The Puerto Rican
Diaspora (book) Migrating and building communities in the U.S.A.
From Hawai'i in 1900 to New England—the Puerto Rican diaspora grows in the
States...more than in Puerto Rico itself.
Don Jibaro: "I own this book. It makes me churn.
The Legend of Guanina
One
of the first legends retold in Puerto Rico is that of
Guanina by Dr. Cayetano Coll y Toste. Once the Taino Indians
had proven that the Spaniards were not immortal through the
death of Diego Salcedo, they rebelled. The legend of Guanina
tells of that rebellion.
Guanina was a Taino Indian princess in love with Don
Cristobal de Sotomayor, a Spanish officer who had come to
Boriquen to conquer and colonize. Her brother,
Agüeybaná, was the principal chief of the Tainos who
hated the Spaniards because of the way they had mistreated
and betrayed the Tainos. He swore revenge against the
Spaniards.
Juan
Gonzalez, Sotomayor's aide, found out about the plan to kill
his captain and tried to warn him. Sotomayor would not hear
of the planned uprising. He sent for
Agüeybaná
and for some
of his men to carry his baggage, since he was going to
Caparra, the capital.
Guanina begged him not to go because
she knew that he was going to die and that it would be her
own brother who would kill him. Sotomayor did not change his
plans, and the next morning set out with Agüeybaná and his
men to the city. On the way, he and five other Spaniards
were attacked by the Tainos, and Sotomayor was killed. When
Guanina was given the news of her lover's death, she tried
to bring him back to life through her kisses and caresses.
The Taino elders considered Guanina a traitor, and decided
to offer her as a sacrifice to the gods as a sign of their
gratitude in succeeding in their attack. When they went to
get Guanina, they found her dead with her head resting on
Sotomayor's bloody chest. The two were buried together near
a giant ceiba tree and on their tomb red hibiscus and white
lilies appeared as if by magic.
These flowers represent the
true and passionate love these two souls felt for each
other. The legend has it that on occasion, the huge ceiba
tree casts a shadow over the land, a soft breeze gently
moves the leaves and whispering sounds are heard, then
Guanina and Sotomayor come out of the tomb to look at the
evening star and kiss each other under the light of the
moon.
Sotomayor's actual death took place in the year 1511. The
original retelling by Cayetano Coll y Toste was written in
the style of the early nineteenth century with words which
would be difficult to understand today by many adults and
children. Jose Ramirez Rivera has translated twelve of these
legends into English and rewritten the Spanish versions so
that students may be able to read and understand these
stories easier. His Leyendas Puertorriquenas (Puerto Rican
Legends) are modern versions of tales from the colonial times.
In analyzing this tale, some research needs to be done in
preparation for the actual reading. TOPICS: Information on the Tainos as recorded by the Spaniards; the reasons for further
explorations by Colon; how the Tainos felt about the
Spaniards when they first arrived on Boriquen; and, why the
Indians rebelled against the invaders.
This is an actual reconstruction of a Taino village... it's
in Cuba.