Driven by curiosity, shaped by the streets of her native town of Macún, Puerto Rico, and grounded by the responsibility of being the eldest of 11 children, Esmeralda Santiago’s childhood on the island was abruptly uprooted when her mother moved her and her siblings to New York. Santiago caught up with Fronteras earlier this month when she was in town to mark the 35th anniversary of the Puerto Rican Heritage Society. Her three memoirs — “When I Was Puerto Rican” (1993), “Almost a Woman” (1999)