Podcast Summary: Suave – Introducing La Brega: Season Three (“Who Represents Us?”)

Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Alana Casanova Burgess (Futuro Media, La Brega)
Episode Theme:
A compelling exploration of the cultural, political, and historical battle over public monuments and the meaning of “Puerto Ricanness,” sparked by the toppling of the Juan Ponce de León statue in Old San Juan on the eve of a royal visit. Launching the third season of La Brega, this episode dives into questions of representation, colonial legacy, and national identity through personal stories, humor, and sharp critique.

Main Theme and Purpose

Overview:
This episode introduces the third season of La Brega, centering on Puerto Rican “champions” and the cultural battlegrounds of representation. The kickoff story is the dramatic and symbolic toppling of the Ponce de León statue—a flashpoint for debates on colonial history, public commemoration, and who truly deserves a pedestal in the country’s public squares and collective memory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage: The Royal Visit and a Toppled Statue

• Timeline: January 24, 2022—Celebration of San Juan’s 500th anniversary and visit by Spain’s King Felipe VI.
• Puerto Ricans woke to viral images of the toppled Juan Ponce de León statue in Old San Juan, decapitated and snapped at the legs ([01:41]-[04:54]).
• The statue’s fall coincides intentionally with the king’s visit, underlining a protest against both Spanish colonial legacy and U.S. economic influence, highlighted by the activist group Fuerzas Libertarias de Boricain’s claim of responsibility ([04:54]-[07:08]).

Public Reaction: Outrage, Memes, and Mockery

• Outrage among political figures and local media, contrasted with satire and memes online ([08:00]-[12:41]).
  • Quote: “I just started brainstorming ... the statue is broke ... Partío corazón, partío, Alejandro Sanz. Let’s go.”
    —Juan PI, political satirist ([10:45]-[11:48])
• Memes circulate suggesting alternative “champions” for the pedestal—icons like Bad Bunny, Iris Chacón, even abstract representations (e.g., a tree, a goddess).
• The statue becomes a canvas for both nationalist grief and irreverent Puerto Rican humor.

Rushed Restoration: The Absurd Race to Reinstall the Statue

• The city promises the statue will be restored before the king’s arrival, despite its mangled condition ([09:06]-[10:11]).
  • “Imagine, it takes them forever to fix a pothole, right?”
    —Rafael Capó García, historian ([09:58]-[10:11])
• Satirical commentary erupts: the urgency to restore the symbol of colonialism juxtaposed with chronic neglect of public services (e.g., “potholes old enough to have birthday parties”).
• Municipal workers scramble to repair and re-erect the statue, the spectacle livestreamed for all of Puerto Rico ([25:13]-[28:43]).

Symbolism, History, and Debate over Monuments

• Statue’s Background: Erected in the 1890s, cast from cannons used in the 1797 defense against the British.
• Debates from Puerto Rican historiography: using “Hispanicity” as a defense against U.S. Americanization ([23:25]-[25:05]).
  • “We’re not Americans, we are something else. And rooting themselves in European and Spanish heritage was sort of a defensive mechanism.”
    —Rafael Capó García ([23:44]-[23:57])
• The myth of a benevolent Ponce de León recirculates persistently in Puerto Rican discourse ([24:07]-[24:30]).

Protest and Police Response

• Protesters (notably Capó García himself) ascend the empty pedestal, striking the Ponce pose to delay restoration ([25:09]-[26:19]).
  • “So getting up on the pedestal was not the plan ... fuck it.”
    —Rafael Capó García ([25:09]-[25:33])
• Heavy police presence arrives, forming a cordon for workers to reinstall the statue ([26:31]-[27:23]).
  • “How come you don't answer the call when my safety is at risk ... but you’re here now when I'm protesting?”
    —Crowd to police ([26:47]-[27:02])

The Farcical Restoration: A Crooked Outcome

• The repaired statue is hastily installed in a cockeyed position, noticeably “leaning to the left.”
  • “You couldn’t in good faith stand back and look up at that pedestal and say, Juan Ponce de León’s standing tall and proud ...”
    —Adrián Florido, NPR reporter ([29:57]-[30:07])
• The King’s motorcade may not even have passed by, and city officials avoid substantive comment ([32:23]-[33:10]).

Reflections: What Does the Pedestal Mean Now?

• Four years later, the statue still slants, and the pedestal remains lower, literally and symbolically “down a peg.”
• The episode closes by posing crucial questions for the season:
  • Should the bronze be melted and recast? Should the pedestal remain empty to invite reflection?
  • Who truly represents Puerto Rico? What stories are we telling with our honored champions? ([33:10]-[34:58])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|---------|-----------------| | 09:58 | Rafael Capó García | “Imagine, it takes them forever to fix a pothole, right?” | | 10:11 | Nar. | “There are some potholes in Puerto Rico that are old enough to have birthday parties.” | | 11:48 | Nar. | “In Puerto Rico, nobody needs a statue to remember colonialism. It’s not in the past.” | | 23:44 | Rafael Capó García | “We’re not Americans, we are something else. And rooting themselves in European and Spanish heritage was sort of a defensive mechanism.” | | 24:07 | Rafael Capó García (quoting historian) | “Hopefully all conquistadors of the Indies would have been as benevolent as Juan Ponce de León was with the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico.” (Noted as a persistent, problematic myth) | | 25:33 | Rafael Capó García | “Well, fuck it.” (on climbing the pedestal, embodying the spirit of protest) | | 27:02 | Protesters (via Laura Pérez) | “How come you don’t answer the call when my safety is at risk? ... but you’re here now when I’m protesting?” | | 29:57 | Adrián Florido | “You couldn’t in good faith stand back and look up at that pedestal and say, Juan Ponce de León’s standing tall and proud and straight, you know.” | | 32:23 | City official | “Of course, we were going to put it back up.” (on why the restoration was automatic, not debated) | | 33:10 | Adrián Florido | "Can you talk about this? He said no, without hesitation, like, of course not." (on refusing to discuss the symbolism) | | 34:58 | Nar. (Alana Casanova Burgess) | “What would we learn about Puerto Ricanness if we really had that conversation about who has championed Puerto Rico and who our heroes are?” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Season Preview: [00:00]–[01:41]
• The Toppling Incident: [01:41]–[04:54]
• Claim of Responsibility & Colonial Context: [04:54]–[07:08]
• Satire, Memes, & Public Debate: [08:00]–[12:41]
• Alternatives to the Statue: [12:41]–[15:41]
• Personal Reflections on Representation: [15:48]–[16:08]
• Restoration Efforts & Protest Escalation: [25:09]–[27:15]
• Live Reinstallation Drama: [27:15]–[28:43]
• Final Placement & Crooked Statue: [29:36]–[30:07]
• Reflection & Ongoing Legacy: [33:10]–[34:58]

Conclusion & Episode Flow

True to La Brega's signature tone—wry, poetic, and deeply researched—the episode braids personal anecdotes, critical history, sharp observational humor, and street-level reporting. It challenges listeners to rethink not just the symbols we inherit but also the urgent, everyday questions of who “champions” our identities, and who writes public memory.

For those who missed the episode:

• You’ll come away understanding why a statue’s fate matters—and why it’s never just about a statue.
• The episode sets up a season promising more stories of Puerto Rican “champions”—from artists to athletes to activists—each contesting what it means to be represented and remembered.

Memorable Moment:

“What would we learn about Puerto Ricanness if we really had that conversation about who has championed Puerto Rico and who our heroes are?”
—Alana Casanova Burgess ([34:58])

[This summary omits all ad reads, as requested.]