Anacáona (fl. 1492)

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Anacáona (fl. 1492)

Indian princess of Haiti. Name variations: Anacaona; name means "Golden Flower." Flourished around 1492; sister of Behechio; married Caonabo (cacique of Haiti).

An Indian princess, Anacáona was the sister of Behechio and wife of Caonabo; both were caciques of Haiti when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. After the capture and death of Caonabo, Anacáona advocated submission to the Spaniards, and she received Bartholomew Columbus with great hospitality in 1498. Anacáona succeeded her brother Behechio as ruler of his tribe, and friendly relations with the whites continued until 1503. In that year, she entertained Ovando and his Spanish forces, but in the midst of a festival in their honor, the Spanish attacked her village, massacred a great number of her people, and carried Anacáona to Santo Domingo where she was hanged.

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