Jumacao a.k.a. Jumaca (born ''c''. 1480s) 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) of 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 ...
named after him (now spelled
Humacao
Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
).
Before and after the arrival of the Conquistadors
The Taínos, who lived in Puerto Rico long before the arrival of the
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...
, were an organized and peaceful people. The only problems they had were occasionally with the
cannibals
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...
of the
Carib tribes. The Cacique was the head of the tribe and the governor of his region. They reported to the "Supreme Cacique", who during Jumacao's time was the Cacique
Agueybana. When the Spaniards arrived, Agueybana received
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 ...
with open arms. This extended friendship was soon to end because the
Conquistadores
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to ...
started to enslave the Taínos and to destroy their way of life.
["El agua del paraíso (Spanish Edition)"; by: Benito Pastoriza Iyodo; Publisher: Xlibris (April 21, 2008); ; ]
Taíno revolt
![Statue of Cacique Jumacao (Humacao, Puerto Rico)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Statue_of_Cacique_Jumacao_%28Humacao%2C_Puerto_Rico%29.jpg)
According to the "Chronicles of the Indias", which are kept in
Seville, Spain
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 ...
, in 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), Urayoan, the Cacique of
Añasco and some of their men drowned the Spanish soldier
Diego Salcedo. They watched over Salcedo's body to see if he came back to life. When he did not, the Taínos realized that the Spaniards were not
god
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
s after all.
When the news spread among the Taínos, they started a rebellion and attacked some Spanish settlements. After Ponce de León's troops killed the Cacique Agueybana II, the Spanish Government reached an agreement and signed a peace treaty. However, the Spaniards in the island did not respect the treaty and continued to enslave and destroy many of the Taíno villages.
[Moon Puerto Rico (Moon Handbooks); Suzanne Van Atten (Author); Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; Second Edition; ; ]
The Cacique Jumacao was the first Cacique to learn how to read and write in Spanish. He proved this by writing a letter to King
Charles I of Spain
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fro ...
, complaining that the appointed governor of the island was not honoring the peace treaty and that he and the other Caciques had virtually become prisoners of the governor. He also stated that he was responsible of his own acts. The King was moved by the letter and ordered the governor to honor the terms of the treaty.
The government, however, paid no attention to the King's request and continued to abuse the Taínos. Jumacao, together with the help of the Cacique Daguao (Cacique of
Naguabo), attacked Spanish settlements and burned down the City of Santiago (founded in 1513), which was located close to the Daguao (now Santiago) River, killing all of its inhabitants. According to the testimony of Ignacio Martinez, the sole survivor of the "Santiago incident", the Caciques and their tribes hid in the Sierras (mountains) of
Luquillo
Luquillo () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios and Luquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the ci ...
. Jumacao was never heard from again.
Legacy
There is a statue of the Cacique in the city of Humacao. In 1975 the city of Humacao honored the Cacique Jumacao by including a crown within its Municipal Coat of Arms, which represents the royalty of the Cacique. The City of Humacao also presents the "Cacique Jumacao Award" to the best industries in regard to its recycling programs.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
*
Agüeybaná
*
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 ...
*
List of Taínos
*
Arasibo
*
Hayuya
*
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 ...
*
Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center
The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center ( es, Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes) in Sector La Vega de Taní, Barrio Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico, houses one of the most important archaeological discoveries made in the Antilles. The discovery pr ...
References
External links
Puerto Rico History
{{PRIndependence
1480 births
16th-century deaths
Taíno leaders
Indigenous Caribbean people
Year of death missing
16th-century rulers in North America
16th-century indigenous people of the Americas
Puerto Rican people of Taíno descent