The Arts
Raíces Profundas America is a digital-first martial arts school offering the only authentic instruction in the arts of cocobale, calinda, and juego de maní. Grandmaster Miguel Quijano has over 50 years of experience in these arts and has been recognized by the mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico for his contribution to the holistic preservation of Afro Caribbean martial arts and Afro Caribbean culture. He is searching for serious students to carry on the curriculum passed down to him by his masters. Find out more about each art below and join us in preserving them.
Juego de Maní
Translating loosely to "game of war," juego de maní is is a Afro Cuban martial art that was passed down from enslaved Africans and is similar to Capoeira, La'gya and Da'mye and others. The full art is comprised of a folkloric version and a martial version.
Cocobalé/Cocolembe
Developed by slaves on the plantations of Puerto Rico, cocobalé is an Afro Puerto Rican martial art that was practiced in secret. Hidden in the movements of Puerto Rican bomba music and disguised as dance, it is comprised of short sticks, machete, and knife, and played in a circle. Cocolembe, or empty hand, is the unarmed combat component of cocobalé.
Calinda Puertorriqueña
Calinda is a form of stick fighting that is found in the Caribbean not just in Puerto Rico or Cuba. But in Puerto Rico it is also a rhythm found in bomba music. In Cuba it was known as Caringa. It was known in many islands as a dance first and later become known as a stick fighting art. The stick is much longer than used in kokobale. Some times it is performed in folkloric versions of kokobale and is confused as such.