''Agüeybaná El Bravo'' is a stone statue to the memory of
Agüeybaná II, a
Taíno
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...
cacique
A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...
in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, for his bravery in
fighting the Spanish invaders during the sixteenth century. It is located at
Plaza Agüeybaná El Bravo in
Barrio Playa, at the southeast corner of the intersection of
PR-2/Ponce Bypass and
Avenida Hostos, just south of sector Caracoles in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...
.
Background
Agüeybaná El Bravo (English: Agüeybaná The Brave)
. 14701511 also known as Agüeybaná II, was one of the two principal and most powerful ''
cacique
A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...
s'' of the
Taíno people
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...
in "
Borikén" when the
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...
first arrived in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
on 19 November 1493. Agüeybaná II led the Taínos of Puerto Rico in the Battle of Yagüecas, also known as the "
Taíno rebellion of 1511" against
Juan Ponce de León and the Spanish
Conquistador
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
s. It was the last Taíno rebellion against the Spanish
Conquistadores
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
, and Agüeybaná II was killed during the battle. In a show of solidarity with the Taino cacique Agueybana, every November during the day when others are celebrating
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. He went ashore at ...
, supporters of Agueybana and the Taino tradition gather near the statue for Taino songs, music, dances, food and
presentations.
[''Resaltan figura de Agueybaná El Bravo: Aprovechan el día para recordar la gesta del cacique taíno.'']
El Nuevo Dia. Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. 19 November 2011. Accessed 24 July 2017.
Description
The statue is located in
Barrio Playa, across the "Caracoles" sector of
Barrio San Anton, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, at a small park also named after him. According to historian Jalil Sued Badillo, the location where the statue currently stands was the home of the former grand
cacique
A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...
.
[Office of Cultural Affairs. Municipality of Ponce. October 2008. Ponce, Puerto Rico.] The statue was installed during the administration of Mayor
Francisco Zayas Seijo.
The statue was created in Mexico by order of former Ponce Mayor
Rafael Cordero Santiago, but remained unveiled until October 2008. In a show of solidarity with Agüeybaná El Bravo, every November on the day when others are celebrating
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. He went ashore at ...
, supporters of Agueybana and the Taino tradition gather near the statue for Taino songs, music, dances, food and
presentations.
Yarisina Sierra. Confederacion Unida de el Pueblo Taino. 8 November 2013. Accessed 23 July 2017.
References
External links
''Estructuras y Monumentos en Puerto Rico.''
* Agüeybaná el bravo: La recuperación de un símbolo. Jalil Sued Badillo. San Juan, P.R.: Ediciones Puerto, 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agüeybaná El Bravo (statue)
2008 establishments in Puerto Rico
2008 sculptures
Buildings and structures in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Monuments and memorials in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Public art in Puerto Rico
Sculptures of men in Puerto Rico
Statues in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Cultural depictions of Puerto Rican people
Taíno in Puerto Rico
Sculptures of men in insular areas of the United States