By Luis Reyes-Ortiz
It would be great to turn back time and witness the life of my ancestors here in Puerto Rico. This is what comes to my mind as I drive past the Taíno Heritage Monument in the north entrance to the municipality of Caguas. The impressive bronze statue stands high with its arms wide open, welcoming everybody into the Turabo Valley. As the name suggests, this statute gives tribute to the Taíno population which used to call Puerto Rico, and other islands in the Caribbean, home. But, even more specific, it is a tribute to the cultural and historical side of Caguas.
This mighty land was once ruled by the chief, or cacique, named Caguax, from where the name of the municipality comes from, before the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World. After his death, his niece, María Baguanamey, inherited the land, who’s the figure represented in this statue. What his people left behind — the burial grounds, the petroglyphs, and the many artifacts of the culture — have given the people of Caguas a sense of pride for the Taíno heritage. This monument is a great example of that pride. I decide to park in a nearby mall and walk towards the statute to see it from up close. Once again, as I stand under it, my mind wanders off to imagine the years of prime for this long-lost civilization.
Oh! The glory days of almost ultimate freedom, embracing nature, aware of their surroundings and their spiritual-selves. The days that we celebrated almost every event, from births to good harvest, with an areyto, a ceremony that consisted of singing and dancing to the power of the drums, in the batey, the ceremonial plaza. The days when they held the important ceremony of the cohoba ritual, the ceremony in which the cacique, alongside the shamans, or behiques, inhaled hallucinogenic substances to enhance their minds and communicate with the deity known as cemí. The days when they played the batú, a game of life and death, of up to 30 contestants, trying to maintain a ball in the air for as long as they could, with the use of everything but their hands. Oh! The glory days.
This meditative trip gave me a great idea. I decided to pay a visit to the Caguas’ History Museum, situated downtown, in what used to be the town hall. This museum has the ambitious idea of showcasing the entire history of Caguas and Puerto Rico in a safe space for everybody, free of charge. However, my interest lies with the three pre-Columbian era sections of the museum. Even more specific, the second and third sections, the Archeology of Cagüitas and the Cacicazgo of Caguas, referring to the things found from the chief in the Cagüitas region. In here, you can see, in immense detail, some of the artifacts used by the Taínos for divine adoration, cooking and more. You may also see an actual tomb of a child from about 1,200 years ago that was found in the Botanical and Cultural Garden. For their culture, death was very important. They believed in life after death, so they buried their dead in a fetal position, as a symbolic gesture for their rebirth to the afterlife. So, yes, the child in this exhibition is in a fetal position. Also, inside, there’s the recreation of a yucayeque, town or village, that gives a visual representation of how these people lived back in the day. I see the rest of the museum, of course, but it’s the Taíno section that stays with me, long after I leave.
Since I’m in this cultural journey, I might as well visit Caguas’ Botanical and Cultural Gardens William Miranda Marín. The park is located on an archeological site of pre-Columbian times when Caguax and his people ruled the great Turabo Valley. At a low cost, I can enjoy the pleasure of visiting a site where my ancestors used to roam. Instantly, as I step inside, a calmness takes over the atmosphere, an almost unearthly peace overlooked outside of this landscape. I take a stroll through the small pathways leading to the different sites one can visit. The first thing I notice is the abundance of flora. Trees, many of which I haven’t seen anywhere near where I live, take center stage. The peaceful ambiance in the air overcomes the sweltering heat. I reach a big tree, with thorns in the trunk. It’s a ceiba, an important and sacred tree in Taíno belief. It was the daughter of Yaya, sister of Yocahu, the supreme creator. For them, this tree was also the link between heaven and the underworld.
Suddenly, I remember a Puerto Rican legend involving this tree. The story revolves around Guanina, a Taína, and her Spanish lover, whom after a successful Indian revolt, die and are buried together under a giant Ceiba, with the hope that they will meet once again in the afterlife. Yes, this tree is important indeed. Even today, some of our parents, or grandparents, speak of this tree as something precious that must be protected at any cost. Isn’t it charming that the culture of the past has infiltrated into our subconscious unnoticed?
Think about the next plant I came across: the bixa orellana, better known to us as achiote. Achiote is a seed of a reddish color, commonly used in Puerto Rican cuisine as a spice. However, the Taínos mainly used it to color their faces red during battle or confrontation. They also used it as a tint. While today the use of these seeds is different, we still use it in our daily lives.
I walk for a few more steps and I reach the banks of the Cagüitas River. From afar I can see a great sight: the writings of this society engraved in stone. These petroglyphs were artistic representations of their deities, animals, people, and nature. One of the most famous images for Puerto Ricans is the image of the Taíno sun. While there have been many discussions among scholars about the significance of these symbols, for us, it represents our tropical climate, the year-round summer atmosphere of the island.
Another important is their depiction of the coquí. This little frog is one of the emblems of the island. I can only imagine when the Taínos arrived and heard for the first time that epic one-word chorus at night. That must’ve been something so extraordinary for them; a frog that sings! Today, they are on the brink of extinction, but still, those that survive, sing just as loud as they probably did back in the day. It would be very sad to be unable to hear them anymore. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen. They’re plenty other symbols to be mentioned, like the representation of the Juracán, hurricanes sent by the Goddess of the Winds, Guabancex, when angry; or the image of the turtle, the carey. I bet that at this very moment, someone, somewhere, is getting a Taíno inspired tattoo.
This was certainly an interesting journey back and forth between timelines. I love my culture. I know many do as well. Now, I drive back home, still thinking about our ancestors, about our long, sometimes troubled past. But the idea that we still preserve, and are proud of our history, is a comforting thought. Places like these in Caguas should be treasured and enjoyed by everybody.
I’m certainly glad that the municipality has made a collective and laborious effort to maintain parts of our culture intact. If you are in the mood to experience a bit of the life of the people that make our culture so beautiful, then drive straight to Caguas. Here, I pass the Taíno Heritage Monument again. Now it looks even more beautiful under the dimmed lights of dusk. Now her arms seem open to thank me for visiting. Caguas, you are very welcome.
