Caoba

To address the question circulating in the comments section of the blog, Caoba is the TAINO word for Mahogany. The Tainos were one of several tribes, the Arawak, Siboney and Caribe among them, that came from both North (what is now Florida) and South America to settle on the many islands of the Caribbean. Many words of Taino origin have worked their way into the Spanish language such as 'huracan' or hurricane. My Junior Tirado drums are most likely made of Honduran mahogany. There is a great museum right at the foot of the dirt path that leads to El Morro fort in Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico that is dedicated to the Taino and their ancestors the Nis Taino. If you get a chance to travel to Boriquen (the Taino name for PR) it is a must to visit.