¡El Yunque se levanta! Interdisciplinarity and activism at the La Mina petroglyph site

Description

Archaeologists consider Puerto Rico a key geographical location for categorizing native occupations in the Caribbean. However, lack of funding, minimal focus on petroglyph research, and limited historical records has reduced Puerto Rico’s contributions to the broader archaeological conversation. This book hopes to alleviate this issue through its interdisciplinary analysis of the La Mina site, a previously unrecorded petroglyph site near the El Yunque National Forest in Municipio de Naguabo, Puerto Rico. The authors’ 2015 fieldwork consisted of a Phase I geological and archaeological survey and the cataloguing of Rex Cauldwell’s longitudinal photographic study of the site (2006-2018), both of which included the documentation of dozens of previously unrecorded preTaíno/Taíno glyphs. In 2017-2018, they supplemented the initial fieldwork with additional ethnographic data, focusing on the aftermath of recent natural disasters and cultural unrest in the region. Cover Of Related Interest Acknowledgments Contents List of Figures List of Tables Abstract 1. Defining Interdisciplinarity in Archaeology Preface Introduction Objectives of Study Research Justification Organization of Study 2. Creating an Interdisciplinary Context for La Mina Limitations on Puerto Rican Rock Art Research Contextualizing La Mina The Archaeological Marginalization of La Mina The Archaeological Setting The Saladoids and Huecoids (6000 B.C.E. – C.E. 600) The Ostionoids/PreTaíno Peoples (C.E. 600 – C.E. 1200) The Historical Setting Impacts of Spanish Mentalities of Conqueston Puerto Rican Natives The Ethnographic Setting The Taíno: An Ethnohistorical Interpretation Contextualizing Caudwell’s La Mina Photographic Project (2006 – 2018) 3. The Ethnogeological, Environmental, and Geological Setting The Ethnogeological Setting Environmental Setting Physiography Climate Ecology Topography Hydrology Geological Setting Mass Wasting – Earthquakes, Land Slides, Mudslides Regional Petrology Soil Types 4. La Mina Project Methodology Contextualizing Puerto Rican Rock Art Research: A Short Literature Review Field Methods Cauldwell Photographic Methods (2006–2018) Field Methods (2015 Season) Laboratory Methods (2015 Season) Analytical Methods Classification Methods Petroglyph Classification Methods Non-Ceramic Classification Methods Geological Methods Survey Measurements: Manual and GPS Geological Rock Descriptions Structural Strike and Dip of Features Soil Descriptions Conclusion 5. Interpretation and Analysis Cauldwell’s Project Interpretations 2015 Project Interpretations Field Results COMPONENT 1: 49 Meter Survey COMPONENT 2: Investigation of Shovel Test 1 COMPONENT 3: Investigation of Shovel Test 2 COMPONENT 4: Investigation of Shovel Test 3 COMPONENT 5: Investigation of Shovel Test X COMPONENT 6: Surface Collection near Shovel Test 2 COMPONENT 7: Investigation of Shovel Test 4 COMPONENT 8: Investigation of Shovel Test 5 COMPONENT 9: Investigation of Shovel Test 6 COMPONENT 10: Investigation of Shovel Test 7 COMPONENT 11: Investigation of Shovel Test 8 COMPONENT 12: Investigation of Shovel Test 9 COMPONENT 13: Surface Collection near Upper Cacique Cave COMPONENT 14: Surface Collection and Test Pit (X2) Near Unnamed Stream La Mina Material Culture Interpretation Analysing La Mina’s Rock Art Addressing Differences between Regional Typologies FEATURE 1: NE Side of La Mina Boulder Phallus/Phallic Imagery FEATURE 2: NW Side of La Mina Boulder FEATURE 3: SW Side of Chief’s Head Boulder FEATURE 4: Miscellaneous Glyphs The Monkey Glyph La Mina Petroglyph Interpretation Geological Interpretation Terrain and Hydrology Site Petrology and Geological Classification Soil Classification Geomorphological Relevance Dissolution Weathering and Hydrolysis Biogeochemical Processes Geomorphological Summary 6. Puerto Rico Se Levanata: Resilience and Perseverance in Times of Crisis La Mina in the Post Hurricane Maria Era: An Activist Anthropological Approach Contextualizing La Mina Recovery Efforts Using Activist Anthropology Example #1: A Deliberative Conversation – Puerto Ricoand Hurricane Maria Recovery Efforts Example #2: Community Outreach – Donating to Hurricane Maria Recovery Efforts Example #3: Community Outreach – Continuing the Conversations Example #4: Community Outreach – Donating Post-2019, Government Unrest, and Earthquakes Final Thoughts Appendix A: Project Photographs (2006–2019) Appendix B: Representative 2015 Field Photos Appendix C: Geological and Archaeological Lab Photos Appendix D: Petroglyph Photos Appendix E: Petroglyph Photos in Chapter 5 Renderings Appendix F: Lithic Artifact Bibliography Back cover