Agüeybaná
Encyclopedia
Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II (died 1511), were the principal and most powerful cacique
s (chiefs) of the Taíno
people in "Borikén" (Puerto Rico
) when the Spaniards
first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.
(Guayanilla
), located near a river of the same name, on the southern part of the island. All the other Cacique
s were subject to and had to obey Agüeybaná, even though they governed their own tribes.
Agüeybaná received the Spanish conquistador
Juan Ponce de León
upon his arrival in 1508. According to an old Taíno tradition, Agüeybaná practiced the "guatiao", an old Taíno ritual, in which he and Juan Ponce de León became friends and exchanged names. Ponce de León then baptized the cacique's mother into Christianity
and renamed her Inés. The hospitality and friendly treatment that the Spaniards received from Agüeybaná made it easy for them to betray and conquer the island.
The cacique joined Ponce de León in the exploration of the island. After this had been accomplished, Agüeybaná accompanied the conquistador to the island of "La Española
" (What today comprises the nations of the Dominican Republic
and Haiti
), where he was well received by the Governor Nicolás de Ovando
. Agüeybaná's actions helped to maintain the peace between the Taíno and the Spaniards, a peace which was to be short-lived. The Taínos were forced to work in the island's gold mines and in the construction of forts as slaves. Many Taínos died as a result of the cruel treatment which they received.
(cacique of Añasco
) sent some of their tribe members to lure a Spaniard by the name of Diego Salcedo
into a river and drown him. They watched over Salcedo's body to make sure that he would not resuscitate. Salcedo's death was enough to convince him and the rest of the Taíno people that the Spaniards were not gods.
Agüeybaná II, held Areytos (war dances) or secret meetings with others caciques where he organized a revolt against the Spaniards. Cristobal de Sotomayor send a spy, Juan González, to one of the Areitos where he learned of Agüeybaná's plans. In spite of the warning, Agüeybana II killed Sotomayor and his men, and gravely wounded González. Juan González escaped making his way to Caparra where he reported to Ponce de León about the incident. Meanwhile, Guarionex
, cacique of Utuado, attacked the village of Sotomayor (present day Aguada
) and killed eighty of its inhabitants.
Juan Ponce de León led the Spaniards in a series of offensives that culminated in the Battle of Yagüecas. In the region known as Yagüecas more than 11,000 Taínos had assemble against 80 to 100 Spaniards. Before the start of the battle, a Spanish soldier using an arquebus
shot and killed a native. It's presumed this was Agüeybaná II, because the warrior was wearing a golden necklace which only a cacique wore. the native warriors retracted. A second round of raids erupted in 1513 when Ponce de Leon departed the island to explore Florida. The settlement of Caparra, the seat of the island government at that time, was sacked and burned by an alliance between Taínos and natives from the northeastern Antilles.
By 1520 the Taíno presence had almost vanished. A government census in 1530 reports the existence of only 1,148 Taínos remaining in Puerto Rico. However, oppressive conditions for the surviving Taíno continued. Many of those who stayed on the island soon died of either the cruel treatment that they had received or of the smallpox
epidemic, which had attacked the island in 1519.
Many songs and poems, by poets such as Juan Antonio Corretjer
, among others, have been written about Agüeybaná.
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
s (chiefs) of the Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
people in "Borikén" (Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
) when the Spaniards
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.
"The Great Sun"
Agüeybaná, whose name means "The Great Sun", lived with his tribe in GuayniaGuaynia
Guaynia was the territory that stretched along the southern coast of Puerto Rico in pre-Columbian times. The Taino cacique Agueybana ruled the area around Guayanilla when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493....
(Guayanilla
Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
Guayanilla is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, east of Yauco; and west of Peñuelas and about 12 miles west of Ponce. Guayanilla is spread over 16 wards and Guayanilla Pueblo...
), located near a river of the same name, on the southern part of the island. All the other Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
s were subject to and had to obey Agüeybaná, even though they governed their own tribes.
Arrival of the conquistadors
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
upon his arrival in 1508. According to an old Taíno tradition, Agüeybaná practiced the "guatiao", an old Taíno ritual, in which he and Juan Ponce de León became friends and exchanged names. Ponce de León then baptized the cacique's mother into Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and renamed her Inés. The hospitality and friendly treatment that the Spaniards received from Agüeybaná made it easy for them to betray and conquer the island.
The cacique joined Ponce de León in the exploration of the island. After this had been accomplished, Agüeybaná accompanied the conquistador to the island of "La Española
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
" (What today comprises the nations of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
), where he was well received by the Governor Nicolás de Ovando
Nicolás de Ovando
Fray Nicolás de Ovando y Cáceres was a Spanish soldier from a noble family and a Knight of the Order of Alcántara. He was Governor of the Indies from 1502 until 1509...
. Agüeybaná's actions helped to maintain the peace between the Taíno and the Spaniards, a peace which was to be short-lived. The Taínos were forced to work in the island's gold mines and in the construction of forts as slaves. Many Taínos died as a result of the cruel treatment which they received.
