We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Hello everybody, and welcome to Tinto Maps, the happy Fridays for map lovers! Today, we will be looking at Central America, which includes the Caribbean. Before we start, I want to introduce you @RaulTrullenque , the only member of our Content Design team who had not yet gone public, and who worked really hard on the maps and content of the Central American and South American regions.
And now let’s get started without further ado!
Countries
Welcome to the Mesoamerican Thunder Dome! This area is characterized by its numerous Altepetl, more or less comparable to city-states. Most of them are ruled in 1337 by peoples of Nahua origin, something that you may see much more clearly in the culture map. The biggest power in this moment is the Empire of P’urhépecherio, though, founded by the Purepecha people. In any case, you may notice that there’s a lot of detail in this area, including a tiny Nahua settlement recently founded on an island over Lake Texcoco, Tenochtitlan. This is the first time in a PDX GSG that we have the island itself present on the map, although the location covers some more land over the lake coast, to make it playable. Finally, we also have the Mayan polities of the Postclassic Period, of which Cocom, with its capital Màayapáan, was the most important, along with others, such as K’iche’ and its capital Q’umarkaj.
SoPs
On the outskirts of the Mesoamerican polities, there are plenty of peoples organized on different ways. To the north, we have the ones that populate the area known as Aridoamerica, which were collectively termed by the Nahua as ‘Chichimeca’. We also have plenty of societies close to the Mayan lands and the Isthmus. And, finally, the Taíno people populate some of the biggest islands in the Caribbean.
Locations
Plenty of locations here! I just want no note that the Darien Gap is an impassable wasteland, which means that any army trying to cross from modern Panama and Colombia will need transport ships to be able to do it.
Provinces
Areas
Terrain
A very diverse region! Most of it is covered by Tropical Jungles and Forests, but Sierra Madre Occidental and Oriental make for very specific conditions in the Mexican Altiplano, which are not only visible in the Topography map but also in the climate and vegetation of the area.
Development
The most developed regions in Mesoamerica are the Valley of Mexico and the Mayan coastline.
Natural Harbors
There are some good ports in the Caribbean, no surprise that most of them would later become important cities in the Colonial Period.
Culture
Tons of cultures!
Language
And also languages! The first two maps are the Dominant Languages per location, while the third is the Court Languages one. The dark blue language is ‘Totozoquean’, as it is not so easily readable (something we have to change).
Religions
This map is today in a more advanced state, as we have merged plenty of cultural religions into regional groupings. Of these, Tonalism, Nahua, and Mayan are part of the Tonalist religious groups, while the others are part of the Folk American group (a regional split of the former ‘Animist’ group). Nahua and Mayan have their different mechanics, which we’ll talk about in future Tinto Talks. Let us know what do you think of this design and any suggestions about the religious grouping!
Raw Materials
Maize is king in Mesoamerica, although there are plenty of other resources, including juicy Gold and Silver. Obsidian is not a separate resource, as it’s too regional-specific, so it’s included under the Gem coverage, but we have ways to represent it in-game; for instance, there’s a production method to produce Weaponry using Gems as an input.
Markets
A couple of bugs were reported while taking the screenshot of this map! But well, you can see that Azcapotzalco, Màayapáan, and Noh Petén (capital of the Itza people) are the most important ones.
Population
We have solved a couple of issues with the pop editor, and this week this map is in a decent state to be shown! Yay! Total numbers in the region are roughly 8.6M pops, distributed this way:
523K in Aridoamerica (includes the lands to the North-West of the Purepecha Empire)
6.947M in Mesoamerica (including North-Western Mayan lands)
1.003M in Central America (including South-Eastern Mayan lands)
151K in the Caribbean Islands
And that’s all for today! We hope you enjoyed these meaty maps! Next week we will be taking a look at the Levant Feedback, on Monday 16th, and South America, on Friday 20th! Cheers!
As it stands, The five cacicazgos of the Hispaniola (Quisqueya) island are all represented under the Super-Taino Society of Pops, yet this flies in the face of both modern evidence and chroniclers accounts, the following is compilation of properly sourced facts that aim to prove that the Taino Polities of Hispaniola should be considered separate settled countries.
