One of the most interesting aspects to explore in Puerto Rico is its Ta?no Indian heritage. Ta?no is the name of the race of primitives that inhabited the Island prior to Colombus? discovery in 1492. On this road trip we will explore two of the most important taino heritage locations on the Island: Tibes and Caguana.
Ta?nos are widely known ? mostly by accounts from historians of the time ? as a peaceful, laborious race of people that enjoyed sports and recreation as much as their religious rituals.
The race was gradually extinguished by the Spanish conquistadors, but in the last few decades several discoveries have unearthed a vast treasure of information, artifacts and lore of the race that once ruled the island of ?Boriken?, the ta?no Indian name of the Island.
On this Road Guide we will explore the two most important Ta?no Indian locations on the Island: the Tibes Ceremonial Park located in Ponce, and the Caguana Ceremonial Park located in Utuado. Let?s begin!
Going South ? Tibes Ceremonial Park
It is widely believed that the Ta?no Indians valued greatly the south coast of the Island. Constant attacks from nearby tribes like the Caribes (who lived on what is now northern South America and from which the Caribbean Sea takes its name) forced the ta?nos to populate heavily the southern area and defend its coasts. In the last few decades, several ta?no discoveries where unearthed on the southern coast of the island, with the most important located on the city of Ponce. One of such discoveries is now known as the Tibes Ceremonial Park, which was discovered by accident in 1975 due to heavy flooding caused by a hurricane. Since then, the center has become one of the most important archeological digs in the Caribbean and receives about 90,000 to 100,000 visitors each year.
Getting to the Center, you will enter through the museum, which holds a wealth of information about how the center was discovered, photos of the early stages of digs, and details on the artifacts and human remains found on the area. It is a very nice exhibit that you should see before going to the park itself. From there, you can make your way to the main area, which consist of several ?bateyes? or areas encircled with big stones where the Indians celebrated their rituals and games (it is a known fact that ta?no Indians used to play a sport very much like soccer). The path is very both beautiful and magical, and you will be able to see an exhibit of the plants native to the area (as well as a nice pool of turtles!).
On your way to the central course, you will find several recreations of ?boh?os?, the name of the tent-like ?houses? where the ta?nos lived, which are made out of bamboo and palm tree leafs. The biggest one was usually the house of the ?cacique? or chief of the tribe. There are a couple recreations of what a ta?no village used to look like, but the biggest ones are now closed to the public due to destruction by the weather.
The main attraction consists of several ?bateyes? that vary in size and shape, and which use is still not entirely known. The rocks that surround the ?bateyes? are filled with carvings of several illustrations like birds, animals, human faces and other imagery of their culture.
The experience of Tibes is one you can?t miss if you are in Ponce. You can enter and explore the facilities by yourself, but we recommend you take a guided tour which start every 15 minutes or so, or depending on the size of the group waiting for the guide. Expect to be around and hour to fully enjoy the place.
More Pictures
Next stop, up north to Utuado!
