Puerto Plata. Culture Since the Dominican Republic was a predominantly Hispanic Roman Catholic nation, the Cocolos thus needed to establish their own religious, social, and community centers. These were of various sects and were mainly founded in La Romana, Puerto Plata and San Pedro de Macorís. Protestant denominations that were introduced by Cocolos include the Anglican Church, established in 1897 in San Pedro de Macorís, and now known as the Dominican Episcopal Church; Apostolic Faith, which began operations in 1930; the Moravian Church (now Evangelical Dominican Church) established in 1907 in San Pedro de Macorís; and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which began their services in San Pedro de Macoris. West Indian immigrants and their descendants also introduced some sports of British origin, namely cricket and boxing. In order to cultivate a following, the Cocolos created various sports groups in San Pedro de Macorís. Over time the descendants of those West Indian immigrants began to abandon the practice of cricket and took up sports like baseball and basketball instead. Other uses In the United States, particularly in the Northeast, the term has been used by Dominican migrants from the Cibao region to refer to African Americans. The word also became popular in Puerto Rico, where it was similarly used to refer to the more African influenced segments in that country's population. In 1937, it only meant Black in Puerto Rico, however, the term cocolo would later become a slang term describing the subculture which followed Afro-Latino music, especially salsa as opposed to rock music (those were called rockeros). In the Puerto Rico of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the rivalry between cocolos and rockeros was similar to the rivalry between the Mods and the Rockers in 1960s England. See also Afro-Dominicans Samaná Americans Raizals References External links Cocolo Dance Drama Tradition More than Merengue: Keeping a Christmas Tradition Alive in the Dominican Republic Multiracial affairs in the Caribbean Society of the Dominican Republic Ethnic groups in the Dominican Republic