Diego Salcedo (soldier)
Encyclopedia
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.
Although the story of Salcedo is mentioned in many books and taught in schools, many historians believe it was invented to raise a sentiment of fear and anger against the Taínos, and justify the colonization, slavery
, and subsequent genocide
of them.
Indians, under the command of Agueybana II
(brother of the great Taino Cacique Agueybana
) and the Cacique of Añasco
, Urayoán
, drowned him in the Rio Grande de Añasco
. Historically, two versions about how Salcedo was lured to his death have collided. Many books assert that the soldier had been told he'd be taken to a lake filled with Taíno women that he could have sex
with, and, once there, he found not women, but men who then proceeded to drown him. The other version has Salcedo being offered a ride across a river by Taínos who carried him on their arms, and then drowned him and kept him for days, afraid he'd still be alive and until they were certain he was dead. After Salcedo's death, the Taíno Indians were encouraged to declare war on the Spaniards in Puerto Rico. This led to the Taino rebellion of 1511. However, the Indians were quickly defeated due to the Spaniards' better weaponry and war expertise.
rock
band Fiel a la Vega
. The song is titled "El Asunto: Salcedo Sigue Siendo Mortal" (The Issue: Salcedo is still a Mortal) and it makes a comparison between the Spaniards' rule in the island and the United States
' invasion of 1898.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquistador
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...
who allegedly lived during the colonization of the Americas
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
. According to legend, his death at the hands of 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...
Indians ignited the Taíno rebellion of 1511.
Although the story of Salcedo is mentioned in many books and taught in schools, many historians believe it was invented to raise a sentiment of fear and anger against the Taínos, and justify the colonization, slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, and subsequent genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
of them.
Salcedo's death
According to the story, Salcedo died in 1511, during a trip to Puerto Rico, when TaínoTaíno 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...
Indians, under the command of Agueybana II
Agüeybaná
Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II , were the principal and most powerful caciques of the Taíno people in "Borikén" when the Spaniards first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.- "The Great Sun" :...
(brother of the great Taino Cacique Agueybana
Agüeybaná
Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II , were the principal and most powerful caciques of the Taíno people in "Borikén" when the Spaniards first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.- "The Great Sun" :...
) and the 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...
, Urayoán
Urayoán
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...
, drowned him in the Rio Grande de Añasco
Rio Grande de Añasco
The Rio Grande de Añasco is a river in western Puerto Rico. Its source is in the Cordillera Central mountain range west of Adjuntas, and it flows about 40 miles westwards to its mouth on the Mona Passage north of Mayagüez.-References:*Añasco River. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America...
. Historically, two versions about how Salcedo was lured to his death have collided. Many books assert that the soldier had been told he'd be taken to a lake filled with Taíno women that he could have sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with, and, once there, he found not women, but men who then proceeded to drown him. The other version has Salcedo being offered a ride across a river by Taínos who carried him on their arms, and then drowned him and kept him for days, afraid he'd still be alive and until they were certain he was dead. After Salcedo's death, the Taíno Indians were encouraged to declare war on the Spaniards in Puerto Rico. This led to the Taino rebellion of 1511. However, the Indians were quickly defeated due to the Spaniards' better weaponry and war expertise.
Legend
A local-legend tells of a ghostly Indian woman, supposedly Salcedo's lover, that still haunts the site of his drowning at present-day Añasco. This belief is exemplified by a verse in the town's anthem:Salcedo in Popular Culture
Salcedo is referenced in a song of Puerto RicanPuerto 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...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Fiel a la Vega
Fiel a la Vega
Fiel a la Vega is a Rock en Español band from Puerto Rico formed in 1994. Band members Tito Auger and Ricky Laureano come from the northern city of Vega Alta, while brothers Pedro Arraiza and Jorge Arraiza come from the city of Vega Baja, which is next to Vega Alta.-Early years :Childhood friends...
. The song is titled "El Asunto: Salcedo Sigue Siendo Mortal" (The Issue: Salcedo is still a Mortal) and it makes a comparison between the Spaniards' rule in the island and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' invasion of 1898.
External links
- Salcedo's Legend
- - website on the town of Añasco