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A Brief History
To be able to tell the history of my family I have to talk about our ancestors first. In this island, Puerto Rico, there used to be some natives called Taínos. The Taínos lived here peacefully, until the Spaniards arrived. The Africans that were brought to the island were the needed ingredient to complete what we are today. These three races mixed; thus, the Puerto Rican was born. The warm African blood that runs through our veins makes our bodies shake with every beat of the drum, the Taíno nobility rules over our minds and the European soul flourishes the strongest passions in us. A fusion of races, the best of three worlds! Our last name, Rosado, is Spanish for pink or pinkish, and was first found in Old Castile, in the mountains near Santander. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Rosado family originally lived in a place where wild roses grew. The surname is derived from the Latin word rosa, which means rose. The family name Rosado is also derived from the given name Rose. Though, in Latin America the origin of last names is usually due to how some people looked or behaved. In this case, Rosado probably refers to someone that had red-hair or someone with a rather pinkish face. Coincidentally, my grandfather’s mom had red hair (characteristic inherited by one of my aunts). Most of us have brown or black hair; some light some dark. Just like with our eyes, they are mostly brown. My grandfather had green eyes and blond hair; only one of my cousins has green eyes as well. Well, if you know a little about genetics you’ll know that some genes are dominant while others are recessive; therefore, in my family dark eyes and hair are the dominant characteristics. My grandmother had tanned skin; she looked like a Taína in almost every aspect. On the other hand, my grandfather had a more European look. In Puerto Rico, darker skins, eyes and hair are a very common trait; mostly due to our tropical climate. You can find almost any mix these days; just walking through the streets you might find someone with fair skin, blond curly hair, green eyes and a wide nose; at school you might see someone with dark skin, dark straight hair and green eyes. Currently, most of my family lives in the United States, though a few of us still remain here. I love my small island (flaws and all) and feel very proud of it. I deeply believe that to be Puerto Rican (or of any other nationality) does not depend in the way that you look, not even in which place you were born or raised, it is a matter of the heart. You whether feel it or not. |
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"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future."
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| ©2005-2008 Geniz Hernández | =^_^= | ||||||||||