Enriquillo was a Taíno Cacique who rebelled against the Spaniards from 1519 till 1533. His father had died in a Spanish raid against a non-violent Indian demonstration in Jaragua and he was raised in a monastery in Santo Domingo. One of his mentors was Bartolomé de Las Casas.

The good relations between Christopher Columbus and the local Taíno Indians of Hispaniola did not last long, and soon the indians were used as slaves on sugar plantations. Several revolts followed in the first half of the 16th century, the most famous of which happened in 1522. Enriquillo started the revolt with a large number of Indians from the mountain range of Bahoruco and the Indians were able to continue the rebellion because of their better knowledge of the region. As the Spaniards were not able to control the rebellion, a treaty was signed granting to the Indian population among others the right of Freedom and of Possession. It had little consequences however, as by this time the Indian population was rapidly declining due to European diseases.

The salt water lake Lago Enriquillo in the Dominican province of Baoruco was named after him. Looking out over it is the Trono de Enriquillo, where he is said to have camped during the rebellion.

References

• Van Der Helm, Rien. Reis-handboek Dominicaanse Republiek (Dutch language, Elmar, 1991)

See also

• Hispaniola
• History of the Dominican Republic
• Taíno opposition against the Spanish
• Population history of American indigenous peoples

External links

• Jaragua-Bahoruca-Enriquillo Reserve

Native American history | Spanish colonization of the Americas | Indigenous peoples of the Americas | History of the Dominican Republic

Enriquillo