Keep in mind that this is by no means a comprehensive study of the Taino, but rather some key points that I consider important in furthering the case for them to be represented as tribal states in game.
Another disclaimer is to keep in mind that most of sources cited are in Spanish, as much of the studies on the region were conducted by Spanish speaking academics.
Socioeconomical development of the Taino Polities (Introduction)
Unlike the Archaic bands–whose subsistence was based on gathering methods, small hunting and fishing the Taínos only used these environmental resources as a complement to their diet. Their sophisticated knowledge of agricultural methods enabled them to farm and store surplus food. This allowed them to establish permanent and well-populated villages operated by the will of the Caciques. Thus, upon the arrival of the conquistadors, at the end of the 15th century, Taíno society was at the cultural stage known as the Señorío Period, also known as the Cacicazgo.(1) This period was distinctive for its sedentary settlements with a clear hierarchical system that clearly distinguished the superior level of socioeconomic and cultural evolution of the Taínos from the other indigenous groups that populated the insular Caribbean.(2)
References:
(1) Karl H. Schwerin, «The Anthropological Antecedents: Caciques, Cacicazgos and Caciquismo», en Robert Kern (ed.), The Caciques. Oligarchical Politics and the System of Caciquismo in theLuso-Hispanic World, University of New Mexico Press, 1973; Francisco Moscoso, Sociedad y economía de los taínos, San Juan, Editorial Edil, 2013; Los cacicazgos…, ob. cit., pp. 18-24; Johnson y Earle, La evolución de las sociedades humanas…, ob. cit., pp. 256-290.
(2) Frank Moya Pons, La sociedad taína, Santiago, Cuadernos de Historia Dominicana, Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, 1973; José M. Guasch, El taíno de Cuba, La Habana, Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, Instituto de Ciencias Sociales, Dirección de Publicaciones, 1978; Henry Petitjean Roget, Les Tainos, les Callinas des Antilles, Guadalupe, Association Internationale d`Archéologie de la Caraïbe, 2015.
Centralization of Power
The Caciques were in charge of the villages, and their responsibilities included the distribution of productive tasks. Mártir de Anglería highlights this when he states:
"Each chieftain distributes his subjects and dedicates some to hunting activities, others to fishing, and others to agriculture."(3)
The Cacique—aside from assigning specific responsibilities—was also in control of the village’s productive process through the distribution of all necessary goods.(4) On this particular issue, the chronicler adds:
"Whatever is planted, fished, or hunted, or is executed by other means through the order of the King, his mediator would distribute these activities to each individual. After the harvest, the crops are placed in solid barns, where the products are distributed year-round for the use of all villagers, in proportion to each family. The young King becomes the monarch of the bees, being both administrator and distributor."(5)
The power structure of the Caciques was adopted by the Spanish colonizers. When they married a Cacica or the daughters of the Cacique, they took over control of the entire population of the Cacicazgo. The colonizers would then put the villagers to work for their benefit under the established distribution regime and designated assignments.(6)
References:
(3) Anglería, Décadas…, t. I, ob. cit., p. 352.
(4) Cassá, Los taínos…, ob. cit., p. 109.
(5) Anglería, Décadas…, t. II, ob. cit., p. 592, citado en Moscoso, Los cacicazgos…, ob. cit., p. 34.
(6) On the topics of Encomiendas, see Frank Moya Pons, La Española en el siglo XVI, Santiago, Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, 1973; José Chez Checo y Rafael Peralta Brito, Azúcar, encomiendas y otros ensayos históricos, Santo Domingo, Fundación García Arévalo, 1973; Luis Arranz Márquez, Repartimientos y encomiendas de indios en la Isla Española (El repartimiento de Alburquerque de 1514), Santo Domingo, Fundación García Arévalo, 1991; Esteban Mira Caballos, El indio antillano: repartimiento, encomienda y esclavitud (1492-1542), Sevilla, Muñoz Moya Editor, 1997.
Social Hierarchy and Realm Organization
The Nitaínos, considered to be “noble and important men,”(7) occupied a privileged position under the Caciques in the hierarchical system. They assisted the Caciques in matters of governance and presided over "nitainatos" (smaller cacicazgos) in the name of the paramount Cacique also called Guamiquina. When Bohechío and his sister Anacaona received Bartholomew Columbus, they were accompanied by “thirty-two régulos”(8) (or community leaders), who were likely either subaltern Caciques or Nitaínos.
