Deep dive: Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show and Its Cultural References

At the Super Bowl LX halftime show, Bad Bunny transformed 13 minutes of spectacle into a
powerful tribute to Puerto Rican history, resistance and identity.

Colonial History in the Spotlight

The performance opened in a sugarcane field, immediately anchoring the show in Puerto Rico’s
colonial past. Dancers dressed in white clothing and traditional pava straw hats representing
jíbaros, rural farmers who have long symbolised the island’s cultural identity. The imagery
referenced the 19th-century plantation economy that established Puerto Rico under Spanish rule
and later under U.S. governance.
Rather than beginning with abstract visuals or fireworks, Bad Bunny grounded the spectacle in
labour and land, reminding viewers that Puerto Rico’s history is inseparable from colonial systems
that formed its economy and social structure.

The Flag and Political Defiance

A defining moment came when Bad Bunny waved a Puerto Rican flag with a light-blue triangle
rather than the modern dark-blue one. The lighter shade reflects the classic 1895 revolutionary
design and is now closely associated with the pro-independence movement.
The gesture also echoed the 1948 “Gag Law” (Ley de la Mordaza), a U.S.-backed Puerto Rican
law that made it illegal to display the Puerto Rican flag, sing patriotic songs or advocate for
independence. which once criminalised displaying the Puerto Rican flag or expressing nationalist
sentiment. By placing the symbol at the centre of a global broadcast, he turned a simple image into
a quiet though unmistakable act of political defiance.

“El Apagón” and the Power Grid Crisis

During “El Apagón,” the stadium lights flickered as performers climbed sparking utility poles. The
imagery directly referenced Puerto Rico’s fragile electric infrastructure, which collapsed after
Hurricane Maria in 2017 and remains unstable.
The visual staging transformed the halftime show into pointed commentary, drawing attention to
current debates about privatisation, government response and energy reliability on the island.

La Casita and Neighbourhood Life

At the heart of the set stood a pink cement house known as “La Casita”. The house represented
traditional island homes, which are increasingly threatened by gentrification and displacement.
Surrounding it were striking details of barrio life: domino tables with elderly men, a piragua (shaved
ice) stand decorated with Latin American flags, a barbershop, a nail salon and even a child asleep
in a white plastic chair, a familiar scene of late-night family gatherings. These everyday images
matter because they preserve cultural continuity; they reflect how community spaces, routines and
shared rituals keep a sense of home alive, even amid economic pressure and migration.

Redefining “America”

The finale widened the show’s scope. After a brief “God Bless America” chant, a roll call of
countries from across North, Central and South America appeared on screen. Holding a football
inscribed with “Together We Are America,” Bad Bunny challenged the U.S.-centric meaning of the
word, asserting a wider continental identity.
Performing almost entirely in Spanish, without translation, further reinforced the message. The
language stood confidently on its own, emphasising cultural autonomy rather than assimilation.

A Halftime Show With Enduring Effect

By compressing dense historical, political and cultural references, Bad Bunny delivered more than
entertainment. He used one of the world’s largest stages to spotlight Puerto Rico’s colonial legacy,
infrastructure struggles and enduring community spirit, assuring the performance resounded far
beyond the concluding note