Jumacao
Encyclopedia
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...
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...
(Chief) of the area in 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...
named after him (now spelled Humacao
Humacao, Puerto Rico
Humacao is a city 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 10 wards and Humacao Pueblo...
).
Before and after the arrival of the Conquistadors
The Tainos, who lived in Puerto Rico long before the arrival of the Spaniards, were an organized and peaceful people. The only problems they had were occasionally with the cannibals 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 AgueybanaAgüeybaná
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" :...
. When the Spaniards arrived, Agueybana received Juan Ponce de Leon
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...
with open arms. This extended friendship was soon to end because the Conquistadores started to enslave the Tainos and to destroy their way of life.
Taino revolt
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" :...
(The Brave), Urayoan, 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...
and some of their men drowned the Spanish soldier 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....
. They watched over Salcedo's body to see if he came back to life. When he did not, the Tainos realized that the Spaniards were not god
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
s after all.
When the news spread among the Tainos, they started a rebellion and attacked some Spanish settlements. After Ponce de Leon'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 Taino villages.
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, 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 Tainos. Jumacao, together with the help of the Cacique Daguao (Cacique of Naguabo
Nagüabo, Puerto Rico
Naguabo is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the east coast of the island, north of Humacao; south of Río Grande and Ceiba; and east of Las Piedras. Naguabo is spread over 8 wards and Naguabo Pueblo...
), 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 Sierra
Sierra
Sierra can refer to:- Mountains and mountain ranges :* Sierra mountains * Sierra de Juárez, mountain range in Baja California, Mexico...
s of Luquillo
Luquillo, Puerto Rico
Luquillo is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 wards and Luquillo Pueblo...
. Jumacao was never heard from again.
Legacy
There is a statue of the Cacique in the city of Humacao. In 1975 the city of Humaco 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 famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Tainos
- 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...
- Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II