Today we will learn about the 10 Taíno Symbols, their Meanings and Legends. Discover with us what they hide and represent.
Taíno Symbols
The ancient inhabitants of Puerto Rico were known as the Taino Indians. They left behind many of their stories in the form of symbols. But what do the Taino symbols mean? What stories were they trying to tell us? These questions have puzzled the minds of many anthropologists for decades.
The Tainos believed that the moon goddess left the Mautiatbuel cave at dusk, only to return when the sun rose.
Like many other aborigines, the Tainos lived mainly off the land and fishing. They have left countless pictographs (painted) and petrographs (sculpted) on the walls of caves and rocks with their Taino symbology. Each Taino symbol is a representation of a god or forces of nature, or a story of daily life. The Tainos had no written language; everything important in their lives was painted or chiseled for future generations.
Disease, war and famine wiped out most of the Taino population in just two decades. All that remains of their existence are a few Taino symbols, which function as a window into their world.
The meaning of these symbols has puzzled the minds of one and all. The following are some of the common Taino symbols, along with their meanings. Among the many different symbols left by the Taino people, there are certain images and themes that are repeated in different places throughout Puerto Rico.
Popular symbols
These Taino symbols have become popular as decorations on T-shirts and jewelry. Some people also use Taino symbols as inspiration for tattoos. Defining the meanings of Taino symbols is something that remains highly speculative. The main reason is that it is difficult to crack the code of Taino symbolism because accurate records of the meanings were never recorded.
The earliest known writing on Taino symbols was by Fray Ramon Pane in the 15th century. Pane was a Spanish priest, and it is likely that his records were somewhat biased due to his own religious beliefs and interpretations. Another reason for the difficulties in “translating” Taino symbols is that the culture was almost completely wiped out with the arrival of Europeans on the island and many sacred sites were lost forever. The taking of souvenirs has also been a problem, as visitors remove artifacts from unprotected sites.
However, over the years, historians and archaeologists have been able to gather more information to help them guess what these engraved messages might mean. Here are 10 Taino symbols and their meanings.
1. Eternal lovers
Taino society did not believe in private property. What grew or killed was for the whole tribe. According to Taino symbols, the scene in images can mean solidarity, equality and fertility. Eternal lovers were bird figures, either beak to beak or in a possible love scene.
2. Toa or Frog
In Taino symbology and legends say that the god Guahoyona kidnapped all the women of the island, leaving the men to take care of the children, who from hunger began to cry “toa toa” or mother-mother. When the children could not be comforted by the men, they turned into frogs.
3. Snail
The snail and the conch played an integral role in the life of the natives in the Taino symbology. They ate snails and also used them as hallucinogens in voodoo rituals. Taino symbols even used conch shells to adorn their bodies as beads. Large conch shells were used for the sound they made, as a communication device during hunting.
4. Turtle
Turtles were considered the mother of fertility in Taino symbols, humanity and the origin of life. Dimivan Caracaracol (Mother Earth or Gaia) had developed a tumor; when the tumor was removed, it turned out to be a living turtle.
5. Guava Maquetaurie
These Taino symbols were intoxicating inhalers used in spiritual ceremonies that induced hallucination and helped to connect with god or spirits.
6. Twins or Siamese twins
In Taino symbology, twins were born in the same cave as the sun and the moon. They represented forces of nature, with both positive and negative elements, such as rain and drought.
War, famine and disease have destroyed village after village, leaving only petrographs as proof of their mere mortal and humble existence. What we can glean from these engravings is only a part of their rich history, Taino symbols, religious beliefs, life and culture. Deciding the meaning behind these inscriptions is only a fragment of their real civilization.
7. Wrapped human figure
There are two schools of thought as to what the Tainos were depicting when they carved the wrapped human figure. Early studies (a preliminary report on petroglyphs in Puerto Rico, Monica Flaherty Frasseto) suggested that the figure was meant to be a baby, wrapped in blankets within Taino symbols.
Another view, favored by modern historians, is that the wrapped human figure actually represents a corpse, wrapped in a hammock, as was the custom of the Tainos.
8. Human figures
Human figures are another type of Taino symbols that were used regularly. It is believed that some figures represent characters from Taino mythology and religion, while others seem to represent human beings performing everyday tasks.
Key Taino symbols found in Puerto Rico include female frog-legged figures (believed to be Atabey, the mother goddess representing fertility) and twins (which may represent the duality of night and day, and of the wet and dry seasons).
Other Taino symbols include hunters, ball game players and shamans, who held an important position in Taino society.
9. The Sun
The sun is another Taino symbol that has become very popular and is often used to represent Taino heritage or ancestry. Again, it is likely that the symbol of the sun has religious significance for the Taino, as well as being connected to the natural cycles of night and day, life and death. The moon is also represented in Taino petroglyphs.
10. Coqui (frog)
The coqui is the common name for a type of frog that is native to Puerto Rico. For the Tainos and their Taino symbology, the coqui was probably related to the coming of rain and the wet season, and was just one of many Taino symbols of wildlife that they carved and painted.
