Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$ Museum
Guided Tour
A 90-minute
guided tour takes
you through sub-
tropical forest,
a replica village,
and the bateyes, as
the guide explains
aspects of indigenous
life. Re-enactments
in costumes
(right) are also
occasionally staged.
%
The small on-
site museum's
exhibits (right)
include axe-
heads, pottery,
cemí , and even
a skeleton, all
of which were
excavated here.
A 30-minute video
helps put the displays
in perspective.
^ Ceramics
Hundreds of
interesting Igneri and
Taíno ceramics have
been unearthed here,
including pots (below) ,
cemí , and headless
figures with their hands
tied behind their backs,
suggesting execution.
& Replica Village
A reconstruction of a
yucayeque (Taíno village)
(main image) features a
rectangular caney (the
village chief's house) and
circular, thatched bohíos
(huts that were used by
the villagers). These help
visitors understand the
Taíno way of life.
* Botanical
Garden
Tibes features a garden
of plants and trees
that were used by the
Taíno. These include
yucca, tobacco, and
corn, as well as the
local guanábana ,
higüero , and calabash,
a large gourd (left) .
Ball Games
The Taíno played violent
ritual ball games in
which competing teams
could use any part of
their body, except their
hands. The balls were
solid and players wore
protective pads. The
games were played for
sport as well as for
diversion, religious
purposes, and even to
make judicial decisions,
including whether
prisoners of war should
be freed or killed.
( Star-Shaped Plaza
) Cemetery
One of the bateyes
is, as its name implies,
shaped like a star. It is
thought to have been
used as an astronomical
compass, with stones laid
in the form of triangles
corresponding to cardinal
points in the universe.
The main batey was
built atop a cemetery,
where 186 skeletons
from both the Igneri
and Taíno cultures were
found. Most were curled
into a fetal position,
in the belief that they
would be reborn.
23
For more on Puerto Rico's history See pp30-31.
 
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