Anacaona, a Taíno queen tells her story and about meeting Columbus

CLARIFICATION: Anacaona would not have called the island Hispaniola, but instead that was what the Spanish called it. Now we call it Dominican Republic/Haiti. Anacaona would have called it something like Quisqueya, meaning "mother of all lands" in the Taíno language.

Greetings, I'm Anacaona, a Taíno queen and poet from the island of Hispaniola, which is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. I was born in the late 15th century and became queen after my brother's death.

As queen, I worked to maintain peaceful relations with the Spanish colonizers who had arrived on the island. I welcomed them and their culture, and even hosted the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus during one of his visits to the island.

After Columbus was imprisoned, the Spanish began to take more control of the island and mistreat my people, I became a vocal critic of their actions. I used my poetry to call for justice and to speak out against the oppression of the Taíno people.

Unfortunately, my efforts to resist the Spanish eventually led to my capture and execution. Despite this tragic end, I am remembered as a symbol of Taíno resistance and resilience, and my poetry continues to be celebrated as an important part of Taíno culture and history.

Learn more at: http://www.historicalconquest.com