Died 1494 | ||
Guacanagaríx (alternate transcriptions: Guacanacaríc, Guacanagarí) was one of the five Taíno caciques of Hispaniola (island) at the date of its European discovery in 1492, by the first of the Voyages of Christopher Columbus for Spain.
He was the chief of the cacicazgo of Marién, which occupied northwest of the island.
Guacanagaríx received Christopher Columbus after the Santa María was wrecked during his first voyage to the New World. He allowed Columbus to establish the settlement of La Navidad near his village. The Spanish that remained there were killed by a rival tribe before Columbus returned on his second voyage.
Guacanagaríx refused to ally himself with other caciques, who were trying to expel the Spanish from the Colony of Santo Domingo and many times served as an informant and spy for the Spanish.