Voces Jíbaras is an extensive collection of jíbaro words otherwise known as jibarísmos. Jibarísmos are words that the rural people of Puerto Rico use in their day-to-day conversations. As time goes by, many of these words have been lost from Puerto Rican dialog. Mr. Oyola Cintrón delved into the research of these words and includes more than 1300 jibarísmos and their definitions in his book. This endeavor started in 1965 and was concluded in 2017. The first edition of the book was published in 2021.
The book is divided into three parts:
1. A social-historical commentary on the jibaro and their spoken word
2. The collection of jibarísmos and their definition
3. 15 short stories that use the jibarísmos vocabulary. They all cover themes including rural life, traditions, and personal growth and improvement.
This collection of history, words, and stories is the first addition to the Cohen Collection in 2026.
About the Author:
Mr. Oyola Cintrón is a native of Naranjito, Puerto Rico and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico with studies in education, biology, social work, and administration. He is the author of Juvenile Deliquents: Strategies for Helping Them. He is known for his professional and voluntary work. He lives in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, with his wife, Carmen Aida. They have been married for over 50 years. He has four children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. His granddaughter, Mónica Gómez, attends the University of Cincinnati. UCL is proud to add Mr. Oyola Cintrón’s collection of jibarísmos, history, and tales as the first 2026 selection to the Cohen Collection.
About the collection:
The Cohen collection is funded by an endowment gifted to the library by Julie Cohen in honor of her parents, Ralph and Dolly Cohen. It was created to start a reading room with the purpose of enriching the humanities. The titles selected represent a wide variety of disciplines and currently curated by Margaux Patel, with acquisitions and cataloging support provided by UCL’s Content Services.