The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The region known as the West Indies offers an unusual opportunity to study problems of origin because its islands extend like a series of stepping..." (more)
Key Phrases: zic ware, shell celts, conical pestles, Puerto Rico, West Indies, Hacienda Grande (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Although Columbus's diaries contain almost all firsthand information about the Tainos, who became extinct as a result of European colonization, the author has managed to piece together a robust chronicle of their past. Sifting through reports on Caribbean archaeological sites and plumbing studies of language and biology for historical clues, he traces the Tainos back to the initial colonization of the West Indies 5000 years ago. Developing a subject introduced in a chapter of Rouse's Migrations in Prehistory (Yale, 1986), this masterpiece of the cultural/historical approach in archaeology caps 35 years of research. Rouse (archaeology, Yale) fully justifies his reputation as a committed teacher with this informative and accessible volume. Highly recommended for a general audience and anyone interested in the quincentenary. For more books on the Columbus quincentenary, see "Rediscovering Columbus," LJ 8/91, p. 120-22.--Ed.
- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

A noted archaeologist and anthropologist tells the story of the Tainos of the northern Caribbean islands, from their ancestry on the South American continent to their rapid decline after contact with the Spanish explorers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (July 28, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300056966
• ISBN-13: 978-0300056969
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,513 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Book! A MUST READ!, May 26, 2000

By A Customer

There were so many things of the Taino Indians I didn't know about and this book gives such a wonderful view of their lives and heritage you think they were your neighbors next door! This book makes you realize how important it is to keep your heritage alive.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Opus Magnus, May 11, 2002

By	Armando J. Marti (Guaynabo, PR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When writting this book, Dr. Rouse put a lifetime of research and studies on the Indians of the Caribbean into one work.
Since Rouse is considered the "Dean of Caribbean Archaeology", this book is a "must have" for anyone interested in the region and its native inhabitants.
Very few people have worked for so long, in so many locations and with such dedication as Dr. Rouse.

22 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Este libro es la Biblia del tema taino, March 27, 2000

By	S. Rosa (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Irving Rouse, nos presenta un libro muy completo y bien investigado sobre el tema taino. Todos aquellos estudiosos que quieran aprender sobre esta etnia, la etnia amerindia que tuvo el primer fatal encuentro con Cristobal Colon , debe leer este libro.Este libro es la Biblia sobre el tema taino.