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The Alligator is not a Caiman: Chronicle of an Identity Stripping
Paperback
General ScienceGeneral World History
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ISBN13: 9798247381402
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 9 2026
Pages: 152
Weight: 0.40
Height: 0.33 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 9 2026
Pages: 152
Weight: 0.40
Height: 0.33 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
The Alligator Is Not a Caiman
When Europeans, led by Christopher Columbus, arrived on the American continent, they were astonished to encounter Indigenous peoples as well as plants and animals entirely unknown to them. In his letters, Columbus emphasized the abundance and singularity of the American environment. As Europeans attempted to name these unfamiliar species, they adopted various strategies: sometimes they used familiar Old World terms-such as ruiseñor (nightingale) or tiger-for animals that evoked those they already knew; at other times, they incorporated Indigenous words such as manatÃ, tiburón, or caiman.
When Europeans, led by Christopher Columbus, arrived on the American continent, they were astonished to encounter Indigenous peoples as well as plants and animals entirely unknown to them. In his letters, Columbus emphasized the abundance and singularity of the American environment. As Europeans attempted to name these unfamiliar species, they adopted various strategies: sometimes they used familiar Old World terms-such as ruiseñor (nightingale) or tiger-for animals that evoked those they already knew; at other times, they incorporated Indigenous words such as manatÃ, tiburón, or caiman.
Initially, the conquerors referred to American crocodilians as lagarto, (lizard) a term derived from the Latin lacertus. Later, the TaÃno word caimán, spoken by the original inhabitants of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), gradually entered use and began to replace lagarto in historical accounts. Both terms, however, coexisted until the eighteenth century and still persist in everyday speech across many Latin American countries. The English word alligator also traces its origin to lagarto. These names and their derivatives were applied not only to the crocodiles of the Caribbean, but also to those inhabiting the Pacific coast and the Orinoco River basin.
In this book, Dr. Andrés E. Seijas examines the origin and evolution of the terms caimán and alligator, exploring their meanings and the shifts in their usage within both scientific and cultural spheres. He highlights, in particular, how the word caimán ceased to be used in some countries to refer to the large crocodiles of the family Crocodylidae and came instead to denote, especially in scientific literature, the smaller species belonging to the family Alligatoridae. This shift has contributed to the erosion of the cultural values originally associated with the term. In response, the author proposes ways to recover and preserve those lost cultural meanings
In this book, Dr. Andrés E. Seijas examines the origin and evolution of the terms caimán and alligator, exploring their meanings and the shifts in their usage within both scientific and cultural spheres. He highlights, in particular, how the word caimán ceased to be used in some countries to refer to the large crocodiles of the family Crocodylidae and came instead to denote, especially in scientific literature, the smaller species belonging to the family Alligatoridae. This shift has contributed to the erosion of the cultural values originally associated with the term. In response, the author proposes ways to recover and preserve those lost cultural meanings
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