Las Casas describes the Nitaínos as individuals who “were and called themselves principals, such as centurions and decurions or jurors, who had many others under their command and regiment.”(9)
Example of a cotton belt with tiny snail beads and a guaiza or central cover (MVK, VO-10443. Vienna) worn as status Symbol.
In contrast, the Naborías, whose name in the Taíno language means servants, occupied the lowest level of the social hierarchy. According to Fernández de Oviedo, a Naboría was “an Indian who was not a slave, but was obligated to serve even though he did not want to.”(10)
Chroniclers identified two categories of Naborías:
Household Naborías, responsible for the Cacique’s personal and domestic needs. Servant Indians, who worked across all productive areas. Although not slaves, the Naborías were subject to the rule of the Caciques and performed the most labor-intensive tasks, such as:
Building canoes, Clearing forests by chopping and burning for crop planting, and Engaging in essential subsistence activities like hunting and fishing. (11)
References:
(7) Anglería, Décadas…, t. I, ob. cit., p. 157.
(8) Las Casas, Historia…, t. I, ob. cit., p. 447.
(9) Las Casas, Historia…, t. III, p. 560.
(10) Oviedo, Sumario…, ob. cit., p. 104.
(11) Francisco Moscoso, «Parentesco y clase en los cacicazgos taínos: el caso de los naborías», en Actas del Noveno Congreso Internacional para el estudio de las culturas pre-colombinas de lasAntillas Menores, Centre de Recherches Caraïbes, Universidad de Montreal, 1983.
The Cacicazgos
Cacicazgos were territories consisting of various villages and governed by a principal Cacique with an undetermined group of subordinate Caciques. Fray Bartolomé de las Casas explains that the island of Hispaniola was divided into five large Cacicazgos. The Cacicazgo of Marién, headed by Guacanagarí was in the northwest. The Cacicazgo of Maguá in the valley of La Vega Real was ruled by Guarionex. The Cacicazgo of Xaragua was ruled by Bohechío. Upon his death, his sister Anacaona became the leader of the Cacicazgo. Caonabo headed Maguana, in the central region, south of the island’s central mountain chain. Higuanamá was the Cacica of Higuey, in the island’s far southeastern region. Upon her death she was succeeded by Cotubanamá who, after confronting the Spaniards, was taken prisoner and hanged in Santo Domingo. His wife took over his place as the Cacica. When baptized as a Christian, she was given the name Inés de Cayacoa.(12)
As well as these distinguished Caciques, called Guamiquina or Supreme Chief, there were othersubaltern Caciques. Las casas tell us of the followings: Uxmatex ruled in the central Cibao region with “16,000 warriors.”(13) Guatiguará ruled over a great settlement on the banks of the Yaque del Norte River, where Columbus built the Magdalena Fort, near the present-day city of Santiago. Maniocatex (Caonabó’s Brother) ruled areas bordering with the territories ruled by Guarionex. The fortress and city of Concepción de La Vega was founded in this region. Guaybona ruled, according to Las Casas, in the Puerto Plata region (14)
The following map is an excellent resource for understanding the administrative divisions of the island as described by the earliest Spanish chroniclers:
The caption on the map reads as follows: on the left side:
REFERENCES
Boundaries of the five great Cacicazgos (chiefdoms). These were subdivided into others of a secondary order, the main ones of which are indicated on this map with the name of each one, e.g., BOHÍO.
✶ Forts built by Columbus from 1492 to 1496 and later abandoned.
Towns founded by the conquerors from 1493 to 1520.
(...) The names of rivers and places in parentheses indicate variants that have prevailed.
Q. Abbreviations: "Cabo" for Cape, "I." for Island, "Pto." for Port, "m." for River, "Sto." for Saint.
on the right side:
HAITI OR HISPANIOLA
Map indicating the political distribution of the island as it was in 1492 when Columbus discovered it, and the foundations established by the Spanish in the early days of the conquest, according to the Diary of the navigation of that mariner and the Apologetic History by Friar Bartolomé de las Casas.
