Fishing Frenzy

The indigenous Taino (Ta'no) peoples of the Dominican Republic hold the caves of the island of Hispaniola as critical area for their faith. Not only do the caves offer fresh drinking water, but they are also the gateway to the underworld. The Chicho Cave is one of four spring-filled caves that make up the Padre Nuestro group. The adjacent subterranean springs are known as Papa Miguel, El Toro, and Padre Nuestro.

These sacred caves are located some 3.4 km east of the town of Bayahibe and 3.6 km northeast of the Club Dominicus Beach. A steep climb through fractured rocks via a shallow sinkhole leads one to a large underground chamber measuring some 30 m wide and 20 m high.

A large colony of bats has made its home in the roof of this chamber. To the Ta'no peoples, the bats are the incarnation of ancestral spirits that come to feast upon guava fruit during the night. The bat and the owl are very significant to them.

In the distant past, the ancient Ta'no people would gather water from a prominent boulder that was strategically placed at the water's edge, making it an ideal spot to collect the fresh water. Pottery fragments that have collected in pockets on the cave floor from ceramic containers, show that the site was in use for a very long time. The artifacts from the surface settled into the rocky bottom substrate in Chicho Cave at a depth of approximately 8-9 meters.

Petroglyphs & Pictographs

At the present time, most of the archaeological evidence of the Ta'no religious ceremonialism comes from dry caves walls and surfaces where it is typically easier to utilize the natural features of the cave without the obstacles that water presents.

Most of this evidence exists in the form petrogylphs and pictographs. Petroglyphs are pictograms and logogram images that are created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving and abrading to form the representation of the artist's desire. Typically petroglyphs are found to occur in areas where sunlight is plentiful such as near cave entrances.

Pictographs are an ideogram that conveys it's meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object and are usually found deeper within caves and are often more elaborate than petrogylphs. At this time, the Chicho springs has only been found to contain petroglyphs.

Near the entrance of the cave are several caritas (small faces) depicted. The faces are prominent because they are carved in to the stalactites and use the natural formations to enhance the sculptures.

A second grouping of petrogylphs are located further back on a flat rock further from the entrance. This particular grouping contains numerous designs that seem to be astronomical or numerical in design. One petroglyph has 13 lines and may depict the lunar months. The Josz Maria site in the East National Park cave contains over 1200 pictographs that have been well documented. Many are of the pictographs are identical to those found in the Chicho cave, reinforcing our understanding of the complexity of the culture.

Ceramics

Using scuba gear and equipment, archaeologist performed complex excavations in the Chicho spring where they recovered over 30 ceramic pieces which are bottle forms, locally called potizas, to transport water. They were also able to find one complete and intact vessel artifact.

The Ta'no water vessels at this site are found to be consistent with others found in the southeastern region of Dominican Republic. Typical water jugs and vessels are heart-shaped with zoomorphic (animal) or anthropomorphic (human) heads attached on both sides of the container. Most artifacts found so far at the site are relatively simplistic in form. However, there are more elaborate potiza collections in museums that depict two spherical lobes in a mammiform representation of female breasts. Other artifacts recovered were potizas with a double-bulbous form and one with a modeled, figurine-like body.

Conclusion

Fortunately for the archaeologist who are trying to understand more about the Ta'no culture and origins, the underwater sites have certain advantages over terrestrial sites. The underwater sites can provide better preservation of the artifacts. And by being less accessible it makes the artifacts less likely to have been artificially damaged by development or looting.

By creating an underwater learning center at this site, archaeologist will be able to document and to provide cultural resources for the public's benefit and to offer site preservation. The Chicho Spring archaeological site will prove to be an invaluable resource on the Ta'no culture and will continue provide information as it is documented further and compared and placed in to context with other archaeological site on Hispaniola.