The Taíno lived throughout the West Indies- from the Bahamas, all of Greater Antilles (except western Cuba), and the northern part of Lesser Antilles. The people are made up of various groups and bands, which shared similar linguistic and cultural traits. The Classic Taíno were centered in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, the Eastern Taíno occupied the Virgin and Leeward islands, and the Western Taíno lived in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and most of Cuba. These subgroups referred to themselves by the localities in which they lived.
Retrieved from Rouse, I. (1985).
The Taíno valued the forest and the ocean equally. Settlements were located along the coastal plains, yet a short distance from ocean and forest resources. The largest settlements took advantage of fresh water supply and were located along major rivers or at the mouths of rivers. Eventually, due to population growth, settlements expanded throughout the islands. One of the highest elevation pre-Columbian Taíno settlements is located at the western edge of Luquillo Mountains.
(Rouse, 1992; Rouse, 1989; Bauer, Lugo, & Robinson, 2014; Jacobs, 1992)
The Taino 