18 BULLETIN 15 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Magua, meaning country of the interior, "inland empire," 

 stretched from sea to sea, from the north to the east coasts south of 

 Samana. It inchided the central, lower, and best portions of the 

 Cibao Valley, the so-called Vega Eeal. Guarionex was cacique of 

 the Vega and of the southern slope of the northern Cordillera, while 

 the Ciguayan Indians of Samana Peninsula and of the northern 

 mountains occupied the northern sections of Magua Province under 

 the leadership of the cacique Mayobanex. On the south, the 

 Province of Magua was bounded by the Cordillera Central. The 

 Cibao Valley, especially the Vega Real, was the most densely popu- 

 lated region of aboriginal Haiti. It is still the most prosperous dis- 

 trict. The deep, black, loamy soil receives ample rainfall and the 

 valley is still adapted to intensive agriculture now as it was in the 

 time of Guarionex. On the north coast the Province of Magua 

 extended as far west probably as Puerto Plata, while it was broader 

 south of the mountains, where it reached as far westward as the 

 towns of La Vega and Santiago. 



Xaragua Province was bordered on the east and rather indefinitely 

 on the north by the Province of Maguana. It formed the south- 

 western province of the island. It lay for the most part on the 

 inner side of the Gulf of Xaragua, now Imown as the Gulf of 

 Gonaive, on which Port au Prince is located. Xaragua included 

 the surrounding mountains as well as the dry flat land, where irri- 

 gation was developed on an extensive scale. Cotton was produced 

 in comparatively large quantity, considering the relatively unclothed 

 condition of the natives. Xaragua was considered the richest and 

 the best-developed native province of the island. Its cacique at 

 the time of the discovery was Behechio, who, with his sister Ana- 

 caona, offered to pay the tribute exacted by the Spanish in produce 

 instead of gold. Anacaona was the widow of the cacique Caonabo, 

 of the Province of Maguana. After the death of Behechio his 

 sister, Anacaona, inherited the right to govern the Province of 

 Xaragua. On one occasion when the Lord Lieutenant (Adelantado) 

 Bartholomew, the brother of Columbus, visited the town of Behe- 

 chio and Anacaona, these rulers presented Bartholomew with 14 

 carved wooden seats, 60 earthenware vessels, and 4 rolls of woven 

 cotton. Another name sometimes given to Xaragua is Guaccairima. 

 This term is apparentl}'' a broad one and included all of the south- 

 west coast and a large portion of the southern coast as well. Gonave 

 Island, situated a few miles from the west coast, was noted for the 

 excellence of its native wood carving, and the islanders carried on a 

 trade with villages of the mainland near by. 



The fifth great native province, that of Higuey, offers difficulty 

 in the defining of its boundaries. It probably included all of south- 



