Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Colonization of the Taíno
The first black person to arrive in Puerto Rico was Juan Garrido, a conquistador allied to Juan Ponce de León. He first set foot
on the island in 1509.
Columbus first saw Puerto Rico on November 19, 1493 - a date simultaneously celebrated
and mourned today. Columbus' 17 ships landed somewhere on the island's west coast for
water, somewhere in the area near Rincón. But the visit was extremely brief, as Columbus'
main base in the region was on Hispaniola (known today as Haiti and the Dominican Re-
public). There was a period of relative quiet between his 'discovery' of Puerto Rico and
the arrival of Ponce de León, who landed on the island in August of 1508. León was here
for good; he was sent by the Spanish crown to set up a colonial base for the Caribbean
in Puerto Rico and look for gold. At first, León's expedition was amicably received by
the chief of all chiefs, a
cacique
called Agüeybana. Agüeybana presided over Borinquen's
largest settlement sited on the Guayanilla River near present-day Guánica and invited León
to a friendship ceremony to welcome the Spanish.
But the good relationship didn't last long. Approximately 100 years before the Spanish
arrived, Taíno culture was challenged by the Caribs, a warlike tribe from South America
who raided Taíno villages for slaves and fodder for cannibalistic rites. The simmering ten-
sions between the Taíno and Caribs were still evident when Ponce de León took possession
of the island and sometimes misinterpreted by the Spanish as Taíno aggression. In reality
the Taíno were a friendly, sedentary people who put up little resistance to the new col-
onizers. Although León's letters to the crown describes this as a period of relative peace,
he had difficulty making the Taíno understand that he was now in charge, and indigenous
people were understandably resistant to their newfound roles of subservient laborers.
When León was unable to get the Taíno to fall in line with the arduous tasks of mining
and farming for the Spanish, Queen Isabella issued an edict in simple terms: 'you will force
the said Indians to associate with the Christians of the island.' Though the Spanish crown
issued paltry monetary payments for the labor, it was tantamount to slavery.
By 1511 the forced labor and religious conversion of the Taíno had destroyed any shred
of initial goodwill which may have existed between tribal leaders and the Spanish. When
Agüeybana died, his nephew, called Agüeybana II, took over and tensions came to a head.
Though accounts differ about the lead-up to the first Taíno uprising, the most colorful ver-
sion goes like this: in an effort to test the Spaniards' suggestion of religious protection and
life beyond death, Agüeybana II lured a Spanish soldier to a lake where he was promised
a number of women would be bathing. Instead, a Taíno warrior drowned him while tribal
leaders watched. When tribal leaders were convinced that the Spaniard was dead, they grew
confident that they could challenge their new oppressors in battle.