BY CASIMIRO N. DE MOYA
Scale 1:1,600,000(15)
List of Cacicazgos and Nitainatos according to the map:
Xaragua:
Guacayarima
Haniguayagua
Yáquimo
Baoruco
Cayguani
Xaragua
Cahay
Baynoa
Marién:
Bayadaxabon
Iguamuco
Hatiey
Marien
Baynoa
Guahaba
Maguá
Macorix
Bohío
Cubao
Ciguay
Samana
Cotui
Bonao
Canabacoa
Maguana
Azua
Maniey
Maguana
Haití
Banique
Cibao
Higuey
Cayacoa
Boyá
Hicayagua
Higuey
Macao
References:
(12) Las Casas, Brevíssima relación de la destruyción de las Indias. Colegida por el Obispo don Bartolomé de las Casas o Casaus de la orden de Santo Domingo, 1552.
(13) Las Casas, Apologética…, t. II, ob. cit., p. 309.
(14) Las Casas, Historia…, t. II, ob. cit., p. 560.
(15)Archivo General de la Nación. Catálogo de exposición: Huellas del espacio en tiempo insular: Homenaje a Casimiro Nemesio de Moya. Santo Domingo, Archivo General de la Nación, 2011, p. 26.
While we are still looking at the map I would like to make the following statement:
The island of Hispaniola has 76,192 km2, a size comparable to that of Hokkaido being 83,424 km2, furthermore, Hokkaido had between 30k and 40k People living there by the 14th century and by the 1830s it had between 100k to 150k while Hispaniola had an estimated population between 500k and 1M at game start and around 700k by the 1830s
with this in mind lets consider the following, Hokkaido in game has 59 locations spread around 10 Provinces, I propose we use the classical understanding of the Political situation in Hispaniola at the moment of the Spanish conquest, which consists of 5 “Cacicazgos” divided into “Nitainatos”, this is perfect because we can use the Cacicazgos as Provinces and Nitainatos as locations, following the map made by Casimiro Jimenez Moya on 1911 this leave us with 5 Provinces and 37 Locations This would look something like this:
The Caciques fought among themselves on occasion when clearly established territorial limits were violated, when promises—such as offering a daughter in marriage—were broken, or to avenge old offenses. These skirmishes were called guazábaras. During the conquest, the Spaniards exploited these native rivalries to their advantage. (16)
Their offensive weapons included:
Lancets or azagayas, discharged with special propellers.
Bows and arrows, sometimes tipped with a poisonous substance obtained from the guao (Comocladia glabra Spreng),
Wooden palm garrotes called Macanas(Roystonea hispaniolana Bailey),
Stone axes.
As a war tactic, they would sometimes burn pepper seeds (Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens), producing smoke to impair the enemy’s vision during battle. This method was notably employed during a battle with the Spaniards in the village of Salvaleón de Higüey. (17)
It was also common practice to use smoke signals to warn nearby villages of enemy presence.(18)
References
(16) Las Casas, Historia…, t. II, ob. cit., pp. 258-259.
(17) Ricardo Alegría, «El uso de gases nocivos como arma bélica por los indios taínos y caribes de las Antillas», Boletín del Museo del Hombre Dominicano, n.° 7, 1976, pp. 161-170.
(18) Las Casas, Historia…, t. II, ob. cit., p. 259.
Population
According to testimonials from this period, we know that the great Caciques could have had as many as “thirty, forty, or fifty thousand Naborías under their command.”(19)
If we follow this demographic data and use the approximate number of fifty thousand Indians per Cacicazgo among the five largest territories— including the marginal groups such as the Macorijes and the Ciguayos—we can infer that, at the time of the Europeans' arrival, the indigenous population was approximately three hundred thousand across the entire island.(20) This aligns with the low end of pre-Columbian population estimates for the island, you can see other estimations on the following table:
Author(s)
Estimate
Harald Ringbauer & David Reich (2020)
10.000 - 50.000
Verlinden (1973)
60.000
Amiama (1959)
60.000
Rosenblat(1959 and 1976)
60.000
Collin McEvedy (1978)
100.000
Lipschutz (1966)
100.000-500.000
Frank Moya Pons (1977)
377.559
Córdoba (1968)
500.000
N.D.Cook (1993)
500.000-750.000
Moya Pons (1971)
600.000
Zambardino (1978)
Denevan (1992)
1.000.000
Guerra (1988)
1.100.000
Denevan (1976)
1.950.000
Watts (1987)
3.000.000-4.000.000
Borah & Cook (1971)
7.975.000
A very important note is that Borah & Cook’s estimate has been widely criticized(21).
