Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center

Pre-Colombian era

The Tainos who inhabited Puerto Rico before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, played a series of games which were both ceremonial and diversional, such as races, contests involving body strength and fishing. However, the two most important of these sports were the simulated warrior fights (similar to the gladiators) and ball playing.

Body strength games

According to the eye-witness account of Spanish historian Pedro Martir de Angleria, the body strength games were played in front of the whole village in the presence of the "Cacique" (Chief) and in some occasions an invited guest. Two teams would fight with bows and arrows in defense of their possessions as if they were enemies. In one of the events, witnessed by Angleria, four men died and many others were injured in the space of one hour. The contest would come to an end only if the Cacique gave the ending signal.

Ball games

Aereo view of the "Big Plaza" ballpark in the Tibes Indigenoius Ceremonial Center

Game of Batey

The ball game, called "Batu", was played in a field, which they called a "Batey", situated in the middle of the village. The fields were either shaped like a triangle or like a "U". The ball was made of vegetable leafs, which gave it flexibility. Two teams played against each other. The objective of the game was to keep the ball in constant motion. The players were allowed to use their heads, elbows, shoulders and knees. The team would lose a point, if for any reason the ball stopped moving. The score was kept with a mark on the ground and the game would end after the losing team received a certain amount of points. The winners were treated like heroes and the losers were sacrificed. The game had changed by the time the first Spanish settlers arrived. According to Fray Bartolome de las Casas the game was played in the following manner: "One team served the ball and the other team returned it, using anything but the hands. If the ball arrived at shoulder height, it was returned like lightning. When it came in near the ground, the player rapidly hit the ground, striking the ball with his buttocks. Play continued from side to side until an error was made."

Discovery

In 1975, archaeologists from the Guaynia Society of Archeology and History at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, members of the Archeological Society of the Southwest announced the discovery of the ruins of a "Batey" in an area called Tibes, on the outskirts of the city of Ponce. A total of 9 ball fields were discovered buried under thick forest overgrowth, dating back to AD 25 in the area which is now known as "Centro Ceremonial Indigena de Tibes" (The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center). The fields varied in size from 12.8 meters (42 ft) long by 10.9 meters (35.8 ft) wide to 35.1 meters (115 ft) long by 9.3 meters (30.5 ft) wide.

Early inhabitants

Side Road

An Areyto Ceremony

According to archeologists, the ball parks and ceremonial centers were built by the Igneri Culture, a Pre-Taino tribe which inhabited the island. Modern technology tells us that the area was populated in 25 AD and that the Ingeri abandoned the area in 600 AD for some unknown reason or reasons. The Tainos populated the same area in 1000 AD.

According to archeologist Osvaldo Garcia Goyco, there is evidence that some of the plazas are oriented in relation to the equinox and solstics of the four seasons of the year. This is not unusual since the Tainos cultivated their crops in accordance to their astrological observations. The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center is the oldest astronomical observatory in the Caribbean.

Areyto

The Tainos had their own culture, customs and governing structure. Besides using the fields for ball playing, they would also use the plazas to celebrate the "Areyto" which was a celebration consisting of telling an oral history told by singing and dancing accompanied by music. Most of the knowledge and information that we have about the traditions of the Tainos came about the personal observations and historical documentations of Fray Bartolome de las Casas. Fray Bartolome de las Casas described an "Areyto" in the following manner: "And on this island what I could understand was that their songs which they call 'areytos,' were their history passed from person to person, fathers to sons from the present to the future, as here uniting many Indians... passing three or four hours or more until the teacher or guide of the dance finished the history, and sometimes they went from one day to the next."

Arrival of the Spaniards

When the Spaniards arrived in the island one of their first missions was to convert the Tainos into Christianity. They considered the ceremonial and religious practices of the Tanios as uncivilized and a form of paganism. The Tainos were enslaved and forced to build fortifications and to work the mines. Many died because of this harsh treatment also because of the introduction to diseases such as smallpox to the island by the Spaniards. However, before the Taino tribes ceased to exsist in Puerto Rico, Spanish historians such as Fray Bartolome de las Casas, were able to witness and record the life and customs of these people.

Significance

Over 186 human remains were found within the boundaries of the ceremonial center, in what is considered to be the largest indigenous cemetery. Most of the remains were from the Ingeri Culture and DNA samples have been taken from the remains for further studies. Information such as the ceremonies, eating habits, ceramic styles and much more has been provided from these remains and from the excavations.

The site is now a tourist attraction which is open to the public. Artefacts found on the site are on display and can be seen in a museum on the site and in the Ponce Museum of Art. The Caguana Ceremonial Park (Parque Ceremonial Caguana) located in Utuado, Puerto Rico also has a display of Taino artifacts and a replica of a ceremonial ball field.

External links

Cultural history of Puerto Rico | Puerto Rican sights | Archaeological sites in the United States | Museums in Puerto Rico

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