The first indigenous group encountered by Columbus were the 250,000 Taínos of Hispaniola who represented the dominant culture in the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. Within thirty years about 70% of the Taínos had died. They had no immunity to European diseases, so outbreaks of measles and smallpox ravaged their population. Increasing punishment of the Taínos for revolting against forced labour, despite measures put in place by the encomienda, which included religious education and protection from warring tribes, eventually led to the last great Taíno rebellion.
Who was the first group of indigenous people Columbus encountered? What did the Taínos represent in the Greater Antilles and Bahamas? What percentage of the Taínos were dead thirty years after contact with Columbus? Why were outbreaks of measles and smallpox able to so easily decimate the Taínos' population? What led to the last great Taínos rebellion?