Agueybana
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Agueybana (died 1510), was the principal "Cacique" (Chief) of the Tainos and the most powerful governing Taino in "Borinken" (Puerto Rico) when the Spaniards first arrived.
Agueybana - whose name means "Great Sun" lived with his tribe in "Guaynia" (Guayanilla) located by the river of the same name, on the southern part of the island. All the other Caciques were subject to and had to obey Agueybana, even though they governed their own tribes.
Agueybana, believing that the Spaniards were Gods, received the Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon with open arms upon his arrival in 1508. According to an old Taino tradition, Agueybana became "guaitiao" (friends) with Ponce de Leon, and their wives exchanged names. Ponce de Leon baptized the Caciques' mother into the Christian religion and renamed her Inés. The hospitality and friendly treatment that the Spaniards received from Agueybana made it easy for them to conquer the island.
The Cacique joined Ponce de Leon in the exploration of the island. After this had been accomplished, Agueybana accompanied the Conquistador to the island of "Española" (This is what today comprises the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti); there he was well received by the Governor Nicolas de Ovando.
Agueybana's actions helped to maintain the peace between the Tainos and the Spaniards. This, however, was only a short lived peace because the Spaniards soon took advantage of the Tainos' good faith and enslaved them: forcing them to work in the mines and in the construction of forts. Many Tainos died as a result.
Agueybana's brother, "Agueybana II" had his doubts about the "Godly" status of the Spaniards and he came up with a plan to test these doubts; he and Urayoan (Cacique of Añasco) sent some of their tribe members, to lure a spaniard, by the name of Diego Salcedo, into a river and drown him. They watched over Salcedo's body to make sure that he would not resucite. Salcedo's death was enough to convince him and the rest of the Tainos that the Spaniards were not Gods.
Agueybana, upon receiving this shocking news, organized a revolt and under his leadership the Tainos raided many of the Spanish settlements. However, Agueybana's people, who were only armed with spears and bows and arrows, were no match for superiorly armed Spanish forces. When Agueybana faced the forces of his former "friend" Ponce de Leon in 1510, he was shot dead.
The revolt failed and many Tainos either committed suicide or left the island. Those who stayed soon died of either the cruel treatment that they had received or of the smallpox disease epidemic which had attacked the island.
Agueybana is admired in Puerto Rico for his duty to his people. Puerto Rico has named many public buildings and streets after him:
- The City of Bayamón has named a High School after him.
- There is a street in Caguas and
- An avenue in the area of Hato Rey, in San Juan, named after Agueybana.
Puerto Rico's equivalent to the Oscars is called the Agueybana de Oro, in honour of the great Cacique and it is awarded annually. Many songs and poems, by poets such as Juan Antonio Corretjer among others, have been written about Agueybana, which also honour his memory.