A cacique (Spanish: [kaˈsike]; Portuguese: [kɐˈsikɨ, kaˈsiki]; feminine form: cacica) is a leader of an indigenous group, derived from the Taíno for the pre-Columbian tribal chiefs in the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. In Mexico, the Spaniards' use of the term cacique to designate indigenous rulers had important implications since individuals and communities might claim such a status even if under the indigenous system of nomenclature, they would not have fulfilled the criteria.