San Diego Padres celebrate Puerto Rican heritage with local artist

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — If home is truly where the heart is, then Rocio Delgado’s home is in Puerto Rico.

“I grew up in Ciales. It’s a town in the middle of the island, green, full of mountains. It’s a very pretty town that I invite everybody to have the opportunity to go visit,” Delgado said.

Everything in her house, from the sugar cane painting to the cafecito, reminds her of the island.

“The best way to drink the coffee,” she said as she warmed milk on the stove.

But, she doesn’t live in Puerto Rico anymore.

“Especially in the beginning, it was super hard because my family is there, my friends as well,” Delgado said.

She moved to San Diego more than 20 years ago to continue her education. “That was a hard transition.”

Through her time in her art studio, you can see the longing to connect with her homeland in each brush stroke. “Painting was a way to heal,” she said. “I feel like it was a therapy.”

That feeling produced her painting: “Corazon Boricua.”

“I let myself go in a way,” Delgado said.

She painted the blue, white, and red heart with oil on a large canvas.

“I feel that the heart is not broken. It’s just expanding,” she said, adding it symbolizes the resilience of Latinos.

That’s what caught the attention of the San Diego Padres.

“They sent us a deck with several different design options, things that are important to the culture,” said Emily Wittig, the Vice President of Marketing with the San Diego Padres.

In collaboration with the award-winning artist, the Padres will feature her artwork on the limited-edition game hat during their fourth Puerto Rican Heritage Game.

“I was finishing my heart, and that’s the one that they chose,” Delgado said.

What started as a painting on her wall became a digital graphic design she shared with the Padres.

This hat became a reality after several drafts — a tangible way to share her culture at the Puerto Rican Heritage Game.

“We want it to be authentic,” Wittig said. “We want it to be true to the culture, so it’s important for us to work with these local community groups to see what’s important to them.”

The team designed every part of the hat with intention.

“Our Puerto Rican celebration hat is the colors of the Puerto Rican flag,” Wittig said.

It includes authentic details in even unexpected ways.

“The fun thing that people might not notice right away, but on the inside we have the coqui, the tiny frogs, which are so cute, so it’s a really fun nod to Puerto Rico while also still celebrating and showing your Padres pride,” Wittig said, showing the details of the hat.

The Padres donate $5 from every ticket sold to the House of Puerto Rico, which Carmen Acevedo says keeps the cottage operating.

“It’s also going to keep the international cottages alive for the rest of the generations,” Acevedo said.

Acevedo says the cultural museum relies solely on donations, receiving more than $4,000 from the game last year.

“This one is a fundraiser with a lot of fun,” Acevedo said.
Delgado is one of thousands of Puerto Ricans who left the island in recent years.

“I was thinking it was going to be a short transition, just come study, having an opportunity to do that, and come back, but things change,” Delgado said.

According to the Pew Research Center, since 2004, more than 600,000 Puerto Ricans have left the island to live in the mainland United States, so events like this offer a chance to reconnect with other Puerto Ricans.

“We want people to feel included and welcomed here,” Wittig said.

While Delgado no longer calls Puerto Rico her physical home, you can see the home in her heart through the ‘Corazon Boricua.’

“The Padres are doing something so nice to recognize the Puerto Rican community in San Diego, and not too many teams do that,” Delgado said.