Bomba Salitre
Region Represented: Santurce, Puerto Rico
GALLERY
We promote Afro-Puerto Rican culture through the creation of community bateyes, where people of all ages, skill levels, and identities are welcome to participate. We regularly organize bombazos/community toques twice a month at Parque del Último Trolley in Santurce, Puerto Rico, fostering a Bomba community rooted in inclusion.
Biography / Group History
Bomba Salitre is a collective of drummers, singers, and dancers of Puerto Rican Bomba. Our community project began in mid-2020, during the COVID-19 quarantine, as many of us were left without practice spaces to continue developing our roles within Puerto Rican Bomba.
We promote Afro-Puerto Rican culture through the creation of community bateyes, where people of all ages, skill levels, and identities are welcome to participate. We regularly organize bombazos/community toques twice a month at Parque del Último Trolley in Santurce, Puerto Rico, fostering a Bomba community rooted in inclusion.
A clear purpose of our collective is to expose children and youth to their cultural roots and to serve as a tool that helps them love and appreciate their Afro-Caribbean heritage—awakening their curiosity and offering a safe space to approach and begin their cultural development.
In addition to our community work, we’ve had the opportunity to give performances, participate in fundraising events, and conduct cultural exchanges in Spain and Colombia. We look forward to achieving many goals, always honoring our heritage and traditions with deep respect.
Group Members
Directors / Leaders:
- Carel Rosado Rojas – General Coordinator and Community Leader
- Mario R. Rodas Vázquez – Founder and Community Leader
- Santos “Sancho” Benítez Ortiz – Musical Director and Community Leader
Members (Main members and the instruments or roles they perform):
- Carel Rosado Rojas — buleador drum, chorus, cuás, dancer
- Christian “Sly” Molina Curet — lead singer, subidor drum, buleador drum
- Edwin H. Maurás Maldonado — subidor drum, buleador drum, chorus
- Giovanna Sosa Santos — dancer, cuás, chorus, buleador drum
- Mario R. Rodas Vázquez — lead singer, buleador drum, maraca, cuás, dancer
- Rocío del Mar Santiago Maldonado — subidor drum, buleador drum, chorus
- Roberto Castillo Rivera — subidor drum, buleador drum, chorus
- Santos “Sancho” Benítez Ortiz — subidor drum, buleador drum, chorus, dancer
- Yazmín “Luna” Vicente — lead singer, maraca, cuás, dancer
Other members of the Collective:
- Andrea Santiago Rodríguez
- Alicia “Prisma” Morales Rosado
- Jessica Alvarado Martínez
- Juan Antonio Corretjer Russi
- Juan D. Silva Marrero
- Melissa Pontón Nigaglioni
- Zuannette M. Castillo Burgos
Cultural Contribution and Mission
Since its inception, our community batey has served as a space for the cultural and personal growth of anyone seeking to develop within the Bomba tradition. We have created a judgment-free batey open to all, where the community can safely channel their emotions—whether through dance, singing, or the playing of Bomba percussion instruments.
Being based in a public, family-friendly park, one of our main goals is to expose youth to their cultural roots and provide a nurturing environment that encourages their development in Puerto Rican Bomba. We foster bonds with other Bomba communities across Puerto Rico by participating in community bombazos throughout the island and engaging in knowledge exchanges with bomberxs from various regions.
These encounters have allowed us to continue learning and growing within the multiple Bomba traditions. Both our local initiative and our visits to other bomberx spaces have brought us closer to Bomba elders and educators. Through these educational gatherings, they have generously shared their lived experiences and ancestral knowledge, enriching our collective’s understanding of this profound tradition.
Message from the Group
Bomba Salitre expresses deep gratitude to EnMiPatioPR for all the genuine support shown to our community batey and collective. Your commitment to uplifting Puerto Rican culture and giving it visibility across the world is invaluable.
We will never forget when Joe visited our batey in January 2023—our notifications wouldn’t stop going off! The increase in followers has been incredibly significant. Over the past two years, we’ve gained many followers thanks to EnMiPatioPR.
Infinite thanks!
We hope to continue practicing Puerto Rican Bomba with great respect for our ancestors and elders, in a spirit of community, solidarity, and love. We wish for the Bomba community to continue growing and that future generations feel inspired to learn this tradition with respect and depth—preserving the legacy and stories of our ancestors.
¡May the tradition live on!
