Juan de Humacao

   

Although finding the details of Juan de Humacao's life remains difficult, it is interesting to read about a literate cacique of Puerto Rico. Freed in 1526 after being enslaved by Juan de Ceron, Juan de Humacao, perhaps a nephew of the Humacao chief who fought with the Spanish in the 1510s, was recognized as a free man. It is interesting to see that even as late as 1526, when the indigenous Taino elite were presumably of less importance due to the population decline of Indians, the Spanish royal government felt compelled to ensure a local cacique was freed from bondage. Unfortunately, it is unclear what happened to this literate cacique after November 1526. According to Francisco Moscoso, the first Humacao in the Spanish sources was a victim of Spanish raids in 1512. Then, he, along with Daguao, another cacique, were at war with the Spanish in 1515. Later, presumably due to the death or disappearance of the original Humacao, a cacica, Isabel Cayagua, and her naborias, were given to the encomienda of Antonio Sedeno. So, presumably some time after 1515, Humacao perished or perhaps fled the island while Isabel Cayagua became the recognized cacica of Humacao. It would be fascinating if someone could uncover archival sources that include letters or writings by Juan de Humacao.