The presence of the Tainos in the Puerto Rican literature

The Puerto Ricans have used their native roots in their search to find their identity. In all the aspects of their lives their Taino heritage is visible including the culinary arts; the music; the Taino vocabulary which is an integral part of the Spanish language spoken in Puerto Rico; the Taino generosity and hospitality. This dissertation has as a purpose to prove the strong presence of the Taino native in the Puerto Rican Literature. It covers from the XIX Century to the present. It is our intention also to speak about the influence of the Taino in Puerto Rican literature through the recurrent Taino themes and different perspectives. We follow an eclectic method of study, regarding the way in which it is focussed and the idea of narrators of Gerard Genette. In the First Chapter we cover the Taino Myth, comparing the Ramon Pane\u27s myths with the re-created and reorganized myths of Sadi Orsini Luiggi and Sebastian Robiou Lamarche. The Second Chapter covers poetry, which is the richest genre in Puerto Rico and therefore it contains more instance of the Taino theme. There are recurrent topics: Taino Yearnings, Myth of Ramon Pane, Agueybana el Bravo and his death, The Death of Diego Salcedo, Tainos and the Search for Gold. The Third Chapter deals with short stories and legends in which we discuss the works of Cayetano Coll y Toste, Rene Marques y Jaime Martinez Tolentino. In the Fourth Chapter we found the use of Taino theme in the novel as a medium to strengthen the identity of the Puerto Ricans, to exhort the fight for collective freedom and as a way to show that it is the old Taino who is the root and the inspiration of the Puerto Ricans. We include the novels of Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Rene Marques and the most prolific of all Enrique A. Laguerre