The native
Taíno
The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...
tribes have played a major role in the history and culture of the island of
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. At the head of each tribe was a
cacique
A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...
who, along with the nitaínos, governed each of the yucayeques, or villages of the island.
History of island inhabitance
It has been suggested that the first tribe to begin settling in the Caribbean and therefore, Puerto Rico were the
Ortoiroid
The Ortoiroid people were the second wave of human settlers of the Caribbean who began their migration into the Antilles around 2000 BCE. They were preceded by the Casimiroid peoples (~4190-2165 BCE). They are believed to have originated in the ...
, a small group that left
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
for
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
around 5,000 BC. This group was succeeded by the Casimiroid people coming from
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, and several other groups before the Taíno took over several hundred years after.
Position in societal hierarchy
The Taíno of Puerto Rico lived in villages known as yucayeques, spread throughout the island. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the common people, who were known as naborias. These naborias were workers who also hunted, prepared food, and built houses in the community, which were called bohíos. According to ''The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions'', "Naborias may have been descendants of "less pure" kinship lines, that is, descendants of Guanahatabey or the unnamed indigenous peoples of the third wave, or of kinship lines not as crafty in statesmanship as others." Above the naborias were the nobles, known as the nitaínos. They were in charge of keeping the naborias in check as well as leading them into battle. Finally, above the nitaínos were the caciques. Caciques were not only government officials, they acted as religious figures as well. These leaders held control of the yucayeques with often nobody higher to answer to except occasional situations where there were multiple caciques governing a single region, in which they would answer to a supreme cacique.
Significance in Puerto Rican history
Caciques played a large role in the history of the island, most notably when the Spanish came to take their territory. Upon Spanish arrival in 1508, there were an estimated 20,000-50,000 Taínos living on the island. Believing the Spaniards were spiritual entities, the Taínos were very hospitable to the Spanish. Knowing this, the Spanish used the Taínos for labor and finding gold on the island. After much mistreatment, and the implement of the
encomienda
The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. The labourers, in theory, were provided with benefits by the conquerors for whom they laboured, including military ...
system over the land, the caciques and Taínos as a group lost their control of the island.
As a result of the Spanish abuse and dwindling number of Taínos, cacique
Agüeybaná II
Agüeybaná II (c. 14701511), born Güeybaná and also known as Agüeybaná El Bravo (English: ''Agüeybaná The Brave''), was one of the two principal and most powerful ''caciques'' of the Taíno people in " Borikén" when the Spaniards first arr ...
was appointed to head cacique after the death of
his brother. Skeptical about the Spaniards being spiritual figures, Agüeybaná II and
Urayoán ordered an ambush of Spaniard
Diego Salcedo as he was attempting to cross the
Río Grande de Añasco. The Taíno drowned the Spaniard and kept his body for three days, fearing
resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...
. After seeing the man was in fact mortal, the Taínos declared war on the Spanish, leading to the
Spanish–Taíno War of San Juan–Borikén
The Spanish and Taíno War of San Juan–Borikén, also known as the Taíno Rebellion of 1511, was the first major conflict to take place in modern-day Puerto Rico after the arrival of the Spaniards on November 19, 1493.
After the death of Agü ...
.
The Taíno, led by caciques
Agüeybaná II
Agüeybaná II (c. 14701511), born Güeybaná and also known as Agüeybaná El Bravo (English: ''Agüeybaná The Brave''), was one of the two principal and most powerful ''caciques'' of the Taíno people in " Borikén" when the Spaniards first arr ...
,
Urayoán,
Coxiguex,
Yauco
Yauco () is a town and municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco is located south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande ...
,
Jumacao
Jumacao a.k.a. Jumaca (born ''c''. 1480s) was the Taíno Cacique (Chief) of the area in Puerto Rico named after him (now spelled Humacao).
Before and after the arrival of the Conquistadors
The Taínos, who lived in Puerto Rico long before the ar ...
,
Loquillo,
Orocobix
Orocobix was the principal regional Taíno Cacique (chief) of the central mountain region of Puerto Rico called Jatibonicu in the 16th century. The Jatibonicu territorial region covered the present day municipalities of Aibonito, Orocovis, Barra ...
,
Guayama
Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the c ...
, as well as many others, rebelled, however they lacked the weaponry to defeat the Spanish.
The Taíno were defeated and ultimately killed off by European abuse and disease.
References
*
*{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkunDAEACAAJ, title= The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus, language= English, first=Irving, last=Rouse, publisher=Yale University Press, year=1983, isbn=9780300161830
Titles and offices of Native American leaders
Titles of nobility in the Americas
.
*
Latin American history
Mesoamerican people
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Tribal chiefs of the Caribbean