The following maps highlight the geographical and demographic context of the Taino polities of Hispaniola, contextualizing their development in comparison to other societies in the Americas:
In yellow are the areas with higher population densities, note how the Hispaniola island is marked yellow alongside the Muisca, Andean and Mesoamerican spheres of influence. Source: Mapa de América con los pueblos aborígenes en el siglo XV Referencia: Galindo Neira, L. E. (2007). Nuevas Ciencias Sociales 7. Editorial Santillana S.A.
(19) «Interrogatorio de los frailes geronimianos en 1517», en Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi, Los dominicos y las encomiendas de indios en la Española, Santo Domingo, Editora del Caribe, 1971, p.299; ver también Moscoso, Sociedad y economía…, ob. cit., p. 52.
(20) Regarding the controversy surrounding the aboriginal population at the time of the Discovery, see Frank Moya Pons and Rosario Flores (eds.), Los taínos en 1492. El debate demográfico, Santo Domingo, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, 2013; Esteban Mira Caballos, "Revisiting the old debate on the collapse of the Taínos of Hispaniola," Clío, year 86, no. 194, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, July-December 2017, pp. 284-335.
(21) Henige, D. (1978). On the contact population of Hispaniola: History as higher mathematics. Hispanic American Historical Review, 58(2), 217–237.
Urban Development
Taíno villages or settlements, known as yucayeques, consisted of huts called bohíos and caneyes.
The bohíos (also called eracras) were round with conical roofs. They were supported by wooden posts buried in the ground, which held up scaffolds using lianas or vines to frame the houses. The walls and ceilings were made of palm leaves or straw. A small vent on the roof, topped with a trestle, provided an outlet for smoke from the fires inside the houses.
The caneyes, the name given to the Cacique or chieftain’s dwellings, were sometimes rectangular, with pitched roofs and a front porch serving as an antechamber. These dwellings were located in front of the batey or plaza, where the villagers gathered to celebrate ceremonial and social activities. The chieftains’ dwellings served as temples and housed idols or Zemís. Some Caciques had another building near the village, in addition to the family house, for worshiping Zemís and celebrating religious rituals. (22)
Drawings of a Bohío and a Caney, from Historia General y natural de las Indias, by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo
Descriptions from the Relación by Rodrigo de Escobedo, written during his 1492 expedition to the villa of Guacanagari in the Marien region, provide a detailed account of Taíno settlements. The report mentions a settlement with “8,000 houses”(Most likely not a precise attempt at estimating the actual number of houses but rather implying that it was a very big settlement), surrounded by cultivated land arranged as mounds. The village was divided into four neighborhoods, separated by wide streets converging at a large central plaza. This plaza housed the Cacique's royal palace, a structure measuring 32 by 10 Spanish varas (approximately 27 by 8.5 meters). The palace had four sections: a porch for guards, a reception hall for the Cacique, a royal chamber adorned with cotton tapestries, and a pantry and kitchen situated near the plaza. The kitchen, staffed by more than 40 women, prepared food for both the Cacique and his retinue.(23)
Artist interpretation of a Taino population center by Roberto Mateizán
Escobedo also described the town of Cacuma, located a league from Guacanagari's villa. The town had about 300 houses.(23)
The layout of the huts varied from village to village. In some cases, as Las Casas describes, they were laid out to form streets:
"Inside those flat lands they cut down the trees when they needed to make a plaza, depending on whether the village was small or big; and they made the plaza in the middle, they cut down [trees] and made four streets in very wide cross and a stone’s throw in length."(24)
In other settlements, they were set around a central square. Las Casas describes it as follows:
"The villages of these islands were not ordered by streets, but the house of the king or lord of the village was in the best location and position, and in front of the royal house there was in all of them a well-swept and leveled large plaza, longer than square, which they called in the language of these islands batey [...]. There were also houses close to that plaza, and if it was a very large village, there were other plazas or ball games that were smaller than the main one."(25)
The batey or plaza was used for ball games and for celebrating areitos, or collective dances. In these dances, participants sang songs about the legends and traditions of the clans, paid homage to the Cacique’s warrior feats, and prayed for good harvests.
