Taíno Society of Hispaniola in the 1460s

Timeline

1. 1461–1465All of Hispaniola · Greater AntillesThe island was divided into five cacicazgos—Mién, Maguana, Magua, Higüey, and Xaragua—each led by a great cacique over lesser chiefs, forming a clearly hierarchical political-tribute system that was well established by the 1460s.
2. 1463–1468Cibao Valley and central highlands · HispaniolaThe Taíno grew cassava, maize, and tubers in conuco mound agriculture, supplemented by fishing, hunting, and gathering; chiefs collected tribute to fund ceremonies and batey ball games, and island food production in the 1460s supported a dense population.
3. 1465–1470Northern and eastern coasts of Hispaniola · Greater AntillesTaíno dugout fleets traded shells, cotton cloth, and stone tools with Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles; in the 1460s Hispaniola, as the demographic and political center of the Greater Antilles, held a hub position in the circum-Caribbean network.