Boricuas' arrival in Hawaiʻi

Columbus reaches Puerto Rico

On his second voyage, Columbus arrives at the island that would become Puerto Rico — the beginning of a long colonial chapter that shaped the people who later journeyed to Hawaiʻi.

Hurricanes devastate Puerto Rico

Twenty-eight days of rain. More than 3,000 dead. Agriculture destroyed. The catastrophe created a world sugar shortage — and demand for labor on Hawaiʻi's plantations.

Note: The historically documented storm is San Ciriaco (Aug 1899). Confirm with the board if messaging should reference an earlier storm year from oral history.

The long voyage west

Recruited workers traveled Guánica → New Orleans → San Francisco, then boarded the steamship City of Rio de Janeiro bound for Oʻahu, arriving in December 1900.

First Boricuas reach Maui

The first Puerto Rican laborers arrived on Maui aboard the steamer Lehua to work the Spreckelsville sugar plantation — a date still celebrated in our community memory.

5,000+ settle across four islands

Men, women, and children — entire families — put down roots across Hawaiʻi, bringing language, foodways, music, and faith that would endure for generations.

Nearly 40,000 Puerto Ricans in Hawaiʻi

Our community remains one of the strongest Puerto Rican populations outside the Caribbean — and MPRA continues to keep that heritage alive on Maui.