As far as the population of the yucayeques is concerned, Las Casas stated that it could range from 100 to 500 inhabitants, although he also points out that they could house more than 1,000 individuals. The huts were separated from each other to prevent fires from spreading and destroying the village in the event of a blaze. (26)
As much of the taino material culture was made in wood, these structures decayed with time, however we can still look at the Tainos biggest example of public works, which are its ceremonial/civic plazas.
Public or monumental architecture and plazas or ballcourts served as symbols of identity, social consolidation, and reifying performance for members of the polity. Ceremonial plazas are thought to have been places where ritual feasts and dances (areítos) and perhaps ballgames were held (Alegría 1983; Wilson 2007:110–130; Keegan and Hofman 2017:108–112; Curet and Torres 2010; Rouse 1992:112–116). In Hispaniola plazas were mostly circular or oval in plan, defined by a raised earth perimeter or stone pavement (Table 4.1). Bateys were ceremonial spaces used for playing the ballgame and were generally rectangular and defined by parallel lines of large stones or raised earth (see Alegría 1983:33–58). Many other kinds of public activities likely took place as well in both kinds of planned public spaces. From En Bas Saline A Taíno Town before and after Columbus by Kathleen Deagan
Batey A, Caguana.
Batey, Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes
Batey de Yuboa, Near the Museum of the Dominican Man.
However the biggest exponent of this practice is the Ceremonial/Civic Center of Maguana (Commonly known as “Corral de los Indios”) this Plaza is on a scale not seen anywhere else on the island, it finds itself almost in the geographic center of it, and it is thought to be the location of or close by the center of power of Cacicazgo of Maguana. It is a circular plaza with 225 diameter(Alegría 1983:36) the borders of which are demarcated by a cobbled pathway.
Section of “El corral de los Indios” seen from ground level
View from Google earth(Mostly hidden under tree canopy but one can see the shape)
Picture taken during the first modern archeological dig on the site in 1960.
Corral de los Indios, in San Juan de la Maguana, DR. Published by Robert Schomburgk (1851).
Locations of sites in the region with public architecture and potential seats of Cacicazgos, fromDeagan, Kathleen. En Bas Saline: A Taíno Town Before and After Columbus. 2023, p. 38.
References:
(22) Varela y Gil (eds.), Cristóbal Colón. Textos y documentos completos…, ob. cit., p. 69.
(23) Prieto Vicioso, Esteban. «La arquitectura indígena en La Española», Clío, año 77, n.º 175, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, enero-junio de 2008, pp. 113-175.
(24) Las Casas, Apologética…, t. I, ob. cit., p. 229; Oviedo, Historia general…, t. I, ob. cit., pp. 143-44; Esteban Prieto Vicioso, «La arquitectura indígena en La Española», Clío, año 77, n.° 175, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, enero-junio de 2008, pp. 113-175.
(25) Las Casas, Historia…, t. II, ob. cit., p. 259.
(26) Las Casas, Apologética…, t. I, ob. cit., p. 244.
(27) Las Casas, Apologética, pp. 243-244; Cassá, Los taínos…, ob. cit., p.123; Moscoso, Los cacicazgos…, ob. cit.
As closing thoughts and bringing this more in line with the game, I can not think of better place to use the tribal government that was talked about in tinto talks 4, and its the one fo the best examples in history of the mechanic for a more prestigious nation building buildings in the territory owned by a lesser one.
Art
While compiling this information I came across multitude of images relating to Taino artifacts that today can be found in museums, I thought of sharing them here because i think they signify a very developed and defined art style. Most of these images are taken from the Taínos, arte y sociedad by Manuel A. García Arévalo which is an excellent resource if you want to learn more about the Taino.
