Taino Bori’kua History

The forgotten people.

A decorative headband featuring large white feathers and a central circular emblem, with an intricate patterned band in colors including red, blue, and orange.
A decorative headband with white and black feathers and a multicolored woven band featuring a large circular bead at the front.

The Year Of

Boba’no (snake people)

The first wave of Europeans (Boba’no) arrived to Boriken in 1493, This represents the first chapter of modern Taino Bori’kua history.

  • Why does 1493 represent the first chapter of modern Taino Bori’kua History?

    because 1493 represents the first year of the Boba’no (snake people) and the consequences of Taino exposure to an unclean savage culture carrying a variety of foreign diseases such as smallpox, chickenpox, cholera, diphtheria, influenza, malaria, measles and scarlet fever. According to their own accounts the diseased Boba’no contributed to a large number of Taino deaths not only in Boriken, but also throughout the Caribbean. because of this, the year 1493 represents a significant historical starting point for the remaining descendants of Borike, The Boricua.

  • The term Boba’no comes from the Taino Borikua word chain (boba=snake + ‘No=People) because like snakes, they infiltrated our lands and quietly preyed on Taino (good people). Boba’no were and still are a people unlike any other people the natives of Turtle Island (North America) had encountered. Natives lived with purpose, either you came for peace and trade or you came for war. Boba’no were not culturally compatible and because of that did not believe in transparency but instead like snakes, hid behind the tall grass (of good intention) to strike at the heel of the unsuspecting Tai’no (Good people) .

  • Note: History, as many disenfranchised people have come to realize is almost always dictated by the ones who conquer, unless of course the conquerors fail at preventing the awakening of the people they oppress.

  • The first Taino awakening occurred in 1511, when Cacique Agüeybaná II and Urayoán began to suspect Europeans were not Gods, this suspicion emboldened them to plan the capture of a conquistador known as Diego Salcedo. Agüeybaná II and Urayoán then ordered the Guazabara (Warriors) to test the immortality of the Spaniard by drowning him in the Rio Grande De Añasco in (Boriken) Puerto Rico. The Guazabara remained by the waters for 3 days to observe whether the body would rise. Once they realized Spaniards were not Zemi’s (Gods) Agüeybaná II informed other Taino cacique (Leaders) who then organized their tribes and led a revolt that targeted the Boba’no settlements with the sole purpose of reclaiming the land the Boba’no had stolen.

The Beginning Of The End

Bronze sculpture of three children, two standing and one kneeling, involved in a playful water fight in a fountain.

Statue of Diego Salcedo in the recreational plaza of Añasco, P.R (Boriken)