Conuco Civilization: The Tainos And Kalinagos

According to Cambridge University Press, 2016; “A civilization is defined as a human society with well-developed social organizations or as a culture and way of life for any given society or country at a particular period in time”. However, it is biased and unethical to declare and assume that the Neo-Indians were uncivilized in any way or form, in comparison to the rapid growth and expansion of civilization today. The Tainos and Kalinagos had several factors present in their society which proved that there was civilization. The Neo-Indians established their individual social structure, economic planning, and production, and mode of transportation and political movement, all before the Spaniards arrived in the Caribbean region.

The social structure

Fish and shellfish were their key sources of protein; and their prowess as fishermen could be seen with their use baskets or nets to poison, line fishing or their hands. On land, the Tainos’ modus operandi was based on the idea of a Conuco Civilization. This would have meant that a large scale of their crops were starched-based foods and foods high in sugar. Cassava dominated the agricultural scheme of their civilization being that it was the crop that they identified as being able to withstand the various soils and climates experienced in the Caribbean. “Yams, cotton, arrowroot, beans, cocoa and spices were also grown to give balance and nutritional richness to the peoples’ diet.” Therefore, in retrospect, one can see that the Tainos had acquired vast and extensive knowledge of agricultural science. They also led to the creation and discovery of

The mentioned factors can be viewed as indicators of civilization in a society, considering that the definition of a civilization is such a problematic term. It was realized that the Neo-Indians would have contributed significantly to society today. They introduced sugarcane, coconut, plantain and other crops, many of which are familiar to persons within the Caribbean. Furthermore, there is the continuation of one of their practices, by preparing food in an open pit of hot coals which is referred to as barbecues. Hence, one can say that such civilization did exist before the arrival of the Spaniards due to the mentioned factors above. Additionally, these factors have also contributed to continued societal development in such a modernized era as