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Taíno Chiefdom Societies of the Caribbean Islands
In the 1390s-era 1430s, the Taíno formed chiefdom societies led by caciques across the Greater Antilles, practicing cassava cultivation, fishing, and…
Timeline
- 1431–1435Hispaniola · HispaniolaHispaniola was divided among multiple Taíno chiefdoms, with caciques governing village alliances and maintaining power through tribute, marriage, and ritual. The population is estimated at several hundred thousand, making it one of the most densely populated regions of the Caribbean.
- 1435–1440Puerto Rico and eastern Cuba · Greater AntillesThe Taíno traveled by canoe among the Greater Antilles exchanging pottery, stone axes, and sea salt, while villages centered on large wooden longhouses (casa de canbo) for public activities, holding ball games and ancestor worship ceremonies.
Sources
- The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus — Irving Rouse (1992)
- Columbus Was Last: From 200,000 B.C. to 1492, a Heretical History of Who Was First — Patrick Huyghe (1992)