Cemí with a humanoid face, has two crouched legs on her back that give her a feeling of mobility. (MARAC)
Three-pointed cemí with accentuated facial features. The bas-relief allows the placement of gold and shell attachments that give a suggestive expression. (FGA)
Three-pointed icon identified with the cemí Yócahu Bagua Maórocoti, the great Lord of Cassava (FGA)
Wooden spatula used in the ritual of the cohoba with rattle handle. (FGA)
Anthropomorphic vomic spatula, Pierre and Nicole Domino collection.
Nasal aspirator with male anthropomorphic image in a contorted position. (FGA)
Ceremonial seat with a zoomorphic frontal projection. The front legs have crisscross incised designs that hint at decorative garters woven from cotton. (MHD)
Monolithic axes with zoomorphic representations: left (MHD); center, Pierre and Nicole Domino collection. Right: anthropomorphic lithic dagger. (MHAA, UPR)
Effigy vase with an anthropomorphic figure seated on a duet. (MHD)
Cemí used in cohoba with a hollow out on my head that served as a funeral urn. (FGA)
Is it possible to disable the country borders from maps that have them. Like the area and province maps? Sometimes they are really busy and would be easier to read without them.
Since we have three provinces there naming should go like this
Boriken- Puerto Rico
Guaynabo- San Juan
Arasibo- Arecibo
Guaynia- Should Switch to Ponce
Terrain and Vegetation are correct.
1. San Juan doesn't seem to be a max level natural harbor, which is weird. There's a reason Spain built the biggest fort there and not Havana which was always more important economically. The bay was better for sail boats was better protected both from storms and piracy as it was more easily defended.
2. Instead of Maize in PR that region Guaynia was known for producing sea salt.
3. Any additional modifiers we haven't seen yet?
Cholula is a Nahuatl word, while under Toltec control it could be Tlachihualtepetl.
Tlacolulais also Nahuatl, Zapotec for it is Guillbaan
I do not see Oaxaca, but the Nahuatl name for it was Huaxyacac, the Zapotec name could be Ndua
Campeche was the main port of the Yucatan, so it could probably use some level of natural harbour.
I do not see feathers as a trade good, does this fall under wild game? It could be represented as a real trade good due to its importance in mesoamerica. Or perhaps a modifier on wild game for them to represent it.
"The chiefdoms of Hispaniola (cacicazgo in Spanish) were the primary political units employed by the Taíno inhabitants of Hispaniola (Taíno: Quisqueya , Babeque, Bohio or Ayiti) in the early historical era. At the time of European contact in 1492, the island was divided into five chiefdoms or cacicazgos, each headed by a cacique or paramount chief. Below him were lesser caciques presiding over villages or districts and nitaínos, an elite class in Taíno society.
The Taíno of Hispaniola were an Arawak people related to the inhabitants of the other islands in the Greater Antilles. At the time of European contact, they were at war with a rival indigenous group, the Island Caribs. In 1508, there were about 60,000 Taínos in the island of Hispaniola; by 1531 infectious disease epidemics and exploitation had resulted in a dramatic decline in population.
The boundaries of each cacicazgo were precise. The first inhabitants of the island used geographic elements as references, such as major rivers, high mountains, notable valleys and plains. This enabled them to define each territory.[1] Each was divided into cacique nitaínos, subdivisions headed by the cacique helpers. The entries below relate the territory of each former cacique to the modern-day departments of Haiti and the provinces of the Dominican Republic."
Posting for the first time to say I've been waiting fort this one for a long time and I'm not disappointed. It's amazing. Both my grandmothers' hometowns are locations in this map.
You managed to represent a lot of the important altepetls around Lake Texcoco (Chalco, Texcoco, Azcapotzalco, Culhuacán) as locations. My only complain is that there's no Tlacopan (which was one third of the Triple Alliance). Probably it could be carved from the eastern side of Calixtlahuaca?
EDIT: Nevermind that last suggestion, I was looking on my cellphone. I get why you had to pick between putting Tenochtitlan and Tlacopan. The thing about Tenochtitlan island is that it was really tiny.
Tenochtitlan, if making it an island isn't feasible from gameplay perspective, shouldn't it have some modifiers which would give it the advantage it had in reality?
