I really enjoyed this article on the Bad Bunny-inspired upsurge in tattoos related to Puerto Rican cultural emblems and symbols. [Many thanks to Junot Díaz for sharing this on his Facebook author page.] Sofía Hanalei Sanchez reports for The Los Angeles Times:
“Hay cosas que se tatúan sin tinta. Some things are tattooed without ink, as the translation goes. Rather, there are memories so precious, or emotional experiences so strong, they leave without a trace yet can never be erased.
“I cried the whole concert. I definitely am not going anywhere. I’m gonna give it my all, and I’m going to die in Puerto Rico,” says Zamitza “Zami” Cruz Montalvo, a Puerto Rican tattoo artist who attended “No Me Quiero Ir De Aqui,” Bad Bunny’s sold-out concert residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Born and raised on the island, she owns P.Ink Tattoo Studio in the Condado neighborhood of the capital city, a short drive from El Choli arena where she saw the show. “You just want to hug your parents and your grandparents,” continued Cruz Montalvo. “Honestly, it was magical, and it was not because of Bad Bunny himself. It was the whole meaning of it. I felt the love and how important it is to preserve this all.”
For Puerto Rican rapper-singer Bad Bunny, preserving memories — and having something to show for them — are the very essence of his latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which translates to “I Should’ve Taken More Photos.” The record-breaking album is an ode to Puerto Rico — its people, its land and its culture.
And as hundreds of thousands of people flock to his show this summer, some Bad Bunny fans are seeking more lasting souvenirs than a photo, shot glass or fridge magnet.
Adrianna Toledo, a Boricua tattoo artist known as “Versa” online, is the owner of 823 Tattoo Studio in the adjacent town of Carolina. “I couldn’t leave because walk-ins just kept on coming and coming and coming,” says Cruz Montalvo, who started sketching her Bad Bunny-themed tattoo ideas in January.
She says this album is not just for partying but for learning the history of everything beautiful that Puerto Rico has to offer. “When I used to travel when I was a kid, sometimes we’d tell people that we live in Puerto Rico and most of the times, I can tell you, people asked us, ‘Where is that? Like, where’s Puerto Rico?’” she says. “And I feel like Bad Bunny has changed that.”
During a season that’s typically slow, tattoo artists across the island are seeing a sudden uptick in business due to the residency. Locals and foreigners are following their feed to viral tattoo shops, where artists have designed permanent souvenirs just for the occasion.
Even as some tattooists anticipated the demand with pre-drawn collections of Puerto Rican-inspired and Bad Bunny-themed flash tattoos, the volume has superseded their expectations.
Just one flash sheet on Instagram elicits thousands of likes, views and comments. As the residency continues to attract international attention, more fans — with and without connection to the island — are walking in for Bad Bunny tattoos.
And in turn, the artists are using this spike in interest as an opportunity to foster understanding and education. [. . .]
Among locals and people within the diaspora, some of the tattoos most recently in demand include dominoes (with the dots signifying special dates), the outline of the island, lyrics from the album (specifically, Mientras uno está vivo / Uno debe amar lo más que pueda, from the song “Baile Inolvidable”), and the iconic plastic chairs that cover the album art and lawns of family parties.
“If you’re going to have something permanent on your body, you need to know what it represents to us as Puerto Ricans, because if not, I believe it’s maybe even disrespectful to have something that has a lot of value to a culture,” says Alejandra Rosado Diaz, a tattoo artist known as Bechela across social media. She was mentored by Toledo and now works alongside her at 823 Tattoo Studio. [. . .]
The artists shared that visitors frequently request the island’s trilling amphibians: el coquí (common coqui) and el sapo de concho (Puerto Rican crested toad). Often conflated as one and the same, both native species have distinguished themselves in Bad Bunny’s visuals. Whereas the patinated coquí frog sadly made headlines after tourists reportedly disturbed the endangered species, the sapo de concho is the ochre toad — also critically endangered — that’s used as Bad Bunny’s avatar and mascot throughout the visuals for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
Yet the most popular design among those without Puerto Rican heritage is la flor de maga, or the national flower of Puerto Rico, whose aroma transports many Boricuas back to their grandma’s backyard. [. . .]
For full article, see https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2025-08-21/puerto-rican-tattoo-artists-bad-bunny-residency-educate-tourists
[Shown above: Some of the tattoos designed by Adrianna “Versa” Toledo.]