The Taíno became nearly extinct as a culture following settlement by Spanish colonists, primarily due to infectious diseases to which they had no immunity. The first recorded smallpox outbreak in Hispaniola occurred in December 1518 or January 1519.On your second voyage to the Indies, you ordered your men to round up Taí- nos and had over 500 shipped to Spain as slaves. You told your men to help them- selves to the remaining Taíno captives, which they did. This act alone killed several hundred Taínos.But the Tainos actually used baskets to carry water. They had a process by which they made baskets from very finely woven wreath. And they were able to weave these so intricately to form a water tight basket,” he enthuses.The Spanish treated the Tainos very poorly, as they exploited them and lacked regard for their welfare.The name Taíno was given by Columbus. When he met some native men, they said "Taíno, Taíno", meaning "We are good, noble". Columbus thought that taíno was the name of the people. Rouse divides the Taínos into three main groups. One is the Classic Taíno, from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.