Bad Bunny Celebrates Puerto Rican Culture and Resistance at Super Bowl Halftime Show

From sugar cane fields to the iconic casita, the performance was filled with symbols of Puerto Rican history and identity.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Bad Bunny made history as the first artist to perform only in Spanish at the Super Bowl halftime show. His performance was packed with references to Puerto Rican culture, history, and resistance to U.S. colonialism. From the sugar cane fields to the Puerto Rican flag, the show highlighted the island's rich heritage and the ongoing struggle for self-determination.

Why it matters

Bad Bunny's halftime show was a powerful statement about Puerto Rican identity and the legacy of U.S. colonialism. By incorporating symbols like the endangered coquí toad and the iconic casita, he celebrated Puerto Rican culture while also drawing attention to the threats it faces from gentrification and development. The performance was a defiant rebuke to conservative critics who questioned his 'American' credentials, as Bad Bunny proudly declared that the Americas, not just the U.S., are his home.

The details

The halftime show began with scenes of sugar cane workers, referencing Puerto Rico's colonial history of agricultural exploitation. Bad Bunny then walked through a series of quintessential Puerto Rican scenes, including a piragua stand with flags of various Latin American countries. The performance also featured the animated character Concho, a critically endangered Puerto Rican toad that symbolizes the island's threatened ecosystems. Bad Bunny sang from the rooftop of a traditional Puerto Rican 'casita' home, a nod to his 2025 San Juan residency. The show culminated with Bad Bunny listing every country in the Americas and surrounded by people waving their national flags, declaring 'we're still here' in a powerful statement of Pan-American unity.

  • Bad Bunny's 2025 'No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí' residency in San Juan featured performances on the rooftop of a traditional Puerto Rican 'casita' home.
  • The Ley de la Mordaza, or Gag Law, banned Puerto Ricans from displaying the Puerto Rican flag or criticizing colonialism from 1948-1957.

The players

Bad Bunny

A Puerto Rican rapper and singer who made history as the first artist to perform only in Spanish at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Ricky Martin

A Puerto Rican pop star who joined Bad Bunny on stage to perform the politically charged song 'Lo Que le Pasó a Hawaii,' a call to arms for Puerto Ricans to defend their culture and land against gentrification.

Toñita

A pillar of the Puerto Rican community in New York City who has run the Caribbean Social Club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for over 50 years, refusing to sell her property despite gentrification.

Jacobo Morales

A Puerto Rican actor who played an elderly Bad Bunny in the short film 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,' which explored the dangers of gentrification transforming Puerto Rico.

Concho

An animated character representing the critically endangered Puerto Rican crested toad, a symbol of the island's threatened ecosystems.

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What they’re saying

“They killed people here for having the flag / That's why now I take it with me everywhere.”

— Bad Bunny (Lyrics to 'La Mudanza')

“A shot of rum in Toñita's house / Puerto Rico feels close.”

— Bad Bunny (Lyrics to 'NuevaYol')

The takeaway

Bad Bunny's halftime show was a powerful celebration of Puerto Rican culture, history, and resistance to U.S. colonialism. By incorporating symbols like the endangered coquí toad and the iconic casita, he honored the island's rich heritage while also drawing attention to the ongoing threats it faces. The performance was a defiant declaration that Puerto Ricans and other Latin Americans are an integral part of the American identity, not foreign interlopers.