He Cacique Enriquillo He was the leader of aboriginal resistance on the island of Hispaniola, in the Dominican Republic. He was a war strategist, defender of indigenous rights and leader of the aboriginal resistance against the Spanish invaders in the sixteenth century.
He was born in the year 1496 approximately, like heir of the nitainato (territorial division of the cacicazgo) of the Bahoruco, in lands of the chiefdom of Jaragua.
Biography
He was the son of Maniocatex, a chief of the Nitaíno tribe. He was orphaned in 1503, when Governor Nicolás de Ovando murdered his father in the Jaragua massacre while they were celebrating a peace agreement.
Once his father died, Enriquillo was sent to live with Franciscan monks. He was raised and educated by them in a convent, as was done with all the sons of caciques, to convert him to Christianity.
There it grew, in the mountainous region of Jaragua. Thus he learned European customs, and to read and write Spanish.
He was also indoctrinated in the Catholic religion. The Catholic precepts deepened in his being, so he fulfilled his teachings and morality strictly.
Consequently, to those around him he imposed their rigidity and moral and religious behavior.
Despite his education, he was sent to work in the field in 1514 with the Spaniard Francisco de Valenzuela and his heir Andrés. Enriquillo cooperated with the Spaniards working in the mines and growing food for them.
Later he married Mencía, his cousin and granddaughter of the caciques Caonabo and Anacaona. According to one version of the story, his wife was abused by Andrés Valenzuela, one of the children of the owner of the hacienda where Enriquillo worked.
As a result of this Enriquillo looked for help in the law, but did not find an answer.
Whether because of this circumstance or because of his boredom of the injustices he saw every day, he decided to go live with his wife in the mountains of Bahoruco. In this way he demonstrated his rebelliousness towards Andrés Valenzuela and his family.
He was persecuted by the Spaniards, he confronted them and killed some and wounded others, forgiving Valenzuela's life.
Resistance
From his new home began his resistance on both sides of the mountains of Bahoruco.
His style was the guerrilla. Assaulted the Spanish haciendas, took away their weapons and repelled their attacks. He did this for 14 years.
Between 1519 and 1533 Enriquillo articulated an army, at the beginning of few men, to carry out his business of revolution and freedom.
He was able to add to his cause the Africans, who had been enslaved and taken by force to American lands.
End of the fight
In 1533, tired of the struggle, he agreed to a peace agreement with Captain General Francisco de Barrionuevo, representative of the Spanish Crown.
In the pact, he negotiated the freedom of the Taíno people by eliminating the encomienda, exemption from taxes to the Crown and granting of territory for the original inhabitants of the lands.
He died around 1536 at the age of 40, in the area that is currently the province of Monte Plata. On its tomb the church of Agua Santa was built in the community of Boya.
Contributions
Enriquillo bequeathed to his people his courage and desire for freedom and justice. He managed to maintain a fight for 14 years.
Although he never had a real chance of victory, he did not flinch. Your courage and convictions will always be with your people.
Some of his main contributions were:
-It was the fundamental figure of the aboriginal resistance against European colonialism.
- He is considered the first guerrilla of the new world for his courage to face imperial power.
References
- Editor (2017) Dominican History. 12/15/2017 Official Portal of the Dominican State. gob.do
- Milton Olivo (2006) The secret Taino: the civilization found by Columbus in Hispaniola. Printed Mayobanex, Santo Domingo.
- Editor (2016) Cacique Enriquillo, Dominican Republic. 12/15/2017 Geographic. geographic.org
- Francis Sullivan (2010) Indian Freedom: The cause of Bartolome de las Casas 1484-1566.
- Junius P. Rodríguez (1997) The Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Library of Congress, Santa Barbara, California.