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The Icacos Petroglyph Group (Spanish: Grupo de Petroglifos de Icacos), also known as the Río Blanco Petroglyphs (Petroglifos de Río Blanco), is an ensemble of indigenous petroglyphs that can be found on four large boulders located at the confluence of the Icacos and Cubuy rivers, within the El Toro Wilderness section of El Yunque National Forest. The site and its environment are well-preserved due to their remote location and through their protection by the U.S. Forest Service. Although the address and exact coordinates are not publicly available, the site is located within the boundaries of the Río Blanco barrio of the municipality of Naguabo, Puerto Rico and can be accessed through guided tours. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 2015.

About

Motifs

The petroglyphs are estimated to be relatively recent in the timeline of indigenous inhabitation of Puerto Rico; dating based on stylistic comparison puts them as Chican Ostionoid (1200-1492) in origin. The group consists of fourteen petroglyphs that depict traditional motifs of the Taino culture, mythology and society. The most notable motif is that of the "wrapped ancestor", popularly and erroneously called "wrapped infant", that depict a cadaver wrapped in funerary bundles as part of last rites that were described by early Spanish chroniclers such as Fray Ramón Pané. This motif has been adapted into the modern popular culture of Puerto Rico as a symbol of Taino culture. Other notable motifs include geographical patterns, local animals and plants, and anthropomorphic faces thought to represents zemis such as Yokahu and Atabey.

Academic surveys

The earliest academic survey of the site might have happened in 1890 by French anthropologist Alphonse Pinart, although it is possible that he might have described a site that used to be located downstream along the Icacos River, closer to the main settlement of Río Blanco. Although most of these petroglyphs were lost due to erosion and human activity, some can still be admired next to Charco El Hippie. This possible site was also mentioned by American anthropologist Jesse Walter Fewkes in 1907. Most likely, Irving Rouse from Yale University was the first academic to provide a full survey of the site in 1938. Further surveys were made by Monica Flaherty Frassetto in 1960, when the individual petroglyphs were first properly traced and replicated for comparative study, and in 1979 by Juan Gonzalez who made another survey on behalf of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture. Antonio Daubon officially inventoried the site in 1981 on behalf of the Archaeology Heritage Program of the U.S. Forest Service. Although the site is remote and protected it was the victim of an act of vandalism in 1960 when unidentified individuals carved their names in the boulder.

See also

• Taino archaeology

References

1. Federal and state laws and practices restrict general public access to information regarding the specific location of this resource. In some cases, this is to protect archaeological sites from vandalism, while in other cases it is restricted at the request of the owner. See: Knoerl, John; Miller, Diane; Shrimpton, Rebecca H. (1990), Guidelines for Restricting Information about Historic and Prehistoric Resources, National Register Bulletin, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, OCLC 20706997.
2. "Ultimate Private Taíno Petroglyph Experience". Viator. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
3. ^ Feliciano, Raymond (July 22, 2015). "National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). fs.usda.gov.
4. Feliciano (2015). "What are Petroglyphs / ¿Qué es un petroglifo?". fs.usda.gov.
5. ^ Flaherty Frassetto, Monica (January 1960). "A Preliminary Report on Petroglyphs in Puerto Rico". American Antiquity. 25 (3): 381–391 – via JSTOR.
6. Rodriguez Alvarez, Angel. "A CLASSIFICATION SCHEME FOR THE PUERTO RICO PETROGLYPHS" (PDF). ufl.edu.
7. "Taino Petroglyphs on the Rio Blanco in Puerto Rico near Naguabo". www.elyunque.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
8. "El Hippie Petroglyphs | El Yunque, Puerto Rico | Attractions". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2023-09-03.

External links

• What are petroglyphs? - (El Yunque National Forest official site)

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• Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
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• Petroglyphs in Puerto Rico
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