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The “Batey”, sacred space, place of celebrations and meetings where “Taíno” Indians interacted socially through the “ball game.”The Bateyes , also called “ Plazas” by the arqueologists ,  used to be constructed by the Indians in different forms and shapes. Commonly were rectangules of different lengths and weith,  and other shapes were squares and circules; it seems that the characteristics of the Bateyes were defined by the different constellation and seasons of the so called “year”. Visiting the Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park ( Utuado P.R. ) in specific dates like solstice’s and equinoccio’s is easy to find, during the day, the “sun” dancing by some of the Bateyes in more or less the same hours ( specially at 12:00pm ) every year. Other characteristics is that all of these Plazas are delimited by different rocks of different shape , size and type;  mainly volcanic rocks, limestone and metamorphic rocks.   Batey Zipline Adventure  invites you to celebrate with nature the enjoyment of that sacred space where you will learn and have fun with us in a responsible and safe way.

 

 

The Taino Indians: Native Americans of the Caribbean

“Who are the Tainos? The U.S. Government says they are extinct, but they are not. Most likely you might know them as Latinos, a Spanish speaking person of Latin American (the Spanish speaking part of the Americas, south of the U.S.) descent. Not all, but many modern day Tainos are unaware of their lineage. To understand how that could happen you must know the story from the beginning.

Approximately 1,500 years ago, the Arawak people of South America began migrating northward along the many scattered islands located between South and North America, an area we now refer to as the Caribbean. For a thousand years their population grew and the people lived in harmony. The people covered all the islands of the Caribbean, the major ones as they are now known: Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola as well as all the smaller ones: the Bahamas, Bimini, Jamaica etc. Certain groups of island people identified themselves as Lokono, Lucayan, Carib, Ciboney, Arawak, but most islands were primarily inhabited by people who called themselves Taino, which stood for “the good people” in their language. The different groups intermarried extensively to strengthen ties amongst themselves.

Theirs was a beautiful culture. They were aware of a Divine presence whom they called Yocahu, and to worship and give thanks was a major part of their lives. They had a social order that provided the leaders and guidelines by which they all lived. They hunted, fished, cultivated crops and ate the abundant fruits provided by nature. They were clever and ingenious and had everything they needed to survive. They had beautiful ceremonies that were held at various times – birth, death, marriage, harvest, naming and coming of age, to name a few. They had special reverence for the Earth Mother (Atabey) and had respect for all living things knowing that all living things are connected. There was little need for clothing due to the tropic heat, but upon reaching puberty both males and females would wear a small woven loincloth. Puberty was also the time at which they were considered old enough to be married. The population estimates for the Taino people at the height of their culture are as high as 8,000,000. That was in 1492….

Contact us at elbateydelcemi@gmail.com or call us at 787-484-3860.

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