The Sacred Sound of Home: Puerto Rico, the Coquí, and the Power of Respect

We are the ancestors of the future, and what we do now will have an impact.

— Luisah Teish, Yoruba priestess, author of Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals

Puerto Rico is a masterpiece of contradiction and contrast—breathtaking beauty and historic brutality intertwined in ways that continue to echo through its people, its land, and its soul.

This Island, my Island, is the land of the coquí—a tiny frog whose song carries the heartbeat of the archipelago. The coquí cradles us at night and reminds us that we are home. It is the sacred soundtrack of the Boricua spirit.

Our Island is a sanctuary of turquoise shores and emerald forests, where El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest system, stands as a living altar to ancient resilience. Here, mangroves breathe life into the coasts, and mountains cradle coffee fields that once sustained generations. The land hums with more than beauty—it hums with memory.

It remembers the Taíno people, our Indigenous ancestors, who called this land Borikén—Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord. They were the first to steward this paradise before Spanish conquistadors arrived with cross and sword, rewriting our fate with violence and disease. Their sacred zemis were desecrated. Their language, nearly lost. But their spirit? Never extinguished.

And the land remembers more: the sugar plantations where African ancestors were shackled in body but never in soul. The colonial imprint of flags that changed, but domination remained. The U.S. naval bombardments of Vieques. The sterilization of Boricua women without consent. The imposed poverty masked as aid.

Even now, although we hold U.S. passports, our autonomy remains partial. Our voice, though powerful, is often politically stifled. Yet we endure—with pride, with song, with joy. Because Puerto Rico is more than a place. It is a spirit. And we protect that spirit with reverence.

And still, we welcome you.

But to visit Puerto Rico is not merely to enjoy a beautiful place. It is to step into a living history. It is to walk on sacred ground. It is to enter a story that began long before you arrived and will continue long after you leave. And how you enter that story matters.

I recently returned to Puerto Rico to visit my 81-year-old mother. It was night when I arrived, and as I made my way to my sister’s door, I listened. And there it was—the first sound I always hope to hear when I return: the coquí. A single call in the dark, high and pure. I paused. I smiled. I danced my way into my sister’s arms, echoing the song like a child. It brought joy to my bones.

The coquí is not a nuisance. It is not noise. It is a sacred sound. It is the lullaby of our homeland, the call of belonging, the anthem of the diaspora. For those of us who have left, it is the first sign that we are home again.

And yet, I have heard stories—stories of tourists disturbed by the coquí, even asking how to silence it, how to kill it.

Because it sings too loud.

What a heartbreaking metaphor that is: silencing the voice of a place because it is inconvenient.

To the traveler who comes to our shores: this is not just a visit. This is an encounter. And the only meaningful way to engage with this Island is through the lens of humility, curiosity, and reverence.

Humility transforms the way we travel. It softens our assumptions. It replaces entitlement with presence. It teaches us that beauty is not ours to consume, but to witness—and that every place we step into carries history, identity, and sovereignty.

Curiosity opens our eyes to truth. It invites us to learn instead of judge, to listen instead of dismiss. When you ask—not to fix, but to understand—you honor our complexity. You make space for wonder.

Reverence is the soul’s posture of awe. It bows to the sacredness of place and people. It recognizes that this Island is not a backdrop for your vacation photos—it is a living, breathing archive of ancestry and spirit.

Puerto Rico is not yours. And it is not a postcard.

It is the home of elders whose memories stretch further than your guidebook. It is the resting place of ancestors who survived colonization. It is the living expression of culture, language, struggle, and joy.

When you walk these beaches, you walk on land soaked with resistance and rebirth. When you hear the coquí, you hear something ancient. When you see our people, know that we are more than your hosts—we are the heartbeat of this place.

Hospitality, in our culture, is sacred. We will offer it freely. But we also carry the right to ask that you receive it with grace.

Respect is not a request. It is a requirement. And humility is not weakness—it is the gateway to transformation.

If you let it, Puerto Rico will teach you how to listen again. It will show you how to walk more gently. It will ask you to shed your expectations and stand, bare and grateful, in the presence of something far older and more wondrous than you.

To visit Puerto Rico is to enter a living story—one shaped by resilience, spirit, and a deep, sacred pulse that refuses to be silenced. The coquí sings not just for the night, but for the ancestors, for the land, and for those of us who carry its echo in our bones. May we all learn to listen—with reverence, with humility, and with the respect that sacred ground demands.

You came seeking paradise. If you arrive with humility, you just might find it.

Neidy Lozada, MATP, CTTC, CSIC, is a Legacy Cultivator and Transformational Strategist who works from the framework of transformational, transpersonal, and spiritual integration coaching. She brings over twenty years of experience in transpersonal practices, coaching, and business to her work with individuals worldwide.

Neidy founded Soulful Sojourners following her long-held dream of building a company that provides top-notch coaching services to women, men, and organizations undergoing a profound transformational process. She also founded the Spirited Entrepreneurs Empowerment Network (S.E.E.N.), a program designed to provide a platform for women to expand their reach. Neidy created Living Imprints, a self-paced program inviting an honest conversation about legacy. Additionally, she continues to serve non-profit organizations in the Bay Area through her work as a board member. Neidy is a proud mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and devoted caretaker of furry companions.