ABSTRACT
THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT in understanding Puerto Rican migration is perhaps the least visible one: the historical context. In the nineteenth century, Puerto Rico had been receiving people, rather than exporting them. Yet by the middle of the twentieth century, Puerto Rico began to experience a concentrated exodus of people (see Figure 5.1). Although this migration has fluctuated, the flow has continued. In net terms, it has been so significant that it has been referred to as the “Puerto Rican diaspora.” 1 The net result of this unprecedented migration is that by 1980 over 40 percent of Puerto Ricans lived outside Puerto Rico, primarily on the U.S. mainland. 2 Aldorondo (1990) projects that by the year 2000, 38.8 percent of Puerto Rico’s population will have migrated to the mainland. 3
