Boricua
Upon returning home, in order to avoid re-arrest, Padilla wrote for various publications under the pseudonyms "El Caribe, Macuquino, Cibuco" and "Trabuco." He also criticized the director of the newspaper "El Duende," a Spaniard who looked down on local Puerto Rican customs and traditions. Padilla also feuded with Manuel del Palacio, a Spanish poet whose verses were offensive to the Puerto Rican people. In 1874, he published "Para un Palacio un Caribe," in which he criticized Palacio.