Tibes Indian Ceremonial Park
NileGuide Expert Says:
Best place to learn about the Taíno Indians in Ponce.Address:
Phone:
787-840-2255/787-840-5685Description:
The Tibes Ceremonial Center is located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The area was discovered in 1975 after heavy rains revealed what was a religious burial and entertainment indigenous site dating back two centuries. Back then, the Igneris Indians, who came to the island from South America, had settled in Tibes with the Taíno Indians first moving along at a later time. The site is the oldest Antillean Indian ceremonial complex and the most significant archeological finding in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.The pre-Taíno and Igneris indian culture of the era is set 800 years before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and it was then a peaceful and very religious place. The Indians created "bateyes" where they held "areytos," played sports and celebrated their religious festivities at a large plaza. Their general living quarters are not believed to have been placed here although some homes, then called Bohíos, might have been around the area.
