Prince of Boriquén
| Prince of Boriquén | |
|---|---|
| |
| The arms of the House of Guarionex. | |
| Current holder | Guarionex II |
| Full name | His Serene Highness The Prince of Boriquén, Duke of Guánica |
| House |  House of Guarionex
|
| Style | His Serene Highness |
| Heir apparent | Kaonabo, Duke of Guánica |
| Appointed by | King of Nouvelle Alexandrie |
| Tenure | 1717 AN - present |
| Predecessor | New creation |
| Residence | Guánica, Boriquén |
| Established | 23.VI.1717 AN |
| Notes | A non-royal princely dignity; the holder is hereditary viceroy of Boriquén and presides over the Areyto Legislativo de Boriquén as its Taino. |
The Prince of Boriquén is a hereditary title of nobility in Nouvelle Alexandrie, held by the head of the House of Guarionex, the cacical house of the Wakara people. It is one of the few princely dignities in the Federation held outside the reigning House of Inti-Carrillo, a recognized exception to the general reservation of princely rank to the royal house.[1] The current and first holder is Guarionex II, who was created Prince of Boriquén by the Plan de Hato Rey in 1717 AN.
The title derives from the ancient cacical dignity of the Wakara, whose chiefs ruled from Guánica before their homeland entered the Federation. In recognizing that dignity as a princely title, the Federation preserved the standing of the Wakara ruling house within the New Alexandrian order rather than creating a new honor.
History
Before the Federation, the head of the Wakara bore the title of Cacique, the principal chief of the peoples around Lake Cherusken, seated at the holy city of Guánica. The dignity was sovereign in its own right, and its holders traced an unbroken line through the cacical house later known as the House of Guarionex.
The title in its present form dates from the accession of Boriquén to Nouvelle Alexandrie. In 1717 AN, Cacique Guarionex II brought the Wakara into the Federation through the Plan de Hato Rey, which recognized his house as a princely house of the federal nobility and created for him the titles of Prince of Boriquén and Duke of Guánica. The Wakara peerage was formally integrated into the federal nobility in 1719 AN. The principality thus became one of a small number of non-royal princely titles in Nouvelle Alexandrie, held alongside those such as the Prince of Casa Hebraica and the Princess of Rochefort, each recognizing a standing that predated or stood apart from the royal house.
Role and responsibilities
The office of Prince of Boriquén combines a hereditary constitutional role in the government of the region with a place at the head of Wakara cultural and religious life.
Constitutional position
The Prince of Boriquén is the hereditary viceroy of the Region of Boriquén and presides over the Areyto Legislativo de Boriquén, the regional legislature, as its Taino, or speaker. The Areyto elects its Taino at the head of each term, and the Prince has held the office continuously since 1723 AN. The office is ceremonial and legislative rather than executive. The executive government of the region rests with the elected Regional Governor, so that the Prince's role stands beside, and not above, the region's democratic institutions.
Cultural significance
The Prince of Boriquén is regarded as the guardian of the Wakara cultural and spiritual inheritance, and the title carries particular weight in the Yukiyu Atabey faith, whose holiest city, Guánica, is the seat of the princely house. In presiding over the Areyto, the Prince embodies the continuity between the old cacical order and the Region's place within the Federation.
Succession
The title descends by the hereditary rules of the federal nobility, registered through the Department of the Interior, together with the subsidiary dukedom of Guánica. By the custom of the house, the heir apparent bears the dukedom of Guánica as a courtesy title during the lifetime of the reigning Prince.
The heir apparent to the present Prince is his son Kaonabo, Duke of Guánica. The line continues through Kaonabo's daughter, Cacica Anacaona, whose betrothal to Prince Inti, second in line to the throne, was announced in 1759 AN, connecting the House of Guarionex with the reigning House of Inti-Carrillo.
List of Princes of Boriquén
| Prince | Portrait | Tenure | House | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guarionex II | 1717 AN - present | House of Guarionex | First holder; Cacique of the Wakara who secured the accession of Boriquén to the Federation through the Plan de Hato Rey |
See also
- Guarionex II
- House of Guarionex
- Duke of Guánica
- Boriquén
- Plan de Hato Rey
- Nobility of Nouvelle Alexandrie
