HISTORY SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

School: Manchester High School

Name: Serena Williams

Centre Number: 100067

Candidate Registration Number:

Territory: Jamaica
 AREA OF RESEARCH: Theme 1: The Indigenous Peoples and the Europeans; differences

between the Maya and the Taino in the Pre-Columbian period

RESEARCH QUESTION: To what extent is it true to say that the Maya were more civilized than

the Tainos in the pre-Columbian period?

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………………………...4

RATIONALE…………………………………………………………………………………...5

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………6-7

OBJECTIVE 1……………………………………………………………………………......8-9

OBJECTIVE 2………………………………….…………………………………………..10-11

OBJECTIVE 3……………………………………………………………………….……..12-15

CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………….………... 16-17

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………….…………18

APPENDIX………………………………………………………………………………. 19-21
 Acknowledgement

The researcher would like to whole heartedly thank all the individuals who made this outstanding

research paper a reality. Firstly, the researcher would like to thank the dedicated teachers who

guided the process of research and inspired the researcher to persevere through the challenges

and the obstacles. Secondly, the researcher would like to thank her parents for giving her the

opportunity and resources to maximize on her potential. Last but most importantly, the

researcher would like to thank God for giving her the endurance, the health and the motivation to

finish this research paper.

 Rationale

The researcher has chosen this topic for several reasons: to examine and provide accurate

information, to explore the differences between these two great civilizations and to share the

findings with others who are passionate about this field of study and the research question which

will be covered; to what extent is it true to say that the Mayas were more civilized than the

Tainos in the Pre-Columbian period? To aid in answering this research questions, the following

objectives will be met;

1. Contrast the technology of the Tainos and the Maya before 1492.

2. Differentiate between the trading systems of the Tainos and Maya before 1492.

3. Explain the differences between the government structure of the Tainos and Maya before

1492.
 Introduction

Groups of people were found in the New World (The Americas) by Christopher

Columbus in 1492. They are believed to be the descendants of migrants from Asia who cross the

Bering Strait or Siberian Land Bridge into the Americas during the fourth Ice Age in order to

escape other hostile tribes or just merely in search for food and better living conditions. “Some

of these migrants settled throughout North America, while others migrated South, and eventually

passed through Central America’’ (Doris V. Hamilton-Willie;1, 2013).

Overtime each group of migrants developed their own step of customs; making them

uniquely different though they shared the same origin and even DNA; giving birth to the groups

found by Columbus such as the Kalinagos, The Incas, the Aztecs and most important to this

research paper, the Tainos and the Mayas.

 The Tainos lived mainly in the Greater Antilles which consisted of islands such as

Xaymaca, (the modern day island of Jamaica), Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico usually near

coastal areas and fertile flat plains. They ate cassava (manioc), corn/maize, shellfish etc (Doris V.

Hamilton-Willie; 10, 2013). They were also semi-nomadic; never really settling down

permanently as they were being constantly attacked by the violent Kalinagos .The Mayas on the

other hand lived in many places such as the Yucatan (now part of southern Mexico) British

Honduras (now Belize) ranging from highlands and lowlands areas; they settled down

permanently allowing their societies to grow. They ate monkeys and deer and they made tortillas

from corn n chocolate from cocoa (Doris V. Hamilton-Willie; 35, 2013).

It can clearly be observed that though these civilizations seemed very similar to the

naked eye, there were many intricacies which made them unique. For this School Based

Assessment, with the help of books and online sources, we will delve deep into their mysteries.
 Objective 1: The Contrast between the Technology of the Tainos and the Mayans before

1492

Technology has improved throughout the years, but what hasn’t changed is the level of

innovation and the years of hard work required to accomplish greatness. Both the Tainos and the

Mayans managed to accomplish great feats in their lifetime, but the Mayans managed to outshine

their compatriots in a number of fields; one such being architecture. The Tainos created houses

known as Caneyes which were inhabited by the commoners and Bohios which were inhabited by

Caciques; using readily available, perishable, natural resources such as round wood, leaves and

wattle (Willie-Hamilton;14, 2013) (See figure 1 in Appendices). The Mayans however used a

more sophisticated approach. Although the commoners in their society still used perishable
materials for housing, the houses of the revered i.e., Nobles and Kings were made of more

durable materials such as limestone, white marl, timber, clay and rubble

(Willie-Hamilton;36,2013). Over the years they used their superior architectural techniques and

accomplishments in mathematics to build beautiful temples and pyramids to honor their gods

(Willie-Hamilton; 32, 2013) (See figure 2 in Appendices) They made very intricate plans,

gathering workers from most social classes to build these temples and also to prepare and

transport the materials to the building sites; it was a collaborative effort (Willie-Hamilton; 34,

2013). These construction projects were far more organized than those of the Tainos. The

Mayans were far more innovative; they built buildings that would last, buildings that sparked

intrigue, buildings that are still architectural wonders today.

