Major archaeological find in Puerto Rico

[crystal sage]

http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=2123

US archaeologist Nathan Mountjoy sits next stones etched with ancient petroglyphs and graves that reveal unusual burial methods in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. The archaeological find, one of the best-preserved pre-Columbian sites found in the Caribbean, form a large plaza measuring some 130 feet by 160 feet (40 meters by 50 meters) that could have been used for ball games or ceremonial rites, officials said. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton

The petroglyphs include the carving of a human figure with masculine features and frog legs.

Archaeologists also uncovered several graves with bodies buried face-down with the legs bent at the knees — a style never seen before in the region.

The plaza may contain other artifacts dating from 600 A.D. to 1500 A.D., including piles of refuse from daily life, Rivera said.

"I have visited many sites and have never seen a plaza of that magnitude and of those dimensions and with such elaborate petroglyphs," said Miguel Rodriguez, member of the government's archaeological council and director of a graduate school in Puerto Rico that specializes in history and humanities. He is not involved in the excavation project.

Edited October 31, 2007 by crystal sage