Taíno Battle of Vega Real and Uprising (1495)

Timeline

1. 1494Niti (Caonabo's capital) · MaguanaMaguana chief Caonabo had previously destroyed the La Navidad post and threatened Fort Santo Tomás. In 1494 Alonso de Ojeda approached under the guise of a peace envoy and, using polished handcuffs as a ruse, tricked Caonabo into mounting a horse and captured him, taking him prisoner to La Isabela.
2. 1494–1495West-central Hispaniola · HispaniolaCaonabo's capture sparked a large-scale Taíno revolt. His brother Manicatex gathered some 7,000 warriors in the western Vega region, planning to attack the Spanish and rescue Caonabo—the first recorded large-scale indigenous uprising in the Americas.
3. 1495Concepción de la Vega (Vega Real) · HispaniolaOn 24 March 1495 Christopher Columbus, Bartholomew Columbus, and Ojeda led about 220 Spanish soldiers, 20 warhounds, and hundreds of Taíno allies to defeat the Taíno coalition at Vega Real (also called the Battle of Santo Cerro). Spanish cavalry superiority decided the battle; leaders including Manicatex were captured, and Caonabo later died at sea while being shipped to Spain.