Secondly the Mayans outshined the Tainos in weaponry. The weapons of the Mayans

were far more superior to those of the Tainos. The Mayans created various weapons that would

help them in their battles. They did not indulge in war frequently but when they did, they fought

for natural resources, land and human sacrifices. The Mayans had both long-distance weapons

and melee weapons. The long distance weapons included bows and arrows, blow guns, slings

and throwing spears. Their melee weapons otherwise known as short distanced weapons

included clubs, axes, stabbing spears and knives. They lined their clubs with obsidian blades

which were powerful enough to break bones and cut. They had axes with heads made of stone,

obsidian, flint or bronze. The sharp edge could kill and the dull end could stun (Mayans at War).

Needless to say the Mayans produced truly deadly weapons. The Tainos on the other hand were

peaceful people. They did not seek out war; they did not like violence and thus their weapons

were only used in defense. They had spears, clubs, axe heads and scrapers some of which were
made from stones and shells (See figure 3 in Appendices). However shells and stones could not

compete with a rock like obsidian. ‘’The Obsidian can produce rock fragments with very sharp

edges. In fact, it is so sharp that it is still used in surgical tools today.  In ancient Mexican culture

this stone was called Itzli, literally the god of stone, as it was used to make weapons for war as

well as cutting tools for everyday use’’(Teo) (See figure 4 in Appendices) . ‘’The biggest

advantage with obsidian is that it is the sharpest edge there is’’ (Shalbolt). The Mayans managed

to find and then incorporate a stone like obsidian into their arsenal of already brilliant weapons

giving them an edge over their island cousins, the Tainos.

Objective 2: Differentiate between the Trading Systems of the Tainos and the

Mayans before 1492

Trade is an essential part of any economy by today’s standard and it was no different

during the age of the Amerindians i.e. The Tainos and the Mayans. This exchange of items

allowed them to have access to goods that they couldn’t produce on their own or were not native

to their land; in a sense allowing them to experience the exotic products or raw materials that

their fellow Amerindian brethren had to offer. The researcher will firstly speak about the Tainos.
The Tainos were subsistent farmers; they produced enough to provide for their families and the

surplus was traded. This piece of information could allow us to draw the logical conclusion that

trade was more of an extra source of provision and not a primary source of such. The Tainos

traded with other Taino villages but they also interacted with the mainland countries such as

Mexico; sending them Caribbean products and receiving Aztec and Mayan products in return.

The Tainos were farmers and fishermen, so they traded their cassavas, peanuts, beans and cotton

along with fish and shellfish (Taino Civilization). The Mayans however traded on a much wider

scale. ‘’There was a huge market economy in which merchants engaged in local and long

distance trade in goods varying from cotton textiles, ceramics, food stuff and gold. The Mayas

believed in the beauty of the decorated body and both men and women wore necklaces of gold

and jade, bracelets, ear and nose rings made of precious metals. These goods were extensively

traded throughout the region’’ (Beckles and Shepherd; 9, 2013). As was earlier stated the

Mayans permanently settled down while the Tainos were always moving. This allowed the

Mayans to build a vast empire with a very well constructed trading system; their stability

allowed them to focus on innovation.

Along with a well constructed trading system, the Mayans also had a well constructed

road network. These road networks were known as sacbe or zacbe and pluralized as sacbeob or

zac beob. They were used in many ways such as being walkways, roads, causeways, property

lines and dikes. They were also visual representations of economic and political connections

between different places. They played an important role in the Mayan Market network. ‘’  The

exchange system of the Maya kept the far-flung (and very loosely connected) communities in
touch and made it possible both to trade goods and make and sustain political connections’’

(Hirst) (See figure 7 in Appendices).The Mayans maintained strong connections with even the

most isolated of their communities making their trading system effective; leaving no one behind.

Unfortunately the Tainos did not have a road system like this. They may not have stayed in areas

long enough to build them and would not have gotten much use out of them anyway because

their nomadic lifestyle. The Tainos did not have the required stability to build a well grounded

civilization and thus their trading system paled in comparison to their mainland cousins, the

Mayans.

Objective 3: Explain the Difference between the Government structure of the Taino and

Maya before 1492

Taino Political System Mayan Political System

Figure 1: Pyramids showing the political systems of the Taino and the Mayan Culture

A government, no matter how powerful or primitive, is needed in every society and has

been a part of human civilizations for a long time. The Tainos and the Mayans also had

government structures. The Taino and Mayan political structure was broken down into 3 parts:

The Taino leader was known as a Cacique, the second in command was known as the

sub-chiefs/nobles and in the traditional taino language as ‘’mitaynos’’ and last but not least there

were the headmen. The Mayan political structure consisted of the leader Halach Unic/True man,

the lesser nobles/chiefs/batabobs and finally the war chiefs/nacoms. To begin this slow and

methodical dissection of both political structures, the leaders of both societies will be examined.

