The Aborigines of Puerto Rico and Neighboring Islands

Political divisions

FEWKBS] POLITICAL DIVISIONS 35 amulets-small images representing idols-on their foreheads. Those in the foremost rank were armed with stone-headed lances or wooden spears, the points of which were hardened by fire. They carried clubs and bows and arrows, and were led into battIe by some of their number who blew horns made of large conch shells. Although preferring a life of peace, they were courageous and, when necessary, willing to die for their homes and native land. Bernaldez has given a very good account of the dress and characteristic regalia of a Cuban cacique during a state visit paid to Columbus: The cacique woresuspended from his neck a trinket madeof copper, whichis brought fromaneighboringisland.a . . . Heworeastringofmarblebeads . . . and on his head a large open crownb of very small green and red stones disposed in order and intermixed with larger white stones so as to look very well. He had suspended over his forehead a large jewel [probably a frontal amulet], and from his ears hung two large plates of gold, with rings of very small beads; although naked, hs had a girdlec of thfl same workmanship as the crown, all the rest of the body being uncovered. The dress of the wife of the Cuban cacique, who came to see the Europeans at the same time, is thus described by Bernaldez: His wife was adorned in a similar manner, but was naked, except so much of her person as was covered by a bit of cotton not larger than an orange leaf. She wore upon her arms, just below the shoulders, a roll of cotton like the sleeves of the ancient French doublets, and another similar roll, but larger, 011 each leg below the knee-like the anklets of the Moorish women. The older and more beautiful of the daughters was entirely naked, wearing only a girdle ?f stones of a single <'olor, black and very small, from which hung something, of the shape of an ivy leaf, of green and red d stones embroidered upon cotton cloth. POLITICAL DIVISIONS As already stated, there existed in prehil"ltoric Borinquen a number of provinces, or caciquedoms, over each of which ruled a cacique, with subordinate chiefs, also called caciques, who were heads of families, or allied nataios, composed of their blood kindred, and their slaves and dependents. The geographical position of some of these provinces is shown in a general way, by the names applied to mountains on old maps, and these names are generally the same as those of caciques. The foremost caciques of the island of Porto Rico are known as Aguebana (Agueynabay the First and Aguebana the Second, two aThe onlament, as above stated, wa., usually of gold and was called 0. unal-in. bTo Columbus was later given one of these crowns, which he carried to Spain. eWe find these girdle.~ repeatedly mentioned in early accounts, wbere it is said that they were so highly prized that they were regarded as 0. worthy present for Columbus. In a way, this object may be compared with the wampum of the North American Indians, but there is no reason to believe that the West Indians regnrded it as the Iroquois and other nations of North America did wampum. Amongother ornaments worn by tbe Indla.ns should be mentioned necklaces of living fireflies, which the natives called coenya, a name still current in the island. d Possibly the red s(.'Cds now Ilsed in Porto Rico for necklaces. eThe prefix" in the name of this cacique, as in that of the mountains, isoften dropped. 86 THE ABORIGINES OF PORTO RICO [ETH. ANN. 25 brothers who figure conspicuously in the early history of the couquest of the island. Their territory extended along the southern coast of the island from the Coamo, or Yauco, river to the Jacaque, or Xacaque, comprising approximately the land from the bay of Guanica to the present village of Juana Diaz. It included not only the land along the southern coast but also the mountainous area that bears on early maps the names Guebana or Xacagua. Their province, following the generallaw , bore the name of the ruler. When Ponce de Leon first visited Porto Rico he landed in the territory of Aguebana the First, who received him hospitably, showing him the country and the different rivers of the island. Ponce, following an Indian custom above mentioned, exchanged names with Aguebana , the Spaniard giving the name Dona Inez to the native's mother, and Don Francisco to his father. Ponce also showed his esteem for a brother of the cacique by giving him the name Luis de Anasco. The mother of Aguebana was friendly to the whites and gave her son good advice, which he dutifully followed, leading Oviedo to say that had these two lived there ~ould have been no trouble with the Indians. When Ponce returned to the island in the following year he found that his friend Aguebana the First had died and his brother had inherited the office of cacique. But the character of this brother was less peaceful. Possibly he may have been exasperated by the wrongs enforced upon him and for this reason resisted the encroachments of the Spaniards on his island. In the division of natives Aguebana the Second was given to Christopher Sotomayor, who came to Borinquen with Ponce on his second visit and founded a Spanish colony near Guanica. This settlement was situated in Aguebana's territory, but the colonists were soon obliged to abandon it on account of mosquitoes and move to the .northwest coast, near where Aguada now stands. At first all went well and Aguebana the Second exchanged names with Christopher Sotomayor and the former's sister became the mistress, although the cacique may have regarded her as the wife, of the Spaniard. No sooner had the settlement been made in the island than trouble began with the Indians, and as time went on the conditions became such that the latter l'ose against the Spaniards. Oviedo, who has given the Spanish version of the causes which brought about the trouble , blames the natives, and has recorded some of the worst acts of the Indians leading up to it, but anyone can read between the lines that the deeds of the cacique were retaliations for provocations which drove him to hostility. Sotomayor was informed by his mistress that her brother was hostile and intended to kill him, burn his settlement, and drive his col