Luis López Nieves' short story "Seva" takes place during the 1898 US invasion of Puerto Rico, in the fictional town of the same name, Seva. The story, first published in the newspaper Claridad, and which many readers mistook for fact, has sparked a very real debate about culture, identity, history and truth amongst Puerto Ricans of all stripes. The documentary Seva Vive explores these themes.

History tells us that the 1898 U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico occurred in June and from the south. The fictional short story, Seva, tells a different story, one of an invasion from the east that came a month earlier. A type of musical oral history known as a "copla" mirrors the fictional story.

Historians discuss the extent to which popular myths such as Seva affect people's perception of history in Puerto Rico.

Historians continue to point out logical gaps which call the tale of Seva's accuracy into question.

What is history? What is fiction? Is history fact? Do people believe history or fiction more readily? These are the kinds of questions critics ask as "Seva Vive" continues.

Historians continue to discuss the subjective nature of recorded history and the fine line between fiction and fact.