Jumacao
Jumacao (born c.1480's) was the Taino Cacique (Chief) of the area in Puerto Rico named after him (now spelled Humacao).
The Tainos who lived in Puerto Rico long before the arrival of the Spaniards, were an orginized and peaceful people. The only problems they had was once in a while with the cannibals of the Carib tribes. The Cacique was the head of the tribe and the governer of his region. They reported only to the "Supreme Cacique, who during Jumacao's time was the Cacique Agueybana. When the Spaniards arrived, Agueybana recieved Juan Ponce de Leon with open arms. This extented friendship was soon to end because the Conquistadores started to enslave the Tainos and to destroy their way of life.
According to the "Cronicals of the Indias", which are kept in Seville, Spain, on February 1511, Agueybana's brother Agueybana II and Urayoan, the Cacique of Añasco, and some of their men drowned the Spanish Bishop Diego Salcedo. They watched over Salcedo's body to see if he resucited. When he didn't, the Tainos realized that the Spaniards were not "Gods" after all.
When the news spread among the Tainos, they started a rebellion and attacked some Spanish settlements. After Ponce de Leon's troops killed the Cacique Agueybana, The Taino's (now ruled by Agueybana II) and the Spanish Government reached an agreement and signed a peace treaty. However, the Spaniards in the island did not respect the treaty and continued to enslave and destroy many of the Taino villages.
The Cacique Jumacao was the first Cacique to learn how to read and write in Spanish. He proved this by writting a letter to King Charles I of Spain, complaining that the appointed governor of the island was not honoring the peace treaty and that he and the other Caciques have virtually become prisoners of the governor. he also stated that he was responsible of his own acts. The King was moved by the letter and ordered the governor to honor the terms of the treaty.
The government, however, paid no attention to the King's request and continued to abuse the Taino's. Jumacao together with the help of the Cacique Daguao (Cacique of Naguabo), attacked Spanish settlements and burned down the City of Santiago (founded in 1513) which was located close to the Daguao (now Santiago) River, killing all of its inhabitants. According to the testimony of Ignacio Martinez, the only sole survivor of the "Santiago incident", The Caciques and their tribes hid in the Sierras of Luquillo. Jumacao was never heard from again. Eventually, the Taino population became extinct because of the cruelity of forced labor and the smallpox epidemic.
The Cacique Jumacao is honored on the Municipal Flag of Humacao. The City of Humacao also presents the "Cacique Jumacao Award" to the best industries in regard to its recycling programs.
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