SSC MTS EXAM

Detailed explanation-1: -The Taíno were an Arawak people who were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Puerto Rico.

Detailed explanation-2: -It is uncertain how many Taíno were living in Hispaniola at first contact. Estimates of the population range from several hundred thousand to over a million. Soon after Columbus’ return, more Spanish settlers arrived; and by 1504 the last major Taíno cacique was deposed during the War of Higüey.

Detailed explanation-3: -The ancestors of the Taino are thought to have been Arawakan speakers who entered the Caribbean from South America, starting as early as 2, 500 y cal BP (2). The Bahamas were not settled until 1, 000 y later, as part of the Ostionoid expansion that started around 1, 400 y cal BP (1).

Detailed explanation-4: -Taíno Beginnings Puerto Rico’s first inhabitants were the Taínos, a group of indigenous people who lived on the island for hundreds of years before the Spanish arrival. Organized in small clans and villages led by caciques (chiefs), they survived by fishing, hunting, and basic agriculture.