Anacaona

Anacaona was a Taíno cacica, or female chief, of the Jaragua province on the island of Hispaniola. She was born around 1474 and was the sister of Bohechío, the principal cacique of Jaragua. Anacaona was renowned for her intelligence, beauty, and poetic talent. She was married to another cacique, whom she outlived.

Following the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the subsequent Spanish colonization, Anacaona played a significant role in the Taíno resistance. She initially sought to maintain peace with the Spanish but became a symbol of defiance against their increasingly oppressive rule and enslavement of her people. Her province, Jaragua, was one of the last to fall under Spanish control.

In 1503, the Spanish governor Nicolás de Ovando, suspicious of Taíno gatherings and fearing an uprising, orchestrated a brutal attack on the Taíno leaders, including Anacaona, during a peace meeting. Ovando invited Anacaona and many other caciques to a feast, where they were ambushed and killed. Anacaona herself was captured and publicly hanged in Jaragua. Her death marked a turning point in the subjugation of the Taíno people on Hispaniola. Anacaona is remembered as a heroine and a symbol of indigenous resistance against colonial powers in the Caribbean.