The history of Puerto Ricans in the so-called "Babel of Steel" dates back more than a century. Through hundreds of images of the "pioneers"-those Puerto Rican migrants who established themselves in New York City between the 1890s and the end of World War II-we capture a glimpse of their daily lives and of their individual and collective stories. This rich collection of images from the Archives of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College helps to examine the history of the Puerto Rican community at a time when it was spreading its roots in New York City's social, political, cultural, and economic life.
This book is the result of the collaboration of two New York historians, F©lix V. Matos-Rodrguez and Pedro Juan Hern¡ndez, director and archivist, respectively, of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York City.