cacique
/kəˈsik/
noun
- A native chief or leader in the Caribbean, Central America, or South America, especially at the time of Spanish colonization.
- In many Taino villages, the cacique was both a political and spiritual leader.
- The museum displayed a statue of a cacique wearing a feathered headdress.
- The cacique welcomed the Spanish explorers with gifts of gold and food.
- A local political boss or leader, especially in Spain or Latin America, who controls votes and patronage.
- The old cacique still held power through a network of loyal supporters.
- The rural cacique decided who got jobs and who could use the communal land.
- Reporters accused the mayor of acting like a cacique, handing out favors to his friends.