Cave of the Jagua is a truly remarkable book. In this clearly written and jargon-free exploration of Taino mythology, Antonio Stevens-Arroyo touches on issues of importance to prehistoric and historical archeologists, ethnohistorians, historians, and students of mythology and comparative religions. In sum, virtually anyone with an interest in the belief systems of Caribbean and other native Latin American peoples, past and present, will find something of value here.
Cave of the Jagua is a significant advance in Taino studies. For the first time, the methodology from the field of comparative religions is applied. Stevens-Arroyo relies heavily on the structural analysis of myth developed by Claude Lévi-Strauss, which he complements with the first extensive analysis of native Latin American mythology using Carl Jung’s archetypes. His conclusions suggest a successful application of these techniques, but the results sometimes seem forced from the method, rather than elicited from the Tainos.
The book’s strengths are its detailed interpretations of Taino myths and their relation to South American myths, the examination of cemieism (religious spirits and idols), and contributions to the comparative study of religions. Its major weakness is chapter 2. Here the author reviews Taino studies to reconstruct their society and economy, a dangerous endeavor for the uninitiated. Those who are not familiar with Taino studies must realize that the book adopts one of many possible opinions, and that Caribbean pre- and protohistory is currently undergoing substantial revision. To its credit, this book should contribute to this revision by making possible more detailed studies of the relations between infrastructure, structure, and ideology for the Tainos.
Cave of the Jagua is not an ending, but a beginning. Its author has opened a new view of the Tainos—one that challenges readers to take the next steps.