This paper discusses the paradoxes of racial perceptions among Puerto Ricans who were born and bred in Puerto Rico and those born in the mainland United States. The first section deals with the history of different races in Puerto Rico and discusses some of the ways in which Puerto Ricans classify themselves in terms of race. In order to clarify the issues, a study was conducted in which a questionnaire was administered to 100 island born and bred and 100 mainland born and bred Puerto Ricans (50% male, 50% female), all now living in New York City. The questionnaires were in English and Spanish and focussed on issues of dating, marriage, schools, jobs, socializing and public accommodations, place of residence, and familial and personal racial identification. Results indicate that there seems to be a stronger social identification between mainland Puerto Ricans and American Blacks than between island Puerto Ricans and Blacks. All respondents classified themselves as either white or trigueno (an intermediate category), avoiding classifications of Black, Mulatto, or other. The findings on the majority of the questions were very diverse and indicated that there is a great deal of ambivalence in Puerto Ricans' racial perceptions. It appears that social, psychological, and economic factors resulting from the Americanization of migrating Puerto Ricans or the heavy Anglo-American influence on the island have contributed to these identity problems. Both the English and Spanish questionnaires are appended. (CG)