Welcome to El Barrio’s Greatest, I’ll be your host. My name is Gilberto Cintron, but you can call me Gil.
While there are many Facebook pages, social media accounts, blogs, books, and articles written about Spanish Harlem, this website is concerned with one aspect of that community; preserving the rich Puerto Rican legacy that emerged from Spanish Harlem.
While I was not born in East Harlem, my family was one of the first to move into the Thomas Jefferson Houses on 112th Street between First and Second Avenues, I was two years old.
I grew up in those projects, attended PS 102, Junior High School 117 (known today as the Tito Puente Educational Complex), and dropped out of Benjamin Franklin High School (known today as the Manhattan Center of Mathematics and Science). And, while I no longer live in the community, East Harlem, Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio will always be home to me.
This site has four sections, Entertainment, Music, Politics, Sports, and history; each will highlight what this author considers to be El Barrio’s Greatest. As you scroll through the site, keep in mind that this is solely this author’s recollection and or aspects of that community that he, and he alone considers El Barrio’s Greatest. You may have your own ideas, and or views as to what is El Barrio’s Greatest, in that case then you are invited to leave a comment. However, please note that comments are subject to review before getting added to the site, not so much for thought or views expressed but for spam and hate-mongering.
I hope you enjoy the effort put into this project, as it is a labor of love. Please visit our Facebook Book, and Youtube Channel.
Gil Cintron
112th Street