Puerto Rico 101
This island is located in the West Indies.
Hint: It is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean.
Puerto Rico
The Taíno were the most numerous Indigenous people of this region before European contact.
Hint: This region includes islands like Cuba and Hispaniola.
The Caribbean
The Taíno used this farming method to grow cassava and yams.
Hint: It involved rotating farmland to keep soil fertile.
Shifting agriculture
Taíno descent and inheritance followed this system.
Hint: Family lineage was traced through the mother.
A matrilineal system
Columbus described the Taíno as generous in his writings.
Hint: He noted their willingness to trade possessions freely.
(True/False)
True
Puerto Rico’s average daily temperature is about this.
Hint: It stays in the high 70s year-round.
78°F
The Taíno lived on islands such as Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and this island.
Hint: This island is now a U.S. territory.
Puerto Rico
Cassava was made from this root crop.
Hint: It was a major staple food for the Taíno.
Yuca
Taíno territories were divided into these hereditary chiefdoms.
Hint: Each controlled dozens of communities.
Cacicazgos
Spaniards forced Taíno men to work in these two labor systems.
Hint: Both were used to extract wealth for Spain.
Gold mines and plantations
This is the highest mountain range in Puerto Rico.
Hint: Its tallest peak reaches 4,390 feet.
The Cordillera Central
European contact with the Taíno began with this explorer in 1492.
Hint: He kept written journals describing the Taíno.
Christopher Columbus
Taíno homes were constructed with logs and this type of roofing.
Hint: The roofing material helped protect against heavy rain.
Thatched roofs
These leaders governed Taíno communities.
Hint: Their authority was passed down through families.
Caciques
European diseases spread rapidly because the Taíno lacked this.
Hint: Smallpox and measles were new to them.
Immunity
Nearly one-fourth of Puerto Rico is covered by this type of landform.
Hint: Much of the island interior is steep and elevated.
Mountainous terrain
Before European contact, the Taíno population is estimated at this range.
Hint: Some historians estimate millions lived on Hispaniola alone.
Between 1 and 2 million people
Men wore loincloths while women wore aprons made from cotton or this material.
Hint: This material came from local plants.
Palm fibers
Taíno spiritual beings and gods were called this.
Hint: Each represented forces of nature or life.
Zemís
Many Spanish men married Taíno women, creating this population.
Hint: This group combined Indigenous and European ancestry.
A mixed or mestizo population
This amphibian is a national symbol of Puerto Rico.
Hint: It is named after the sound it makes.
The coquí
The Taíno created canoes, hammocks, tobacco, and introduced this cooking method.
Hint: The word for it is still used in English today.
Barbecue
Parrots were sometimes domesticated for this hunting purpose.
Hint: They helped attract wild birds closer to hunters.
Decoying birds
Taíno priests or healers performed rituals using song and dance.
Hint: They were believed to communicate with the zemís.
Bohíques
Taíno influence remains visible today through language, food, and this.
Hint: Many modern Puerto Ricans carry Indigenous DNA.
Genetics or ancestry