Cazigazgo
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Cazigazgo is a phonetic anglicized form of "Cacicazgo", the Spanish transliteration (or a derivative) of the Taíno word for the lands ruled by a Cacique e.g. [1].
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[edit] Usage
This usage is found at such sites as [2]"la princesa de Cofachiqui, señora de un cacigazgo indígena" or [3], where it is stated: "In November of 1493, the Island of Boriquén had approximately 20 Cacigazgos." According to Spanish chronicles, the Cacique was at the apex of a feudal structure. Bartolome de las Casas refers to these Cacigazgos as kingdoms.
[edit] Quasi-equivalence to minor kingdom
Given the extent of the lands he ruled, a Taíno Cacique was a minor prince, somewhere between an Irish king and a Clan leader in Scotland. The equivalence of a paramount leader of an indigenous American Nation (commonly, but less precisely, called "tribe") supreme in rank, power, or authority [4] to a "local king" has been used by Anthony Lane (2005) in reference to the father of Poncahontas.
[edit] Extended use of the word in political context
By extension the word is used in Latin American politics to denote the area controlled by a strong semi-permanent political leader (e.g., Wiesheu Forster, 1996).
[edit] References
- Bartolomé de las Casas. A short account of the destruction of the Indies, translated by Nigel Griffin. Penguin Books, 1992. ISBN 0-14-044562-5
- Lane, Anthony 2005 The Other: "Munich," "Hidden," and "The New World." In: The Current Cinema section of The New Yorker. December 26, 2005 & January 2, 2006. p. 151.
- Wiesheu Forster, Walburga. 1996 Cacigazgo y estado arcaico: la evolución de organizaciones sociopolíticas complejas. INAH (Colección Científica, 310), México.
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