Jíbaro is a term commonly used in Puerto Rico to refer to mountain-dwelling peasants, but in modern times it has gained a broader and, specifically, a nobler, cultural meaning. In Puerto Rico, the Jíbaro culture has its origins in the Native Taino culture and the term Jíbaro usually refers to “La Gente de la Montañas” (the people of the interior mountainous regions of Puerto Rico) and emerged in the 16th century with the blending of the Pre-Columbian Native Taino and Spanish European cultures in the central mountains of the island of Puerto Rico.