Taino villages were broken down into provinces, districts and villages. As

aforementioned, the heads of the taino societies were known as Caciques (See figure 5 in

Appendices). This person was in charge of all the villages and districts in his/hers province.

Many historians and authors have different theories as to what a Cacique’s responsibilities
actually were. Some believe that he or she was responsible for judging cases and enforcing the

law, making decisions about peace and war, levying taxes and making decisions about the

laboring of the land (Willie-Hamilton;17-18,2013) while also being the chief religious leader

(Willie-Hamilton;15,2013). On the other hand some believe that the Cacique had no real political

power or military leadership at all and that his or hers job was largely ceremonial and religious,

whose only other duties were to settle disputes within or between villages (Beckles and

Shepherd; 15, 2013). These inconsistencies in what the caciques exact duties were represent a

lack of recorded information or unclear primary sources which symbolizes a society which did

not place emphasis on immortalizing their history. Jamaica was part of the territory of the Tainos

and the resident archaeologists and historians can find no written records of their society on the

island. ‘’The period before the arrival of the Europeans is referred to as Jamaica’s pre-history

because there are no written records by the people who inhabited the island at the time’’

(Pre-History: the Tainos of Jamaica). Others believe they had no system of writing at all. “The

Tainos as far as we know had no system of writing. What we know about the Tainos comes from

archaeological finds, rock and stone art’’ (Remembering the Tainos) . The mere fact that they did

not prioritize writing makes them uncivilized; as any great society knows that it cannot move

forward without knowledge of its past.

On the contrary, The Mayan society took great pride in taking records of their history and

many secondary sources have been created because of this diligence. The Mayan empire was

divided into independent city states. The head of these city states were known as Halach Unic/

True Man (Willie-Hamilton; 39, 2013) (See figure 6 in Appendices); they were also referred to

as kings in some writings ‘’Texts do show that Maya kings claimed a divine or sacred status,
similar to that of Egyptian pharaohs, and were responsible for the prosperity, health, and security

of their kingdoms and their subjects by maintaining a favorable relationship with the gods’’

(Sharer; 89, 2006). ‘’Royal authority also depended on a king’s success as a warrior, his abilities

as a military leader, and his ability to provide security for his subjects’’ (Sharer; 89, 2006).

Another source supports the claim that the Mayan King did in fact have a lot of power. ’’The

Maya developed a highly structured society, in which a significant amount of power was

consolidated into the hands of the king and royal family’’ (Beckles and Shepherd; 21, 2013).This

shows that Mayan kings were well rounded leaders; they were not only religious figures but

seasoned warriors with brilliant minds, trusted by their subjects with the power to make their

civilization great. Even if we did reinforce the hypothesis supported by Doris V. Hamilton-Willie

which alluded to the fact that Caciques were more than just show ponies for religious and

cultural gatherings it still would not stand up to the unequivocal power of the Mayan rulers based

on their dominance which can be supported by numerous sources and credible historians and

writers.

Second in the chain of command in the Taino and Mayan societies were the mitaynos

and batabobs respectively. The mitaynos/sub-chiefs/nobles of the Tainos were in charge of a

specific district. These men were usually the oldest and were expected to know the borders of

their peoples land, and remember agreements reached with other groups (Willie-Hamilton; 17,

2013). The batabobs/lesser nobles of the Mayans however had more responsibilities. They were

responsible for the organization of the villages, training young soldiers, recruiting soldiers in

times of civil unrest or war and for receiving tribute from the peasants on behalf of the Halach

Unic (Willie-Hamilton;39,2013). This is far more than just remembering a few treaties and land
boundaries. The batabobs were contributing to the development of the Mayan society and in my

opinion, based on the information presented; the batabobs may have done far more than even the

Taino Cacique. If the second in command of another civilization contributes more than your

esteemed leader, your society is far behind in development and innovation. In other words this is

another concrete representation of proof that the Mayans were far more civilized than the Tainos.

