On Saturday, January 10, 2026, Castillo San Cristóbal became a living stage, capes moving with the breeze, berets, tambourines, strings, and choruses that don’t simply “perform” a tradition… they carry it forward. That day marked the 4th edition of the Pagan Festival for Tunas, a public gathering that brought together Puerto Rico’s university and cultural tunas in the historic heart of Old San Juan.
This festival is organized by the Tuna Vaquera of UPR Bayamón, in collaboration with the San Juan National Historic Site.
A heritage you can hear and recognize:
Tunas descend from a centuries-old Iberian university tradition that, in Puerto Rico, has developed a character of its own: Puerto Rican and Latin American repertoires, string ensembles, hand percussion, playful stagecraft, “pasacalles,” and a strong sense of brotherhood and community you feel from the first chord.
One key milestone in that story: the University of Puerto Rico Tuna (Río Piedras campus) was founded in 1961 by Professor Norma Urrutia de Campo, widely recognized as the first tuna in Puerto Rico and one of the island’s most important references within the broader tuner tradition.
The Castle as a stage: music over stone with centuries of memory
Some places amplify meaning. Castillo San Cristóbal, part of the San Juan National Historic Site, is an iconic component of the city’s defensive system and belongs to the historic complex recognized as La Fortaleza and the San Juan National Historic Site, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And there’s more: the National Park Service considers San Cristóbal the largest fortification built in the Americas. In other words, the tuner tradition resonated inside a space that is history in its own right.
The Pagan Festival for Tunas creates a vital space to preserve, spotlight, and pass the torch to new generations, in a location of extraordinary historical significance. It’s culture sung in community, and in today’s world, that’s an act of care.
The participating tunas were:
- Tuna Vaquera (UPR Bayamón) – host
- Tuna del Magisterio
- Tuna Cardenales
- Tuna IUPI (UPR Río Piedras)
- Tuna de Chavalas de Puerto Rico
- Tuna Antillana
- Tuna Alondras
- Tuna Payadores
- Tuna Romanceras
At ENMIPATIOPR, documenting a gathering like this isn’t just “event coverage.” It’s about recording living heritage, so it can be seen, respected, and celebrated, on the island and across the world .
