The spooky, interactive experience uses archival audio and video, as well as original art, to trace different periods in the history of Puerto Rico, from the 16th-century Spanish colonization through the United States takeover in 1898 and, finally, Hurricane Maria.
The proposed map could potentially speed up the development of — and radically transform — popular natural landscapes and historically protected urban architecture. It was rolled out in the midst of an unprecedented political uprising, which might have doomed the proposal to obscurity. Instead, it struck a nerve.
The islands — still recovering, slowly and haltingly, from the catastrophic impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 — dodged a bullet, but the threat of a direct hit was enough to trigger the entire country into a state of anxious preparation and reflection.
Trump slammed “corrupt” politicians in Puerto Rico, which is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. As the island now faces Hurricane Dorian, a power grid official says they have ‘prepared on various fronts’ for the storm.