Obsidian, not claiming it should be it own raw good at any cost (even though I don't know why), but how do you plan to make a difference between obsidian and similar precious stones and diamonds? I think the rarity of certain goods, like having only Golconda produce diamonds for most of the game, gives the value to it automatically, without the need for province modifiers and stuff.
In addition to that, are the deposits for goods like metals, gems and salt a thing in this game, where certain provinces produce more of it, even with the same level of technology, pops etc? I think that is a must.
Amazing work on the division of cultures in the Caribbean , I assume hopefully even if its a dlc that the Taino people and Lesser Antilles will be playable countries in the future. As for feedback wise the Isla of Puerto Rico in the mountain province in Utuado there is large deposits of copper and some of gold, if you ever feel like changing the raw resources in the future I suggest that. As well the southern part of Puerto Rico Maize was not really grown as much as coffee or tobacco was(I would put cassava/yams but that's not a common resource in the project already). I understand that could be avoided for balancing purposes and/or having to rearrange tiles . Also between the Antilles and other small islands will the functionality of land straits come again in Project Ceaser just as in eu4 and other games. I do not recall if it was ever mentioned of it being a function brought back or now we will have pure island hopping fun.
This is amazing! Cannot wait to topple the Azcapotzalco hegemony...
I do have an issue/question however. How did you calculate the population? 7 million is barely above the population of the core areas of the Triple Alliance in the early 1500s. The exact numbers of Mesoamerican demographics in 1519 are a tricky topic and the estimates vary. AFAIK the consensus today is that it was around 20 million, but some reliable sources provide numbers up to 50 million (I do not agree, but FAMSI is FAMSI...). Even taking into account the more conservative estimates, would it really be possible for the population to double or even triple in less than two centuries? I imagined the population in 1356 would be somewhere around 10, maybe 12 million.
Moreover, I think the Purepecha religion should be separate. They believed in completely different deities than the Oaxacans for example (but here they seem to share the exact same faith?). But that's a much simpler thing. My main concerns are with the population.
The huastecs (accurately called Téenek on the map) shouldnt follow ether the maya religion nor language, they migrated away from the maya homeland in 2000 BCE long before any trace of classical maya culture developed. it would be like making Iran and India speak the same language.
I'm also dissapointed by the lack of political units in cenltral america. The region was greately influenced by mesoamerican ideas of governance, and they were more similar to that region than elsewhere on the continent
This map represents the region in 1521. But shows light on how many native polities there were that currently are under-represented
Mesoamerica is home to two of the most important spices in the world, vanilla and chilis, and neither is represented. Vanilla was mostly used to flavor chocolate for the first half of the time period, but by the end of the game it was a hugely valuable spice. Chilis are one of the most successful parts of the Colombian Exchange as well - almost every old world culture adopted and began to use chilis in their cuisine as a spice.
It seems ridiculous to ignore that impact on global trade and cuisine entirely. I'll direct attention to this excellent post by @LordThanatos with some amazing discussions and deep dives into spice production and usage across the world and the time period.
Welcome to the Mesoamerican Thunder Dome! This area is characterized by its numerous Altepetl, more or less comparable to city-states. Most of them are ruled in 1337 by peoples of Nahua origin, something that you may see much more clearly in the culture map. The biggest power in this moment is the Empire of P’urhépecherio, though, founded by the Purepecha people. In any case, you may notice that there’s a lot of detail in this area, including a tiny Nahua settlement recently founded on an island over Lake Texcoco, Tenochtitlan. This is the first time in a PDX GSG that we have the island itself present on the map, although the location covers some more land over the lake coast, to make it playable. Finally, we also have the Mayan polities of the Postclassic Period, of which Cocom, with its capital Màayapáan, was the most important, along with others, such as K’iche’ and its capital Q’umarkaj.
On the outskirts of the Mesoamerican polities, there are plenty of peoples organized on different ways. To the north, we have the ones that populate the area known as Aridoamerica, which were collectively termed by the Nahua as ‘Chichimeca’. We also have plenty of societies close to the Mayan lands and the Isthmus. And, finally, the Taíno people populate some of the biggest islands in the Caribbean.
