Agüeybaná_and_Agüeybaná_II

Agüeybaná and Agüeybaná II

Agüeybaná (died 1510) and Agüeybaná II (died 1511), were brothers and the principal and most powerful caciques (chiefs) of the Taíno people in "Borikén" (Puerto Rico) when the Spaniards first arrived on the island on November 19, 1493.

"The Great Sun"

Agüeybaná, whose name means "The Great Sun", lived with his tribe in Guaynia (Guayanilla), located near a river of the same name, on the southern part of the island. All the other Caciques were subject to and had to obey Agüeybaná, even though they governed their own tribes.

Arrival of the conquistadors

Agüeybaná, believing that the Spaniards were gods, received the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León with open arms upon his arrival in 1508. According to an old Taíno tradition, Agüeybaná practiced the "guatiao", an old Taíno ritual, in which he and Juan Ponce de León became friends and exchanged names. Ponce de León then baptized the cacique's mother into Christianity and renamed her Inés. The hospitality and friendly treatment that the Spaniards received from Agüeybaná made it easy for them to conquer the island.

The cacique joined Ponce de León in the exploration of the island. After this had been accomplished, Agüeybaná accompanied the conquistador to the island of "La Española" (What today comprises the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti), where he was well received by the Governor Nicolás de Ovando. Agüeybaná's actions helped to maintain the peace between the Taíno and the Spaniards. The peace between the Spaniards and the Taínos' was short-lived. The Tainos were forced to work in the island's gold mines and in the construction of forts as slaves. Many Taínos died as a result of the cruel treatment which they received.

Taíno rebellion of 1511

Upon Agüeybaná's death in 1510, his brother, Agüeybaná II (The Brave), became the most powerful Cacique in the island. Agüeybaná II had his doubts about the "godly" status of the Spaniards. He came up with a plan to test these doubts; he and Urayoán (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 resuscitate. Salcedo's death was enough to convince him and the rest of the Taíno people that the Spaniards were not gods.

Agüeybaná II, organized a revolt and under his leadership, the Taíno people raided many of the Spanish settlements. However, Agüeybaná II's people, who were only armed with spears,bows, and arrows, were no match for the better armed Spanish forces. When Agüeybaná II faced the forces of his brothers former "friend", Ponce de León, in 1511, he was shot dead. The revolt failed and many Taínos either committed suicide or left the island. Many of those who stayed on the island soon died of either the cruel treatment that they had received or of the smallpox epidemic, which had attacked the island.

Legacy

Agüeybaná 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 Agüeybaná.
Puerto Rico once had an equivalent to the Oscars which was awarded annually and was called the "Agüeybaná de Oro" (The Golden Agüeybaná), in honor of the great cacique.

Many songs and poems, by poets such as Juan Antonio Corretjer, among others, have been written about Agüeybaná.