Religion is fundamental to contemporary Puerto Rican society. From the cosmology of the Indigenous Taíno, to the wide range of Judeo-Christian churches and sects, to the practitioners of spiritism, Afro-Caribbean religions, and witchcraft, religious practice in its many forms permeates the lives of most Puerto Ricans.
Communities of the Soul illuminates the landscape and history of religion in Puerto Rico from the beliefs and practices of the Taíno to the religious diversity of the present day. Throughout its history, religion in Puerto Rico has braided institutional forms and popular practices, yet has always been a community-based process – made by the people. When the island was under Spanish colonial rule, the formal but weak presence of Catholicism meant that Puerto Ricans cultivated their religious experiences within families and local communities as much as within the structures of the church. These communal practices continued as Puerto Ricans joined Protestant denominations – particularly evangelical Pentecostalism – after the American conquest of the island in 1898. In the second half of the twentieth century, religious diversity increased with the formation of Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as numerous local evangelical congregations. Even as Puerto Rican society becomes more cosmopolitan and diverse, popular devotions and ritualistic practices remain an important part of everyday life.
The first synthesis of the religious history of the island, Communities of the Soul is an innovative exploration of religion in Puerto Rico and the beliefs, practices, and diversity of its past and present.

José E. Igartua is a retired professor of history at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

José E. Igartua's profile page

“Communities of the Soul is a spirited portrait in broad strokes of the historical and contemporary landscape of religion in a small country that has fascinated scholars in the social sciences and the humanities, including those who study religion. Igartua … succeeds in crafting a highly readable, useful, and insightful chronicle of how Puerto Rican popular religiosity emerged from a hodgepodge of Indigenous, Spanish, African, US, and other sources.” *University of Toronto Quarterly *

"Communities of the Soul provides a good digest of a complicated history. It will enrich the growing awareness of Puerto Rico's challenges to presumptions of the world's moral order. José Igartua offers insightful reflection on an important subject." Reverend Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, Fordham University