The Taino were among the first indigenous inhabitants of the Caribbean.

At the tender age of 12, Jorge Baracutei Estevez had a life-altering experience.

And it was all thanks to a misinformed museum sign.

The Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site in barrio Caguana, Utuado, Puerto Rico, It is considered one of the most important archeological sites in the West Indies with an estimate age of over 700 years old, built by the Taíno around 1270 AD. Monoliths and petroglyphs carved by the Taínos can be seen among the rocks and stones.

The Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site in barrio Caguana, Utuado, Puerto Rico, It is considered one of the most important archeological sites in the West Indies with an estimate age of over 700 years old, built by the Taíno around 1270 AD. Monoliths and petroglyphs carved by the Taínos can be seen among the rocks and stones.Credit:Getty Images

He arrived ready to show off his familys ancestral culture only to get a quick punch in the gut.

I ran up there.

And I was like, You see.

Prehistoric Rock engravings of Taino Culture Caritas de los indios , Isla Cabritos National Park, Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic

Prehistoric Rock engravings of Taino Culture Caritas de los indios , Isla Cabritos National Park, Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic.Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Look at all these objects.

They come from my country.

They were, you know, Taino objects from all over the Caribbean.

But there was this little sign that read, Sadly, by 1565, all the Tainos had disappeared.

And I remember that struck such a chord with me.

It just bothered me.

Because Estevez, a Taino, happened to very much exist.

So, he did what any kid would do: returned week after week to stare at the sign.

Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images

The Taino were among the first indigenous inhabitants of the Caribbean.

They were also the first people to encounter Christopher Columbus expedition.

They took great delight in pleasing us.

They are very gentle and without knowledge of what is evil; nor do they murder or steal.

Your highness may believe that in all the world, there can be no better people.

However, the Taino didnt cease to exist then and there.

They rebelled and fought back, eventually winning recognition of their freedom, as well as land and charter.

As time went on, more groups developed.

Each of the groups have their appointed chiefs.

I started Higuayagua mostly because I wanted to create a group of researchers.

I was trying to avoid the whole tribal structure because my thing is research, Estevez said.

But it’s inevitable that, as you get more and more people, you have to manage it.

I was a logical choice since I was the one who formed a group to take over that responsibility.