Arts & Traditions

Juan finds inspiration in all manifestations of Taino and African heritage present in his country.

Juan Pablo used art to bring his colorful character, the “vejigante” to the streets as a symbol of resistance. By painting murals, enacting puppet theaters, making handcrafted masks, music, dance and community service, they were able to mix art expression with daily life, reaffirming his belief that art objects are more than mere decoration, but expressions of daily life’s struggles and realities.

Vejigante's Masks & Crafts

Juan Pablo saw the picturesque and symbolic character of “el vejigante” as a defense of the magical village of Loíza.

Juan Pablo started carving vejigantes, one of the principal cultural symbols of his people, in 2006 following in the footsteps of the master craftsmen, Castor Ayala, Raúl Ayala, Samuel Lind, Juan Luis Sánchez and Carlos Ayala Calcaño. Through his work wih vejigantes and other forms of art, Juan continues to express himself, all while striving to keep his culture and his roots alive.

Community Workshops

Juan Pablo worked along with community groups to identify their necessities and interests and to organize and carry out the proposed solutions.

Alongside the radical puppet theater group – Papel Machete-Agitarte – Juan Pablo used art to bring his colorful character, the “vejigante” to the streets as a symbol of resistance. By painting murals, enacting puppet theaters, making handcrafted masks, music, dance and community service, they were able to mix art expression with daily life, reaffirming his belief that art objects are more than mere decoration, but expressions of daily life’s struggles y realities. 

About The Artist

Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1978 and raised in the small town of Loíza, Juan Pablo Vizcaíno Cortijo had an interest for the arts, music and traditions of his culture since he was a young child.

Raised on the banks of the Río Grande Loíza and its estuary, Juan Pablo grew up admiring and being inspiring by nature’s beauty, especially the mangroves, the power of the river and the majesty of the sea. He also grew up surrounded by beautiful cultural manifestations given that Loíza is known as Puerto Rico’s capital of tradition. Juan Pablo saw the picturesque and symbolic character of “el vejigante”, one of the principal cultural symbols of his people, as a defense of the magical village of Loíza.

Juan finds inspiration in all manifestations of Taino and African heritage present in his country. For Juan one of the most important aspects of his art expression are to respect and maintain Loiza’s and Puerto Rico’s art history and tradition and to perpetuate the presence of Taino and Afrocaribbean heritage.

With the likes of vejigantes and other forms of art, Juan continues to put his grain of sand in the hopes of a better quality of life for all while striving to keep his culture, his roots, alive!