Return to Hispaniola

There is a dead body on the sidewalk in front of a skyscraper. Whether it fell from the fourth or the fortieth floor is irrelevant for the coroner who has to determine the direct cause of death. It was, beyond a doubt, the impact with the pavement. On the other hand, the police investigating the death are interested in determining from which floor the body fell: was he pushed, and by whom, or did he commit suicide? Hispaniola’s Tainos, a few decades after Columbus’ landfall, completed their course to extinction. This is a relatively well-established fact. But what were their numbers in 1492: one hundred thousand, one million, or ten million? The answer to this question is important, since it may shed light into the mechanisms of the following decline.This article has two aims. The first is to narrow the irreconcilable estimates made by modern authors as to the contact population of Hispaniola, using a variety of methods. The second is to discuss the relative weight of the various determinants of the extinction: disease and mortality, impaired reproductive mechanisms, or mixing with other groups. These two tasks are closely interrelated, because a better estimate of the contact population helps in understanding the mechanisms of extinction, and vice versa.Columbus’ first expedition set foot on the northwestern shore of Hispaniola in December of 1492 and departed in early January of 1493, leaving behind a small settlement of 38 people (Navidad). He returned with 17 ships and 1,200 men the of the to the first settlement was on the and from this various the of and the of was to The from to the to the Tainos, who their and to the and in and was on it and were by the departed in leaving the the of who the of on the The for to the of to the the of Columbus’ to and On the other hand, the to the from the the of Columbus’ and was in was to the with of and a of ships and He the in the of the the and the first and the as The of this the population was The who a few hundred to Columbus’ was to the as in of the was to to the and to the second in it was and a one by to the was in were The of the population to a of to the first to to the of The was by the and by a to the cause of the the impact of the and of in the on the of the men of the were to the the of as a other to the into a the of of the the to in and was of were with the of a of the of the the to a few thousand, was to estimates of contact population made by various authors in the from a of to a of is the of a by the is one may authors on a of estimates is in light of the Hispaniola’s population was to to the first of in the one this was a of the this a of the population was contact the by authors by of this of by and it the weight of But numbers on the authors or after on the of by Columbus’ in or a of a small of the was of this in the of the the of one was first by the of the who first in the in This was from one to the of the to in this the by and who the estimate in the to a of the first of was to narrow the of in estimates of the contact the by the Tainos, their and their This with of and of the may in to estimate the This is in to determine the of the contact this second of the of the of and the of the The of and the of the in the of the of the of in with the of estimate of the in the the of the of the and the of to estimates of contact of the population in as to the of to This of on what is and helps to narrow the of contact population to the this from to in with a of the estimates in are in and in the of The and of in the were and in the the first two or decades of of a population two on one hand, a population and has the of and of by On the other hand, the numbers modern the and of the was the of a But of the two a of the of population with the early of Hispaniola, as and of and the and of to the of the of of the was of from and from and was the for The to to estimate the of the and determine the of the population estimates made by early and modern was in of the of and a of or for the of and in the other and other the The and small and were in in of or with a of On the of of or were and The was into a to a and of were the the was of or He of to The of the to for a numbers are by other the of of for of and to The to to the in the of the into with to for a The of for the of the may to a in to two and a after the of the The were after and after a of of were for or to the of in to or the of of or the to the of by one of in and The to one for a is the of is the and the of is The following for the of the of the of the is to a of the a of The of the is the was for the it or of the of the with since a is the for the it the of by for the of a contact population of and the of of the a of for the and in of the and estimates a of and of the and to the was the of the were the and of the modern estimates of the contact population of the are was the of the the of the to and the for and and the the made the in the to But was in the of the for the of the and the disease and since the for was the of the a of and a of the is to for two The first is is one of the few for the population to the first The second is a and of and in The were on on December and a with a a relative of was in a the the second the of and to the and the of the to the of the and the were Columbus’ the was and was was in the the in in has a of early by or ten by ten and one or two was in a and the to a it was and in by and the on the one is he has the and he are it one who on a has to their to the first was the was and made were to the in of from their for of to a of ten the of to with in and from or This a in to the the The and in Hispaniola were to and the of the was were to of the to the first to the population of the and the of the and of by on the of the on the of the the of of or was to one of in the of the after to of and since the of were the the were or a and the estimate of from a made by the was and in But in their and to the for of the and the and the of the population this into estimates the population of the in and in The population of the second to the population a a the for was in the and the are for of was from the and was the of the estimate of from the as as from and of the The of the estimates of the of in the as the of the was in the the of the population in the to are in to the or of their to the a were to the to the two in the or the was in and the the of the two 1,200 of were in two in of Hispaniola, in a few the in the on a of the of the in with the into and the was Hispaniola, and and and are to to The various estimates of are in a in the first of the in the second and to a in the first of the of for the is of is to to with a on from Hispaniola and other of the and were in of the and and a few estimates of of of estimates are and in estimates are on of the of their to who to the after he was in one or two of a from to These are is a by who in the in the of the with on a and in and ten and other the of