Bad Bunny took the world stage — but the story goes far beyond halftime. This week, Mak + Case explore Puerto Rico’s political relationship with the United States, unpack the island’s history and status debate, and break down the cultural and political symbolism because sometimes the choreography says more than the headlines.

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works cited:

Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico (CEE). Resultados Oficiales – Plebiscitos de Estatus Político (1967, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2017, 2020). Gobierno de Puerto Rico, www.ceepur.org. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

Congressional Research Service. Puerto Rico’s Political Status and the 2020 Plebiscite. CRS Report, Congressional Research Service, 2021, crsreports.congress.gov.

Congressional Research Service. Political Status of Puerto Rico: Brief Background. CRS Report, Congressional Research Service, various years, crsreports.congress.gov.

Cohn, Nate. “Puerto Rico Votes for Statehood, but Congress Holds the Cards.” The New York Times, 4 Nov. 2020, www.nytimes.com.

Rivera-Salgado, Gaspar. “Puerto Rico’s Status Debate: Statehood, Independence, or Status Quo?” Council on Foreign Relations, 2021, www.cfr.org.