Puerto Rican Wooden Saints: Prints, Tenths, and Verses It is an exhibition consisting of seventy-nine carvings accompanied by a print or image of the saint and a lyrical composition in the form of a tenth, couplet or joy dedicated to the saint.

The Museo de Las Américas, in keeping with its mission, offers this exhibition to the general public to showcase this compelling collection of Puerto Rican folk art, selected and curated by Nitza Mediavilla de Toste. Based on the significant research work of anthropologist Dr. Yvonne Lange on Puerto Rican palo santos, the exhibition includes carvings crafted in native woods from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries.

Catholic friars arrived in the New World in the 16th century with the mission of evangelization; to this end, they used sculptures and religious images. Over time, the need to produce these locally grew, so the friars established workshops to teach the craft to those who demonstrated skill in carving saints.

Spain will be the most influential nation in the religious fervor of our people, given the large number of emigrants from the Canary Islands, Andalusia, and other territories. Other religious beliefs come to us from immigrants from Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The first Puerto Rican artisans and carvers lived far from cities, and roads were scarce and difficult. Lacking churches, friars, or images for their religious worship, they were forced to seek out means to create their works. They most likely turned to small religious prints to learn about the saints' devotions, attributes, and characteristics, as well as popular verses and verses as a source of inspiration. Prints from Europe were inexpensive and easy to obtain. The great achievement of our carvers was to synthesize the image of the print and, in turn, give it a three-dimensional form.

It's important to highlight the influence our sung verses and verses have had on the conceptualization of the "palo saint." These verses are used in various celebrations, such as Christmas, the arrival of the Three Wise Men, Holy Week, and the Feast of the Cross, among others. Devotion and promises to the saints are also reflected in these popular prayers.

Beginning in 1990, our carvers began using other direct reference sources. Currently, young carvers and sculptors use computers and the internet, as well as books on religious art, to learn and master the iconography of the saints.
Our traditional iconography continues to be the most frequently carved by contemporary artisans, although many of these devotionals have ceased to be carved or are rarely carved. Some carvers work on pieces commissioned by a private collector or some institution where the motivation bears no relation to the devotee's traditional fervor. There are images related to newer popular devotions, such as Saint Jude Thaddeus, John Paul II, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and the Puerto Rican Blessed Carlos Manuel "Chali" Rodríguez.

Today, the carved saint has acquired a new value, having been acquired as a collectible cultural asset and, therefore, as a commercial object. However, the original mission of the wooden saint as an object of piety and evangelization must not be forgotten.