Finally, the persons that completed the last level of the Taino and Mayan political system

were the headmen and the warchiefs/nacoms respectively. The headmen of the Taino are the

most poorly documented in my opinion based on the limited information that can be found, but

by drawing conclusions from the information we do have, his responsibility was to govern the

village he lived in, but a headman would not be needed in a village if a mitayno or a Cacique

lived there (Willie-Hamilton; 17, 2013). They were a tertiary source of governance; they reported

situations to the mitaynos. The nacoms/warriors of the Mayan empire as the name suggest were

the men in charge of wars and battles. ‘’They were elected for a three year term because of their

prowess in battle’’ (Willie-Hamilton; 39, 2013). The roles of these two groups of leaders are so

juxtaposed from each other that their duties cannot be compared fairly. But by observing the

entire political structure of both civilizations, one can see that the headman’s position was almost

redundant while the nacoms had a truly integral role in the political system; strategizing war

plans and leading men into battles thus protecting the empire and allowing it to grow and achieve

stability. The Tainos did not have this level of defense so they were always running, failing to

truly establish a society as revered and civilized as the Mayan’s.

 CONCLUSION

In closing, one can truly say mankind has advanced greatly. Civilizations have risen and

fallen. Humankind’s will to survive has allowed it to adapt to the harshest of situations, using the

resources it has; just like the Tainos and the Mayas did. But as this research paper has discussed,

the Mayas managed to build a civilized society, a flourishing empire while the Tainos found no

stability; barely scraping by. One could say that the Mayans got the better slice of life’s pie.

Some would say that they stumbled blindly into luck. They found a place that they could safely

settle which allowed them to focus all their time on development and innovation. But it took

more than luck to build their civilization to its level of greatness. As this paper has clearly shown

they did not settle for what was deemed possible but they were brave enough to taunt the

impossible and accomplished it. They used technology to improve their quality of life and to

protect their way of life from those who sought to destroy it. They developed a trading system

that expanded their connections and provided a wider source of supplies for the masses and also

to create revenue for the empire. Last but certainly not least, they created a strong, capable

political structure that could lead the empire triumphantly into the future. One could say that I

am belittling the accomplishments of the Tainos but, in fact, I am not. The information presented

clearly shows that their society was unstable. They focused more on survival than ingenuity.

Their tools were primitive, they had no stable trade system and the exact responsibilities of their

highly esteemed leader (the Cacique) are not known for sure as we have found no ancient

writings to study. It is even believed they had no writing system. Parts of their way of life are not

known to us, one could say that the memory of their civilization is dead. On the contrary, the
Mayans’ history has been immortalized in their writing and the beautiful architectural master

pieces that they have created. Pericles, a very influential Greek man once said

‘’ What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into

the lives of others.’’ But I dare say that the Mayans sacred writings and monuments have

managed to touch the lives of the modern world long after their departure; a feat that cannot be

accomplished by all, a feat which marks a great society. This statement furthermore cements the

superiority of the Mayas over many others including their cousins, the Tainos.
 Works Cited

Willie-Hamilton,V. Doris. Lest You Forget: The Indigenous Peoples and the Europeans.

2013. Print.

"Mayans at War." History on the Net © 2000-2020, Salem Media.

September 23, 2020 www.historyonthenet.com/mayans-at-war\

Shalbolt, Peter. “How Stone Age blades are still cutting it in modern surgery.’’ CNN Health,

22 April 2015, edition.cnn.com/2015/04/02/health/surgery-scalpels-obsidian/index.html

‘’Taino Civilization: Economy and Political & Social Structure.’’ Study.com,

24 January 2018, study.com/academy/lesson/taino-civilization-economy-and-political-social-
structure.html

Beckles, Hilary and Verene Shepherd. Liberties Lost: Caribbean Indigenous Societies and
Slave Systems 2013. Print

Hirst, K. Kris. "Sacbe, the Ancient Maya Road System." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020,

thoughtco.com/sacbe-the-ancient-maya-road-system-172953.

Sharer .J. Robert with Loa .P. Traxler The Ancient Maya, Sixth Edition 2006. Online.

‘’Pre-History: The Tainos of Jamaica.’’ Jamaica Global, January 26, 2018

https://www.jamaicaglobalonline.com/pre-history-the-tainos-of-jamaica/
‘’Remembering the Tainos.’’ the Jamaica Information Service. 10 November 2008,
https://jis.gov.jm/remembering-the-tainos/

Teo, Kuan. ‘’The Mythical Tales of Obsidian’’ Myku Substance of Time. 9 December 2016,

www.myku.co/blogs/journal/the-mythical-tales-of-obsidian

Appendix

Figure 2: Houses of the Tainos.

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Figure 3: a temple of the Mayans

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 Figure 4: Shell scrapper used by the Tainos to peel the skin from manioc tuber.
https://tainomuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/taino-museum-pic-084.jpg

Figure 5: An obsidian blade used by the Mayans.

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 Figure 6: Taino Cacique
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Figure 7: Mayan Halach Unic

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Figure 8: Sacbe, Ancient Mayan Road System
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