The
cacicazgo
''Cacicazgo'' is a phonetic Spanish transliteration (or a derivative) of the Taíno word for the lands ruled by a ''cacique''. The Spanish colonial system recognized indigenous elites as nobles in Mexico and Peru, and other areas. Nobles could en ...
of Jaragua, also written as ''Xaragua'', was one of the five
chiefdoms
A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...
in the island of
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
, stretching across the southwest; delimited to the north by the cacicazgo of
Marién, to the south by the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, to the east by the cacicazgo of
Maguana, and to the west by the
Jamaica Channel
The Jamaica Channel is a strait separating the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. Along with the Windward Passage to its north. Due to its location about north-east of the Panama Canal, it is a main sea lane through which ...
. Jaragua emerged as the union of two previous cacicazgos, ''Zui'' and ''Yáquimo''.
Jaragua was ruled by the cacique
Bohechío
Bohechío is a town in the San Juan province of the Dominican Republic. It is located northeast of the km 25 of Azua – San Juan road at a distance of 26.5 km and 43 km from San Juan Province, 205 km from Santo Domingo and 92& ...
. It had the largest area of the chiefdoms on the island. He had his seat at a place called Guava, near the present-day city of
Léogâne
Léogâne ( ht, Leyogàn) is one of the List of communes of Haiti, coastal communes in Haiti. It is located in the eponymous Léogâne Arrondissement, which is part of the Ouest (department), Ouest Department. The port town is located about we ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
; it was divided into 26
nitaínos.
The situation among the native people was that Bohechío, the brother of
Anacaona
Anacaona (1474?–1504), or Golden Flower, was a Taíno cacica, or female ''cacique'' (chief), religious expert, poet and composer born in Xaragua. Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, Ayiti or Quisqueya to the Taínos (the Spaniar ...
, had to reside within the subchiefdom of Yáquimo, which was waging a war against two earlier, more culturally primitive native settlers of
Quisqueya, one of them located in the region of Yuboa and the other in the extreme southwest of the island called Guacayarima.
Bohechío required a double alliance with the chief of Haniguayagua
for control of the southwest and
Caonabo
Caonabo (died 1496) was a Taíno ''cacique'' (chieftain) of Hispaniola at the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival to the island. He was known for his fighting skills and his ferocity. He was married to Anacaona, who was the sister of another ' ...
, and for control of and access to Yuboa.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaragua, Hispaniola
History of indigenous peoples of North America
History of Haiti
History of the Dominican Republic
Indigenous topics of the Caribbean
Taíno