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admin
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Posted: Sun Oct 28th, 2007 08:44 pm |
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Major archaeological find in Puerto Rico
By LAURA N. PEREZ SANCHEZ, Associated Press Writer 18 minutes ago
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - U.S. and Puerto Rican archaeologists say they have found the best-preserved pre-Columbian site in the Caribbean, which could shed light on virtually every aspect of Indian life in the region, from sacred rituals to eating habits.
The archaeologists believe the site in southern Puerto Rico may have belonged to the Taino or pre-Taino people that inhabited the island before European colonization, although other tribes are a possibility. It contains stones etched with ancient petroglyphs that form a large plaza measuring some 130 feet by 160 feet, which could have been used for ball games or ceremonial rites, said Aida Belen Rivera, director of the Puerto Rican Historic Conservation office.
The petroglyphs include the carving of a human figure with masculine features and frog legs.
Archaeologists also uncovered several graves with bodies buried face-down with the legs bent at the knees — a style never seen before in the region.
The plaza may contain other artifacts dating from 600 A.D. to 1500 A.D., including piles of refuse from daily life, Rivera said.
"I have visited many sites and have never seen a plaza of that magnitude and of those dimensions and with such elaborate petroglyphs," said Miguel Rodriguez, member of the government's archaeological council and director of a graduate school in Puerto Rico that specializes in history and humanities. He is not involved in the excavation project.
Archeologists have known since 1985 that the area contained indigenous artifacts. But their extent and significance only became clear this month when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work on removing them so the land could be used for a dam project.
Experts called for a halt to the excavation, saying the use of heavy machinery exposed the stones to the elements and may have destroyed important artifacts. The Corps of Engineers has said the site will be preserved.
The Tainos were a subgroup of the Arawak Indians, who migrated to the Caribbean from Mexico's Yucatan centuries before European colonizers arrived.
Jose Oliver, a Latin American archaeology lecturer at University College London, said that archeologists make discoveries of this significance every 50 or 100 years — if they are lucky.
"I'm convinced that a competent investigation of that site will offer us a rare perspective on our pre-Columbian and pre-colonial history," Oliver, who has overseen several high-profile digs in Puerto Rico, said by e-mail.
But he warned that the contractor in charge of the excavation is not equipped to handle such a massive and complex job.
The lead investigator for Georgia-based New South Associates, the archaeological and historical consulting firm leading the excavation, said a back hoe that scrapes inches at a time did break some centuries-old bones, but that the same thing would have occurred during a manual excavation.
The company switched to slower and more detailed excavation methods after the site's significance became clear, investigator Chris Espenshade said.
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bayberry
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Posted: Sun Oct 28th, 2007 10:09 pm |
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| It would be interesting to find out roughly where this exciting find is located. It is quite usual that the exact location of major archaeological find is kept confidential, for fear of floods of visitors, not to mention people helping themselves to artifacts, so it may not be easy to get more info.
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admin
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Posted: Sun Oct 28th, 2007 10:16 pm |
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| Since our dear friends at Army Corp of Engineers are so eager to destroy this site, it should be pretty easy to find out where it is through that avenue. I didn't think major historical and archaeological sites were disturbable, but I guess when you are the US Governement and can screw up New Orleans as badly as they did, you can do just about anything. Last edited on Sun Oct 28th, 2007 10:17 pm by admin
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Island Woman MJ
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Posted: Mon Oct 29th, 2007 03:24 am |
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| Really interesting! I wonder what effect the rains will have on the site, as this is one area that was/is being seriously hit.
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paws nest
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Posted: Tue Oct 30th, 2007 08:15 pm |
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| I also read that the Corp of Engineers have taken many of the artifacts to the US. The say we in PR don't have the failities to keep them. I hope they return them. Or here we are again. I haven't read the paper today, but that was the latest I read.
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admin
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Posted: Tue Oct 30th, 2007 08:43 pm |
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| my blood pressure just went sky high. and as seems to be happening more and more these days, embarrased to be an American.
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paws nest
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Posted: Wed Oct 31st, 2007 04:20 pm |
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| I just heard in the news that this thing is not over at all. The Inter American University is looking into some kind of judicial approach against the Corp o Engineers. Let us keep an issue on this.
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