estimates are on and of for a of or in the of the in the were in the of of with of of in are for set the since is one estimate for in was on the The other estimate for the in the to the to the for and to the which the It is to a of which with modern and in The by the of this a since in the early of were of a of one of a of of is since of to by a a of to But with a the small population of few hundred the of the a few to for a of or the the is to the of the population in the for and of were of the this of the Hispaniola’s population was in the for the population were in the population of this with as as with estimate of in in a of December the of the by to the of who a of for the But it is on December a the with and a which is of in of which he and and two of which were It is on this or the is in the of this following Columbus’ to the or or or the is was the of and or as The was the of did of the of the the of the into the of the to one or other of the and and of who was the in the and in the the this he was and were and with other were for and of and in the of the which as a and and This the and were and the of their The were to he the was to to the of the in were the was the of a a of and The of is is of the few as the of settlement it is the the by of or population of a few hundred in the light of the and in to in the of a of a of and or the of was it is in the of a the the The a of a few of their their It is the in were the or their and of one of It is to the contact population in or with population of a few This a population estimate of a few hundred the of few with and early in the as a of a by the of the the of and other were the and and as and of the was the by in to ten or with their and This people in a It has to the of the to in with and and the of in the or The to the of the of the by the for their to by and this a in the light of on the of a who the the of a to a of and was by It to the to and were in and and were the to this Hispaniola, and in the of of and and in the were one to the with of first who and a a of and he men to a from On December Columbus’ returned from which and in and to a population of men and and But in a the who on second the of of the of as a of the first to the expedition in of what to a of a of On the of after the of the of a to a of or the of are the is in from a few to or for the with from a few to hundred in a or to a of the by one a the of the from the the were to the population into to the the of in he the of the into of to with to The were by the in to of and in their of made in this of Hispaniola the few the were to of or to the 17 were in in the second of the in the of and it was to the population in of a few hundred this was the for a were answer this question estimate made on the of the of was a as It has or the of this since the in Hispaniola of course this on one the of on the other The of was to the of the The of and in of from the settlement of to the a and the with But in other as the and for the the and the is to the or to in and the estimates of a contact population of the of this the of of this in the a or in But a or as by and two or in the as the Columbus’ of a It is the early a their a population of ten the of as in the early of the in the the of who a of as by the and was by the in and by in the following the has to were the the and after to a in to the and of the and was on and on January of the following It was by with and with few on the of this are of the for the of the of was after the returned to their following their in the and it was by two and and of the to the the two of the to the of in their by The second and was made by two for by the the who to the of the of he to or The a of the in The the first and the second this a of were to the in the of of the and this was as the of the with the of by The for is as and of this was the who to the of with and of men and was with the of who are for was with the of who are for was with the of The and in to in and was the made men and and people are and it is in were or or are by in the of a the with and this to a It is the first of from the has the and of the and with the by two of and and and There are in the of the population of the and in the the of and of the as a are of the and were it is in a of or on is of The of is of for for the of the The the and other in and on the of of the and the were a of is the of from a of for to a of for the with a of and The has made the of a a few hundred of the the of the to a This from their of of with their and a of The were to a or in the the of to the of their with the of for in The a of in the of a few the of of the of The of was the and the from the of The two decades in to this since the of the population of the of the of the of the contact It the the of contact of a few or of a few as by the early and This is by with a relatively small it is to the of The the of the by for for one and one was This the for or were were the of it is their was a The of is to the of with the of The of is with a and as as and to the of this is with a population on the of extinction. the population to this to of of This is a because Hispaniola’s population the after of was a modern it a were the was in and the were to But the were for of the the was and and the of for the their were The were with The of the population from it by and a The to the of the the of was with a and population from to and from to as it the is Hispaniola’s population the first of The a relatively small contact population of a few hundred thousand, of or the or by and on by the of the to the in the first of the and were to estimates on of this the of the of the and the following The of the by in has the of is by a who The of the and of the of a Hispaniola’s of the population in the of the second of the The of the a population and a to a and were to for in the and the and the of expedition to on the of the and of the of because a of the in were or and 1,200 was and the who was a in are and who are of the of first the of the two of people the first or of the and with numbers on of the It is the of numbers in the the following and to and since it the death of is in the because in this a few with for the of the population the of the was the with the and the of with their for the of the into the from 1492 the of the and of the in the population did the departed the of the a the second from to the of the and the of the population was and and the and of settlement were the from to the population was the and the as into a of mixing with and from The fourth to population were after in the population of the in of and to of the people of after the population of Hispaniola to a few people and to as a and relatively and of the population was the cause of the is to the are the behind this This has the of the of the of the direct and and to of the and by the and in a The is on and or to to was for from the of the in to the in a death of to and in The of a for a on and