The chiefdoms of the island of Quisqueya (1980)

This map, hand-painted in the 1980s, was recovered and restored by the National Museum of History and Geography of the Dominican Republic and is now part of its permanent collection.

The map shows what the political situation on the island of Quisqueya, now known as Hispaniola, may have been like before the arrival of Europeans. At that time, the island was inhabited by the Taínos, who divided the territory into five chiefdoms: Maguá, Mairén, Jaragua, Maguana and Higüey.

Each of these chiefdoms was led by a chief, who was in charge of several nitaínos, each leading one of the main cities on the island. Only the most important nitaínos are shown on the map.

Sources

• Map provided by the National Museum of History and Geography of the Dominican Republic.