Taíno rebellion of 1511
Upon Agüeybaná's death in 1510, his nephew Güeybaná (better known as Agüeybaná II) became the most powerful Cacique in the island. Agüeybaná II had his doubts about the "godly" status of the Spaniards. He came up with a plan to test these doubts; he and UrayoánUrayoán
Urayoán was a Taíno "Cacique" famous for ordering the drowning of Diego Salcedo to determine if the Spanish were gods.He was the cacique of "Yucayeque del Yagüeka or Yagueca", a region that presently spans between Añasco and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. In 1511, Urayoán and Agüeybaná II conceived a...
(cacique of Añasco
Añasco, Puerto Rico
Añasco , named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the west coast of the island bordering the Mona Passage to the west, north of Mayagüez, and Las Marias; south of Rincón, Aguada, and Moca and west of San Sebastián and Las Marias...
) sent some of their tribe members to lure a Spaniard by the name of Diego Salcedo
Diego Salcedo (soldier)
Diego Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador who allegedly lived during the colonization of the Americas. According to legend, his death at the hands of Taíno Indians ignited the Taíno rebellion of 1511....
into a river and drown him. They watched over Salcedo's body to make sure that he would not resuscitate. Salcedo's death was enough to convince him and the rest of the Taíno people that the Spaniards were not gods.
Agüeybaná II, held Areytos (war dances) or secret meetings with others caciques where he organized a revolt against the Spaniards. Cristobal de Sotomayor send a spy, Juan González, to one of the Areitos where he learned of Agüeybaná's plans. In spite of the warning, Agüeybana II killed Sotomayor and his men, and gravely wounded González. Juan González escaped making his way to Caparra where he reported to Ponce de León about the incident. Meanwhile, Guarionex
Guarionex
Guarionex was a Taíno cacique from the cacicazgo of Maguá in the island of Hispaniola. The later Spanish colonization of the island pushed thousands of indians to other neighboring islands such as Borikén to where he fled....
, cacique of Utuado, attacked the village of Sotomayor (present day Aguada
Aguada, Puerto Rico
Aguada is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located in the western coastal valley region bordering the Atlantic Ocean, west of Rincón, Aguadilla and Moca; and north of Anasco. It is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastián Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) and killed eighty of its inhabitants.
Juan Ponce de León led the Spaniards in a series of offensives that culminated in the Battle of Yagüecas. In the region known as Yagüecas more than 11,000 Taínos had assemble against 80 to 100 Spaniards. Before the start of the battle, a Spanish soldier using an arquebus
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
shot and killed a native. It's presumed this was Agüeybaná II, because the warrior was wearing a golden necklace which only a cacique wore. the native warriors retracted. A second round of raids erupted in 1513 when Ponce de Leon departed the island to explore Florida. The settlement of Caparra, the seat of the island government at that time, was sacked and burned by an alliance between Taínos and natives from the northeastern Antilles.
By 1520 the Taíno presence had almost vanished. A government census in 1530 reports the existence of only 1,148 Taínos remaining in Puerto Rico. However, oppressive conditions for the surviving Taíno continued. Many of those who stayed on the island soon died of either the cruel treatment that they had received or of the smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic, which had attacked the island in 1519.
Legacy
Agüeybaná is admired in Puerto Rico for his duty to his people. Puerto Rico has named many public buildings and streets after him:- The City of BayamónBayamón, Puerto RicoBayamón is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the northern coastal valley, north of Aguas Buenas and Comerío; south of Toa Baja and Cataño; west of Guaynabo; and east of Toa Alta and Naranjito. Bayamón is spread over 11 wards and Bayamón Pueblo...
has named a high school after him. - There is a street in CaguasCaguas, Puerto RicoCaguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
and - An avenue in the Hato Rey area of San JuanSan Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
is named after Agüeybaná. - Puerto Rico once had an equivalent to the OscarsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
which was awarded annually and was called the "Agüeybaná de Oro" (The Golden Agüeybaná), in honor of the great cacique.
Many songs and poems, by poets such as Juan Antonio Corretjer
Juan Antonio Corretjer
Juan Antonio Corretjer Montes , was a poet, journalist and pro-independence political activist opposing United States rule in Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
, among others, have been written about Agüeybaná.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Taínos
- ArasiboArasiboArasibo was a Taino Cacique in Puerto Rico who governed the area which is now named after him .-Pre-Columbian era:...
- HayuyaHayuyaHayuya was the Taino Cacique who governed the area in Puerto Rico which now bears his name .-Arrival of the Conquistadors:...
- JumacaoJumacaoJumacao a.k.a. Jumaca was the Taíno Cacique of the area in Puerto Rico named after him .-Before and after the arrival of the Conquistadors:...
- OrocobixOrocobixOrocobix was the principal regional Taino Cacique 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, Barranquitas, Morovis and Corozal...
- Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterTibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThe Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Barrio Portugués, Ponce, Puerto Rico, houses one of the most important archeological discoveries made in the Antilles. The discovery provides an insight as to how the indigenous tribes of the Igneri and Taínos lived and played during and before the arrival...