Editing Puerto Rico (section)

===Arts===
{{Main|Puerto Rican art}}
[[File:José Campeche (Puerto Rican, 1751-1809). Doña María de los Dolores Gutiérrez del Mazo y Pérez, ca. 1796..jpg|upright|thumb|María de los Dolores Gutiérrez del Mazo, in colonial Puerto Rico, in 1796, by the mulatto Rococo painter [[José Campeche]]. Painting currently housed in the [[Brooklyn Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/209953|title=Doña María de los Dolores Gutiérrez del Mazo y Pérez|author=[[José Campeche]]|year=1796|website=[[Brooklyn Museum]] website|location=New York}}</ref>]]
Puerto Rican art reflects many influences, much from its ethnically diverse background. A form of [[folk art]], called ''santos'' evolved from the Catholic Church's use of [[sculpture]]s to convert Indigenous Puerto Ricans to [[Christianity]]. ''Santos'' depict figures of saints and other religious icons and are made from native wood, clay, and stone. After shaping simple, they are often finished by painting them in vivid colors. ''Santos'' vary in size, with the smallest examples around eight inches tall and the largest about twenty inches tall. Traditionally, santos were seen as messengers between the earth and Heaven. As such, they occupied a special place on household [[altar]]s, where people prayed to them, asked for help, or tried to summon their protection.

Also popular, ''caretas'' or ''vejigantes'' are masks worn during [[carnival]]s. Similar masks signifying evil spirits were used in both Spain and Africa, though for different purposes. The Spanish used their masks to frighten lapsed [[Christians]] into returning to the church, while tribal Africans used them as protection from the evil spirits they represented. True to their historic origins, Puerto Rican ''caretas'' always bear at least several horns and fangs. While usually constructed of [[papier-mâché]], coconut shells and fine metal screening are sometimes used as well. Red and black were the typical colors for ''caretas'' but their palette has expanded to include a wide variety of bright hues and patterns.