafted goods while exploring the historic streets of Old San Juan.
Annual Artisan Festivals
Puerto Rico hosts artisan festivals throughout the year that celebrate traditional craftsmanship, music, food, and culture. One of the most notable is the Feria Nacional de Artesanías de Barranquitas, a longstanding event that showcases the work of artisans from across the Island. Other popular events include Somos Color Caribe in Dorado, which highlights Caribbean art, culture, music, and artisan exhibits, and La Feria en Cataño (Feria Bacardí), a waterfront celebration featuring local artisans, traditional foods, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities.
Yarielis Sevilla Velázquez is a Puerto Rican artisan known for her vibrant vejigante masks and higüera gourd prints.
Meet the Artesanos:
Yara Sevilla
"My name is Yarielis Sevilla Velázquez, and I’ve been an artisan for 12 years. As a visual artist, I’m best known for my colorful vejigante masks and cultural prints using higüera gourds. My work has been featured in films, commercials, and music videos, and I often showcase it throughout the Island—especially in Old San Juan with Puerto Rico’s Tourism Company and the Institute of Art and Culture. I’m proud to call Vega Baja home, where I also teach art, helping grow the next generation of creators through higüeras and vegigante masks."