A Caraibón

2026

Our time at El Yunque’s Ranger House Art Residency granted us direct, privileged access to the neighboring Caraibón river, also called Espíritu Santo since the colonial era. Situated right at the threshold of El Yunque National Forest, the residency allowed us to immerse ourselves in the river's entire span, from its costal environment to the mountain summit of the wilderness. Through this experience, we forged a deeply intimate connection with its essence and spiritual presence. El Yunque stands as an ancestral sacred temple, safeguarded for millennia by the spiritual beliefs and diverse world views of successive inhabitants. Over a period of nearly three months, we conducted regular upstream and downstream expeditions to investigate the river's archaeological history, cultural identity, scientific significance, and ecological environment.

The river is deeply alive, sustained by its biological ecosystems, a thriving wildlife sanctuary, and a spiritual realm rich with mystical beliefs and ancestral wisdoms. This unique cultural identity reveals historical events carved into the landscape, visible in ancient petroglyphs, anthropogenic footprints within the vegetation, and oral traditions preserved through generations of local storytelling, legends and myth. Our frequent visits to the river to gather materials, ideas, inspiration, and knowledge have taught us how to coexist with it. By understanding its true nature, we remain acutely aware of how seamlessly it can shift from a paradise of pristine waterfalls and calm ponds into a perilous flash flood of deadly, powerful currents. Awakening this sharp intuition requires a ritualistic practice to be followed: First, share an intention with the river and ask for its permission to enter the forest. When it is time to leave, remember to offer a token of respect or a small gesture of gratitude to show true appreciation for its blessings. Grounded in this mindful ethos, we envisioned an offering for the river, making its debut at the art residency’s opening exhibition. Inside the gallery, clinical lighting illuminated an array of objects that revealed the creative thinking, the scientific inquiry, the foraged material research, the craftsmanship, and the conceptual depth behind the installation meant for Caraibón.

The next phase of the project took place a few days later, moving directly into the river itself. The audience was invited to participate in a collective votive offering at La Quebrada Sonadora along the Caraibón River, where we facilitated an ephemeral, site-specific installation using organic and sustainable materials. The ceremony unfolded with a solemn grace and gratitude toward the Caraibón river as participants swam in its waters, some carrying flowers, fruits, shells, instruments, poems, and crafts to add to the offering. It became a joyful gathering, a celebration of friendship and a shared encounter with the ever-present spirit of the river. While the fruits and floral ornaments were left behind as gifts for the river, all crafts, instruments, and ceremonial objects were returned to the gallery at sunset, preparing the way for the residency's final presentation, which restaged this ritual within the gallery space.

The closing event unfolded over the following days, inviting the audience back for a final viewing of the installation. In the brief time since the offering at the river, everything had transformed. The gallery was plunged into darkness, save for a single overhead spotlight casting an intense, incandescent glow upon the room’s focal point: a canoe filled with water and flowers, its gunwales ringed by flickering candles. Two ceremonial torches burned with sacred Tabonuco resin, filling the darkened space with smoke, while actual water from El Yunque dripped occasionally into the canoe. This animated the atmosphere with the sudden sound of each falling drop and the ripples that followed. Candle fire illuminated the artworks, while a looping video projection cast just enough light for visitors to navigate the dark, smoky haze of incense. The scent of a remnant offering hung in the air, charging the room with the spiritual presence of Caraibón, as an ancient mythological being arising from our ancestral Taíno, African, and Jíbaro heritage.