was a to their and was by were to to for the of the The second a of as the and of the in the in and the in the and by to of of death in to a in because of of the of the is to by the and the relative of of is a since one in in disease and in the first decades of has and by and a of the for the first two decades of Hispaniola to to the after the of the a for the the question of in The is as few to the contact and in the The first is the contact with the population the of or the of the first in 1492 was and the 38 men behind in the settlement of for Columbus’ were for contact were the of the with of the was and by the and of the On the other hand, what and from and was is to the the from the of of ships in the in it is were of or to the of has Hispaniola because the course of the to from the leaving a a or was one of or on the of he dead or of the he in second is in the of or is of the of of or of the and early were with of with in the and a of people dead on to to the are are in to is the It is and with the of the the a to and to the or the by the The is a in by the of the the various he of of and of the and other is by in the in the to the of and he and the disease and But it is the two to a the the of the and the of the the of in light of the of is the is in the of the to the January the were leaving the to to their in December of the it to a of is and of which and are one of the in the of a few of the this of a few of are of and of other The in a to the on the of in a to the for of the of the is which the of the to two of the of the the after the of or has two of the to the two in of to the The to the of by the two in the following the to the one to of the two two two and one and one in the This in the population was to and the were a for the of the the It is in this with and and other a a after the of to to of the is by of by and the of the first this question it is was the first of or other one or the the of the the the the early of the But is the population by a disease to which the population was of of the a population in a and of a of after the and impact the first one because of the population the the second is from the and the of the population in the first the of the the with a the first in with their to the the second in and the it the population was to of and the population of the of population of population of to after the of other one with a this the to the in this is is of was and are and by the were the is question to of and was the cause of the a of the of on reproductive by a population reproductive mechanisms are The of in the second of the a was to and was a of population reproductive mechanisms are is and the of the of light on this of the and the of men and the to the of and for the for this was and one was are are and the of to is The of to men the of of mortality, or because men were from their a is a of as in the of the were their and a few or were to other the were in for the and who were from the reproductive of the the the of their were and were or mixing with the or with the of other and the and to in the of with is a in the early of the from the to in their to their of to the to in and to the in or and or to to the in of a to the The of from the reproductive to of to the reproductive this the of to in which was a in a population of and mortality, or or a of the for the of to is to the of the the of the of from their and the to from in the or in or the of But were made in and were of by the of in the were from their for or of the reproductive by the and of the the of and a it was the of the population from one to the other as one of the of the This and mortality, it a and of and death of this people was in by the which the and made of from their from to and from one to and their from one to were and to the of their The of was the to the of were to to or from hundred The of was with from following the of the The for and and other was The were to the to of the was and one in the to the of population the are as in The of the to was people were to a of were two or one are the two of with and of with people were and this was with of a to two or in These of the by a impact with of the two The of and to and and the to with to by the to to the from a early of the in and in the of were to as as in the and the with These the or people of the to the in their from the and These in the for were one of the of by the to of to the of the few by the into this as the to into was, the of of the It was article has two and the decades of extinction, the first with the of population the second to the mechanisms to extinction. There are to the contact population a few hundred and to The of the the the was and and of to set and These to as the estimates in to estimates of the contact a of one on the other two and in The and the were for The was on of the of the and On this has a population of for and for in and as and for the of the the to in the was a to and a of in the first of the was and of in the of the to from a population of This with a population as or the of contact ten as by is on one and two The is a was on or small the The of the the of the in The first is the of of the of contact as the in the or hundred and of and are a for contact The second is the of a few hundred which is with the and settlement in the This a population and is in It is the of the population of the of the of the the of and the for and the of in the population was to contact population of to after the of and other one one of the to the of this is are in the to the of The of and a with of a This to a population of the into which the contact population of this the and with and second of the article has with the of the mechanisms to the of the This is from the contact the population was or million, the question is the what to The of a population and to and it has two The first is are of the of is made to a of population and to and The second is the to other of population as the of to in the second of the the of the of the population for the of the the the of the was and the were of the were the and as and and and of the in the in and the are by the The impact of in the of other of and in the and from the to and the The is to The were from one to and from to and with was to the in a and from their of was into and were of by as the a and the for and was by the of from the and in the of and for the in the of in the in to by in the This on the of and and to The few in in their to their of and were to the small to the their or was the a few hundred were on the the of the their for and were a weight for the relatively small a impact on the of the were and and and for to the the and the the of the the with the with mortality, are to the of the The of was for Hispaniola’s from the of in the a the of in the of and and was the and of this were in December and the of in in the and with their and to in as as to of the of for in

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