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Al ir a través de las crónicas, a golpe de ojo y aplicando la lógica, inmediatamente nos damos cuenta que la historia que nos dejaron los cronistas invasores está plagada de mitos, errores, contradicciones y posiciones acomodaticias a sus circunstancias del tiempo histórico en que ocurrieron los hechos.

La difícil posición social, económica y religiosa del país invasor al momento mismo de la conquista, al igual que los escollos de la falta de conocimiento del lenguaje e interpretación de las costumbres del país invadido, fueron tierra fértil para inclinar la balanza. Los indígenas, al carecer de una forma organizada del lenguaje escrito no tuvieron la oportunidad de escribir su verdad. La escribió el invasor. A nosotros nos corresponde desenterrar, derribar esos mitos, aclarar las contradicciones y sacar en limpio la historia verdadera. Uno de estos mitos, la exterminacion total, nos dice que los tainos no dejaron herederos. Queremos probar que el taino dejo heredero - el jíbaro de la montaña. El jibaro no es otro que el indígena que sobrevivió. Queremos, sobre todo, derribar el mito perpetuo de su desaparición en los primeros 60 años de la conquista. Tina Casanova – autora de la novela “El último sonido del caracol”.
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Con este trasfondo, se crea un espacio para que ustedes hagan una reflexión critica sobre nuestra herencia etnohistórica cultural taina y formulen peguntas y respuestas sobre esta temática. Pero mas importante, queremos que ustedes tomen conciencia sobre la realidad etnohistorica cultural indigena de Puerto Rico.

En las proximas semanas estaremos actualizando esta pagina. Podran bajar articulos y otros materiales sobre el mundo pre-Colombino taino; sus orígenes, sociedad, etnohistoria y cultura. Queremos que participes en nuestras actividades para que conozcas sus costumbres, tradiciones, creencias, bailes, música, y comidas.

Tu visita a este sitio es el primer paso en esa jornada.
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As we review the Spanish chronicles, we immediately notice that the written history the Spanish left us is plagued with myths, errors, contradictions and biased perspectives.

The difficult social, economic and religious situation in the invading country, at the moment of conquest, as well as the language barriers, were fertile ground for shifting the balance in favor of the Soanish. The Indigenous people of Boriken, lacking an organized form of written language did not have the opportunity to write their truth. It was written by the invader. We have the obligation to dispel the myths concerning our ethnohistorical reality. We will attempt to clear-up some of the contradictions and myths contained in the Spanish chronicles of the XVI century. One of these contradictions is the total extermination theory. The Taino were not exterminated - they not only survived the conquest, they thrived during and after the colonization period. We will prove that the Taino survived in the Central Mountains, and that the Jibaro are their rightful descendents.
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Against this background, we have created a space for you to make critical reflections regarding Taino survival. This site will attempt to stimulate your critical thinking regarding different aspects of our indigenous cultural and historical past.

We will be posting interesting materials on the Taino pre-Columbian world, their origins, society, ethnohistory and culture. We want you to experience their customs, traditions, beliefs, dances, music, and foods at our ceremonies and gatherings.
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Your visit to our site is the first step in that journey.
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Muchos estudiosos de la materia taina siguen ciegamente las crónicas españolas - escritas mas de 500 años por hombres que tenían un desconocimiento total de la cultura taina. Hombres que les importaba un bledo la cultura o sociedad taina. Tenemos que preguntarnos: ¿Que técnicas utilizaron los cronistas españoles para realizar las etnografías de los tainos? ¿Que medidas tomaron para captar la cultura taina sin afectar la cotidianidad de las tribus? ¿Como se aseguraron que sus sujetos narraran sus historias orales, mitos, tradiciones, y costumbres de manera confiable?Podemos concluir que los escritos de los cronistas e historiadores españoles no constituyen propiamente una historia de la cultura y sociedad taina, sino que su enfoque se refiere a las relaciones económicas y políticas entre dominados y dominantes.

Cronistas como Las Casas y Ramón Pane interpretan la sociedad taina, desde el prisma de la mentalidad judeo-cristiana, impregnada con estructuras sociales, políticas, religiosas y culturales hispanas. No podemos negar que estos religiosas tenían sus propias agendas.Los cronistas españoles del siglo XV no son los únicos culpables de la mala interpretación de la cultura y sociedad taina. En el siglo pasado abundaban las teorías de la exterminacion total, apoyadas por arqueólogos, antropólogos e historiadores estadounidenses y boricuas. En pocas palabras, la etno-historia taina ha sido escrita por "estudiosos" que no se molestaron en buscar mas alla de las vasijas y huesos, para comprobar la sobrevivencia taina. Esto probablemente ha dejado la puerta abierta para la especulacion en el análisis de la sociedad, cultural y etnohistoria taina de Puerto Rico.
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Es hora que estudiosos en la materia taina reconozcan este hecho y que juntos reescribamos nuestra etnohistoria.
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The Spanish Crown had long been concerned with the morality of conquest, and employed theologians and jurists to advise on behavior. One result of this was the Requirement (Requerimiento), a document of intentions which had to be read out to the Indians prior to an attack. (However, this was often read in Spanish to Indians who did not understand the language, or was even proclaimed out of earshot to them.) It also resulted in an institution known as the encomienda. By this official Spanish policy, set by Ferdinand and Isabella, all land belonged to the Spanish Crown and the Indians were compelled to work it on behalf of their Spanish master or encomendero. In return, however, they were to be afforded the protection of the Crown, instruction in the Christian faith and a small wage. (Las Casas himself benefited from this system both in Hispaniola and Cuba.) In practice, however, the Indians were treated in an horrific way — enslaved, starved, tortured, hunted down and massacred in huge numbers. This experience produced a collective despair resulting in suicide, infanticide and induced abortion amongst the Indians. Las Casas primarily wrote to inform the Spanish court of what was being done in the name of Spain and Christianity, and were immediately translated into the other European languages.
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Las Casas was radical but not heretical — he believed that Columbus was an instrument of God to bring the Gospel to the New World and did not advocate revolt against the Spanish Crown, whose legitimacy to rule in South America he accepted. The behavior of its representatives, however, was not in accord with either Christianity or official Spanish policy in his view, and needed to be recorded for Europe's education. As well as recording the brutality of colonization, his books argued against the concept of the Indian as an inferior race.
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His ideas had little immediate effect on changing Spanish attitudes in South America — the lust for gold was stronger than the recognition of religious or moral justice amongst the conquistadores. In the longer term, however, his books and actions earned him the title “Defender and Apostle to the Indians.” (Fuente-Source)