The
chiefdoms of Hispaniola (
cacicazgo in Spanish) were the primary political units employed by the
Taíno inhabitants of
Hispaniola (
Taíno:
Ayiti,
Quisqueya, or
Bohio) 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.