December 1495, Heroic Island, Puerto Rico, San Juan Bay.
The Caribbean Sea at dawn was like a bolt of pale-blue velvet. Light-gold sunlight spilled over the water's cloud-shadowed surface, and a curving, encircling bay emerged from the morning mist. The mouth of the bay was long and narrow, with low mangroves and coral rock on both shores. The seawater deepened gradually in color, from the pale green in the distance to the azure blue within the bay, like a gorgeous dream impossible to see through.
And when the tide surged in from the western entrance, it carried palm leaves and driftwood with it, along with a moving fragrance. It was a scent blended from the saltiness of sea salt, the sweetness of nectar, and the aroma of resin. If one had to describe it with a fitting adjective, perhaps it would be "abundant."
Without question, San Juan Bay was abundant. The half-encircling lagoon formed a natural fishing ground. Schools of fish and swarms of shrimp easily surged in with the rising tide, then, when the tide fell, became easy catches. In the mangroves on both banks, there were not only brilliantly colored tropical flowers, but also naturally fragrant balsam trees.
An astonishing number of seabirds circled over the woods, while along the shore were many sea turtles and great conches, as well as edible seaweed that was easy to gather. All of these were fine sources of food, and the more plentiful food came from the rich Taino villages around the coast, from the joined stretches of cassava fields they planted, from the ponds where they raised sea turtles and sea fish, and also from small patches of cotton fields and tobacco plots. All of it together was enough to support one or two thousand people in a large Taino