Atabey, goddess, is one of two supreme (major) gods in Taino Mythology (Caribbean islands). She was worshiped as the goddess of fresh water, though her representation as an Earth Spirit connects her to horizontal water (including the sea, salt water).
It specifically says horizontal water. Why is this?
This is a soft answer, because I'm relying solely on wikipedia, but the underlying process I used may be helpful.
Boinayel ... [was] the gods of rain
Wiki
My reasoning process was: Horizontal water? What constitutes vertical water?
My first thought was waterfalls, so I searched for a Taíno waterfall god. Didn't find that, but found a mention of a gods of rain. Rain can be understood as vertical water.
This may be the root of the distinction, but more research is required to answer more definitively.
