Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center facts for kids
Taíno village at Tibes
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| Established | 30 April 1982 |
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| Location | Road PR-503 Sector La Vega de Taní Barrio Tibes Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Type | Archeology museum |
| Visitors | 60,000–80,000 per year |
| Owner | Autonomous Municipality of Ponce |
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Centro Ceremonial Indígena
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 Location in Puerto Rico
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| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| MPS | Ball court/plaza sites of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands |
| NRHP reference No. | 78003381 |
| Added to NRHP | 14 April 1978 |
The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center (Spanish: Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes) is a very important archaeological site in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It shows us how ancient people like the Igneri and Taínos lived. These groups were here long before Christopher Columbus arrived.
Tibes is the oldest Native American ceremonial and sports complex found in Puerto Rico. It also has the largest ancient cemetery discovered so far. This cemetery holds the remains of 186 people, mostly from the Igneri and pre-Taíno cultures. Experts believe the way the ceremonial plazas are built means it was also an old astronomical observatory. The center opened as a museum in 1982 and was updated in 1991.
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Why Tibes is Important
The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center is one of the biggest and most important ancient sites in the Caribbean. It is the largest ceremonial place in all of Puerto Rico.
People lived here continuously from the Igneri period to the Taíno period. This long history helps us understand how their cultures changed over time. The site has large stone buildings and ancient trash heaps called middens. These give clues about how people lived and what they ate.
More than 186 human remains were found here. This makes it the largest ancient cemetery in the area. Most remains are from the Igneri Culture. Scientists have even taken DNA samples to learn more. From these discoveries, we learn about their ceremonies, eating habits, and pottery styles.
Today, Tibes is a popular place for visitors. It opened to the public on April 30, 1982. You can see artifacts found at the site in the museum there. Some artifacts are also at the Ponce Museum of Art.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1978.
What Tibes Looks Like
The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center was found after heavy rains in 1975. A group called the Sociedad Guaynia de Arqueologia e Historia helped clear the area. They found many shell middens and large stone structures. These structures are often called ball courts.
There are seven ball courts and one square plaza at the site. Five of the ball courts are rectangular. They have two parallel lines of flat stones. The other two ball courts are U-shaped. They have paths made of flat river cobbles and boulders. There are also triangular stone shapes around a flat, dug-out area.
The main part of the site is a nearly square area called a plaza. It has paths made of flat stones on two sides. The other two sides are lined with flat stone slabs. Many of the stones around the plaza have ancient drawings called petroglyphs. The ground inside the ball courts and plaza was changed by hand.
Several shell middens are spread out around the site. Some ball courts were built into these middens. This shows that people lived here for a long time. Over time, the site slowly became a ceremonial center.
Scientists have dug small test pits to learn about the site's age. They found that the first people here were the Igneri. They were early farmers who came to the Greater Antilles. Tests show people lived here continuously from about 400 AD to 1000 AD. The last people to live here were likely the Taínos.
Life Before Columbus Arrived
The Taínos lived in Puerto Rico before Christopher Columbus came in 1493. They played many games for fun and for ceremonies. These included races, strength contests, and fishing games. But the two most important sports were pretend warrior fights and ball games.
Strength Games
A Spanish historian named Pedro Martir de Angleria saw these strength games. They were played in front of the whole village. The "Cacique" (Chief) and sometimes a special guest would watch. Two teams would pretend to fight with bows and arrows. They would act like enemies defending their land. In one game Angleria saw, several people were hurt. The game would only stop when the Cacique gave a signal.
Ball Games
The ball game was called "Batey." It was played in a special ceremonial court, also called a "Batey". These courts were in the middle of the village. The fields were shaped like a triangle or a "U." The ball, called Batu, was made of rubber and plant leaves. This made it bouncy.
Two teams played against each other. One team was on the west side, the other on the east. Fathers and sons would play on opposite teams. The goal was to keep the ball moving. Players could use their heads, elbows, shoulders, and knees. If the ball stopped moving, a team lost a point. They kept score by making marks on the ground. The game ended when one team lost a certain number of points. Winners were celebrated, while the losing team faced serious consequences.
The game changed a bit by the time the first Spanish settlers arrived. According to Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, players would serve the ball and return it using any part of their body except their hands. If the ball came high, they hit it back fast. If it came low, they would quickly hit the ground, striking the ball with their bottom. Play continued until someone made a mistake.
How Tibes Was Discovered
The Tibes site was found in 1975 after Hurricane Eloise. Archaeologists from the Guaynia Society of Archaeology and History announced the discovery. They found the ruins of a "Batey" in Tibes, just outside Ponce.
A total of nine ball fields were found hidden under thick forest. These fields date back to about 25 AD. The fields were different sizes. Some were about 12.8 meters (42 feet) long, and others were up to 35.1 meters (115 feet) long.
Who Lived Here First
Archaeologists believe the ball courts and ceremonial centers were built by the Igneri Culture. This was a group that lived on the island before the Taínos. Modern science tells us that people lived in this area around 25 AD. The Igneri left the area around 600 AD, but we don't know why. The Taínos then settled in the same area around 1000 AD.
Archaeologist Osvaldo Garcia Goyco says that some of the plazas are lined up with the sun's position during the equinox and solstices. This makes sense because the Taínos planted their crops based on what they saw in the sky. The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center is the oldest known astronomical observatory in the Caribbean.
Areyto: Stories in Song and Dance
The Taínos had their own culture, traditions, and ways of governing. Besides playing ball games, they used the plazas for special celebrations called "Areyto." An Areyto was a way to tell stories through singing and dancing, with music.
Most of what we know about Taíno traditions comes from the writings of Fray Bartolomé de las Casas. He described an Areyto as a way for them to pass down their history. He said many people would gather and sing and dance for hours, sometimes even from one day to the next, until the story was finished.
When the Spanish Arrived
When the Spanish came to Puerto Rico, they tried to make the Taínos become Christians. They thought the Taíno ceremonies and religious practices were not civilized. The Taínos were forced to work hard building forts and in mines. Many Taínos sadly died because of this harsh treatment. They also died from diseases like smallpox that the Spanish brought to the island.
However, before the Taíno tribes disappeared in Puerto Rico, Spanish historians like Fray Bartolomé de las Casas were able to see and write down how these people lived and what their customs were.
Ongoing Work at Tibes
Restoring and studying Tibes is a big job for archaeologists. Here are some things they consider:
- Past archaeological work has been limited, even though many stone lines have been uncovered.
- Much of the site still needs to be explored. More stone lines are known to exist outside the main area.
- Most past digs were small test pits, not large open areas.
- Previous work focused on the ball courts, not the spaces between them. These spaces might show where houses once stood. Careful digging could find old post holes and hut foundations.
- The pottery found at Tibes covers almost all of Puerto Rico's pottery history. It's possible they might even find signs of even older people here. No other similar site has such a long history of materials.
- A detailed map of the land might show other features, like artificial terraces.
See also
In Spanish: Centro ceremonial indígena de Tibes para niños
- Ball Court/Plaza Sites of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- List of museums in Ponce, Puerto Rico
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ponce, Puerto Rico
- List of archaeological sites sorted by country
- Taínos
