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Subterranean cave art
archaeologist recently explored the many subterranean caves of Mona Island . search deeper in the minute tunnels than ever before , the researchers uncovered thousands of well - preserved paintings and dated them to before Europeans arrived on the island — third - largest island in the Puerto Rican archipelago .
Artistic rubbings
Some of the artwork was rubbed into the paries and some was painted with mixtures of local works material , minerals and fusain , according to the cogitation , which was published online Oct. 27 in the Journal of Archaeological Science .
Spiritual shapes
The caves were a spiritual place to the Taíno hoi polloi , who were indigenous to Mona Island , and many of the rubbing , like this one , likely picture local ceremonial , the researchers said .
Dating art
While some of the artwork had been discovered in the past times , no one had examine it with C date .
Cave art age
The scientists used 10 - ray and carbon go out to settle that the artwork is 500 years old .
Human-like figures
By rubbing away the mild , outer level of the rock and roll paries , the Taíno multitude often depict homo - like name with faces and arms .
Rainy deity
In the Taíno religion , Boinayel , render here , was a deity responsible for for rain and implosion therapy , who forever fell in and out of balance with his Sunday - divinity brother , Marohu .
Boinayel
Here , one of the scientists moderate to see just how sometime that portrayal of Boinayel is .
Covered in art
Over the C , G of detrition and paintings eventually coat the walls and ceiling of Mona Island ’s caves .
Charcoal speleothems
investigator discovered that charcoal speleothems , or mineral depository forge from the limestone cave ’s chemical interactions with groundwater , had work throughout the tunnel .
Making art
By using carbon dating proficiency on the calcite secretion that covered some of the nontextual matter , the researchers reason that the Taíno hoi polloi must have returned throughout the 13th to fifteenth centuries to add more art to the caves .
