SHARE PHILADELPHIA’S HISPANIC HERITAGE

Monopolies and embargoes during the 18th and 19th centuries could not stop vital trade between Cuba and the United States. Philadelphia, an early center for such exchange, attracted many Spaniards, Cubans, and later, Puerto Ricans seeking prosperity as well as distance from upheavals in their native lands. Hispanics sought jobs here in Cuban cigar factories, the railroad industry, garment factories, and the agricultural industry. Now, about 10 percent of Philadelphians are Hispanic, which equates to more than 150,000 residents hailing from homelands such as Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico and more.

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