This is something that has bothered me for years. With the advent of the internet, perhaps someone knows the answer.

My Grandfather was born in Puerto Rico in the 1800's. I don't know the exact date, but he grew up near the capital, San Juan, and in his youth was quite a fighter.

He knew nothing about China, Japan, or Korea, but practiced some kind of system involving machetes, knives, and bamboo sticks. It sounds like a form of filipino martial arts to me, but machetes and bamboo are common enough in the Caribbean that all sorts of people could have come up a martial arts that use them.

From the little I've seen of it, I would say my Dad received 25% of what my Grandfather knew and I have 10% of what my father learned.

Grandfather was the village champion. He was known for fighting off assorted bandits and ne'er-do-wells, but never formally taught anyone nor did he leave behind any clues as to where he learned his skills or who his "successor" was.

The question is: what art did he practice? The only clues I have are: it was a family system, it is or was an indigenous martial art to Puerto Rico in the 1800's, and that it used machetes and sticks as the primary weapon.

Any clues?