TAINO TATTOOS

Different Taino Boricua Puerto Rico Tattoo Designs and Ideas

What is a Taino tattoo?

Taino tattoos are modern forms of body art that incorporate symbols and motifs from Taino culture dating back to the pre-Columbian era. These include Taino elements and also designs referencing Puerto Rico and the Antilles such as Coqui frogs, Taino sun, Puerto Rico flags, Taino symbols of water, hurricane, snail, goddess, Trigonolito, The Morro, maga flowers.

Which Taino tattoo style do you prefer?

There are many different ways and styles to create a Taino tattoo. We can combine these designs in many different ways, with or without color, adding modern Puerto Rican symbols or just Taíno designs. They can also be combined with other tribal styles, such as Polynesian or Aztec, for example.

These are just a few of the dozens of Taino tattoos I’ve created through this custom tattoo website. I hope they inspire you, and of course, feel free to contact me to get your own completely online.

create a tattoo

Taino Forearm Tattoo

Tattoo with Puerto Rico flag, The Morro, Coqui, Taino turtle, tribal designs and Carolina coat of arms. Tattoo design created ONLINE by me according the wishes of this customer.

taino tattoo
Taino forearm tattoo

Also known as Boricua style, these tattoos contain these ancient Taino symbols with modern symbols from the islands of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, in the Greater Antilles, on the islands of Quisqueya (“La Española”) and Boriken (Puerto Rico).

boricua tattoos
Boricua tattoo design

Why the term “Boricua”?

It refers to a person from Puerto Rico or a descendant of this island: it is a synonym for “Puerto Rican.” This word has its roots in the Taíno people, indigenous people originally from the island of “Borikén,” which means “land of the brave and noble Lord,” today Puerto Rico.


BORICUA TATTOO with CAROLINA coat of arms

This is a custom tattoo created for a visitor of this web in Boricua style with the classic designs of The Morro, Taino sun and turtle, Puerto Rico flag and the coat of arms of Carolina, Puerto Rico.

Carolina tattoo
Taino tattoo with coqui and Sun

I create this style of tattoos with different designs like Taino sun, Cogui frog, Cemi/trigonolito (Yocahú, o Yucahú-Guamá…spirit of yuca), turtle, bird, ancient Boricua goddess, all surrounded by tribal designs in this same style like water, hurricane and wind symbols.

I also add non-Taino symbols: Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic flags, coat of arms of a particular city or region, Maga flower (national flower of Puerto Rico), The Morro (San Felipe clastle tower), palm trees

TAINO SUN

The Taino Sun is a petroglyph (“carved in stone”) part of the Zamas Indigenous Mural, located in the neighborhood of Jayuya, Puerto Rico.

Taino sun tattoo meaning
Sun meaning in Taino tattoos

Usually, in a Taino tattoo, I place the sun as the main element on the shoulder or, if it is an arm and half chest tattoo, I place it on the chest.

Taino sun meaning in tattoos
Taino sun in sleeve tattoo

Other designs to include in a Boricua tattoo

Coqui (Taino frog), Taino Goddess, Trigonolito, Taino bird, Taino turtle, and we can make new symbols of Puerto Rico like a colored flag or in tribal style (this depends on the style of the tattoo) , and The Morro (Tower of the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, San Juan de Puerto Rico).

boricua taino tattoos
Boricua tattoo with frog

Taino/Polynesian tattoos: “Mixed” style

Some clients from Puerto Rico or Dominicana (or with their roots from these places) ask me:“Hi Juno, can you create a custom tattoo for me combining Taino, according my roots, with Polynesian designs to tell my own story?” Of course! There is no problem in combining different tribal designs (Taino, Polynesian, Aztec, African, Inca) in one tattoo. What’s more! They look amazing!

Taino/Polynesian Tattoo design for Sleeve and Half Chest

With a Taino sun as main design for the chest and a coqui frog for the shoulder, this tattoo is completed with designs like shark teeth, spearheads, stones, ocean waves and other Polynesian symbols.

Taino Polynesian tattoo
Custom Taino sleeve tattoo design

I classify this style of tattoos as TAINO MIXED or TAINO-POLYNESIAN tattoos


Calf Tattoo in Taino/Polynesian Style

Portrait of a Taino native and Vejigante mask as main designs for the front and back calf, surrounded by Polynesian and Taino designs.

taino calf tattoo
Taino tattoo design with Vejigante mask


Taino Mixed Sleeve Tattoo

Full sleeve tattoo in Taino/Polynesian style with Coqui, Puerto Rico flag in tribal style, The Morro, sun and Polynesian designs to complete the sleeve tattoo.

Taino sleeve tattoo
Taino tattoo with Puerto Rico flag

“Tell me if you wish a custom tattoo like this…It will be a pleasure to create a cool tattoo design for you ONLINE”

taino sleeve tattoo
Taino/Polynesian tattoo design

Taino/Polynesian Tattoo with colors

Of course, according the wishes of each client, we can add colors in a MIXED tattoo too.

Taino sleeve tattoo
Taino tattoo design with maga flowers

Taino/Polynesian Tattoo for sleeve

This is another example of a custom tattoo created for a visitor to this website: a Taino/Polynesian tattoo with a Puerto Rican flag, in tribal style with colored spearheads, and with military symbols that represented this client’s history.

taino tribal tattoo with military logos
Taino/Polynesian tattoo with military logos

About me

I’m Juno, professional tattoo designer. I’ve created dozens of custom tattoo designs in Taino and Taino/Polynesian styles for visitors to this web of unique tattoo designs. Ready to get yours?

About Juno tattoo designer