Hayuya (born c. 1470s) was the

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 ...

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 ...

(Chief) who governed the area in

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 ...

which now bears his name (which is now spelled "

Jayuya Jayuya (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 10 barrios and Jayuya Pueblo (the downtown and administra ...

").

Arrival of the Conquistadors

When the Spaniards arrived in "Borikén" (the Taíno name for Puerto Rico), they were greeted with open arms by the Taínos, who lived a peaceful and organized life. This made it easy for

Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervá ...

and his men to conquer the island. Before the Spaniards arrived, the Taínos had a form of government where each region had a tribe headed by a Cacique. Some of the Caciques, like Hayuya, were more powerful than others. They all, however, responded to the "Supreme Cacique", which at that time was Agueybana. The area that Hayuya dominated is considered to be the "birth place" of the Taíno culture in the island.Moon Puerto Rico (Moon Handbooks); Suzanne Van Atten (Author); Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; Second Edition; ; However, the Spaniards soon started to enslave the natives. On February 1511, Agueybana's brother Güeybaná, better known as

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 ...

(The Brave), and Urayoan (The Añasco Cacique), and their men drowned Diego Salcedo. They watched Salcedo's body to see whether he would resuscitate: when he didn't, the Taínos realized that the Spaniards were not gods and thus, the Taínos became rebellious.

Chronicles of the Indias

According to the ''Chronicles of the Indias'' which are found in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, Spain, Hayuya lived and governed the area which is now named after him, in the interior central part of Puerto Rico. On September 7, 1513 Juan Ponce de León, who was appointed governor by the "Spanish Crown", sent troops headed by Alonso Niño and Alonso de Mendoza to quash the rebellious Taínos. When they arrived at Hayuya's village, they proceeded to raid and murder its inhabitants. They burned the village to the ground. The Taínos that survived were taken as prisoners and some were made to work the mines as slaves. The others were sent to Spain where they were sold as slaves for 145 "

peso The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the Dollar sign, same sign, "$", as many currencies na ...

s". Eventually, the Taínos died from working in the mines or from the

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

epidemic.

Legacy

The "National Indigenous Festival" ( Festival Nacional Indígena) which honors the memory of Hayuya and the Taíno heritage is celebrated annually on November 24 in the town of Jayuya. There is a monument of Hayuya, the only one of its kind to be dedicated to a Taíno Cacique, located in Jayuya's Cultural Center next to a Taíno tomb. It was sculpted by Puerto Rican artist

Tomás Batista Tomás Batista (born December 7, 1935) is a Puerto Rican sculptor. He is the creator of some of Puerto Rico's most notable monuments. Early years Batista (birth name: Tomás Batista Encarnación) was born and raised in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, a ...

in 1969. Hayuya is also represented in the town's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

References

External links

City of Jayuya Website
{{PRIndependence 1470s births Year of death missing Taíno leaders Indigenous Caribbean people 16th-century rulers in North America 16th-century indigenous people of the Americas Puerto Rican people of Taíno descent

Arrival of the Conquistadors

Chronicles of the Indias

Legacy

See also

References

External links