Ancient Borinquen: Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Native Puerto Rico
edited by Peter E. Siegel contributions by Karen F. Anderson-Córdova, Anne V. Stokes, Daniel P. Wagner, Peter G. Roe, Peter E. Siegel, Joshua M. Torres, John G. Jones, Lee A. Newsom, Deborah M. Pearsall, Jeffrey B. Walker and Susan D. deFrance
University of Alabama Press, 2008 Paper: 978-0-8173-5238-7 | eISBN: 978-0-8173-8150-9 | Cloth: 978-0-8173-1471-2 Library of Congress Classification F1969.A53 2005 Dewey Decimal Classification 972.9501
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Native American cultures of Puerto Rico prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1493.
A book on the prehistory of a modern geopolitical entity is artificial. It is unlikely that prehistoric occupants recognized the same boundaries and responded to the same political forces that operated in the formation of current nations, states, or cities. Yet, archaeologists traditionally have produced such volumes and they generally represent anchors for ongoing research in a specific region, in this case the island of Puerto Rico, its immediate neighbors, and the wider Caribbean basin.
To varying degrees, this work addresses issues and draws data from beyond the boundaries of Puerto Rico because in prehistoric times the water between islands likely was not viewed as a boundary in our modern sense of the term. The last few decades have witnessed a growth of intense archaeological research on the island, from material culture in the form of lithics, ceramics, and rock art; to nutritional, architecture, and environmental studies; to rituals and social patterns; to the aftermath of Conquest.
Ancient Borinquen provides a comprehensive overview of recent thinking, new data, syntheses, and insights into current Puerto Rican archaeology, and it reflects and illuminates similar concerns elsewhere in the West Indies, lowland South America, and Central America.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Peter E. Siegel is a Principal Archaeologist and Senior Project Manager with John Milner Associates, a cultural heritage management firm specializing in archaeology, architecture, and planning.
REVIEWS
“This volume was a much-needed publication, not only for Puerto Rican, but also for Caribbean archeology.”
—The Americas
“Ancient Borinquen is a fabulous collection of articles written by the leading practitioners of archaeology in Puerto Rico. The book, which consists of ten chapters, highlights a number of new directions in the field, and will be of value to everyone with an interest in the history and prehistory of the Caribbean.”
—New West Indian Guide
“This volume does a commendable job assembling a comprehensive overview of recent archaeological work on Puerto Rico. The book furthers our understanding of Caribbean prehistory by focusing on this island interface between the Greater and Lesser Antilles.”
—Charles R. Ewen, author of From Spaniard to Creole: The Archaeology of Cultural Formation at Puerto Real, Haiti
"Puerto Rico has been the focus of intensive archaeological research for the last 20 years and more. This impressive volume pulls together the insights from this work and presents them within a context that emphasizes both indigenous perspectives and Puerto Rico's connections to the rest of the Caribbean.”
—Samuel M. Wilson, author of Hispaniola:Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
List of Illustrations 000
Preface 000
1. The Crab-Shell Dichotomy Revisited: The Lithics Speak Out
Reniel Rodríguez Ramos 000
2. The Paso del Indio Site, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico: A Progress
Report
Jeff Walker 000
3. Environmental and Cultural Correlates in the West Indies: A
View from Puerto Rico
Peter E. Siegel, John G. Jones, Deborah M. Pearsall, and
Daniel P. Wagner 000
4. The Status of Paleoethnobiological Research on Puerto Rico and
Adjacent Islands
Susan D. deFrance and Lee A. Newsom 000
5. Ceramic-Age Dietary Patterns in Puerto Rico: Stable Isotopes
and Island Biogeography
Anne V. Stokes 000
6. Deconstructing the Polity: Communities and Social Landscapes
of the Ceramic-Age Peoples of South Central Puerto Rico
Joshua M. Torres 000
7. The Proto-Taíno Monumental Cemís of Caguana: A
Political-Religious "Manifesto"
José R. Oliver 000
8. Rivers of Stone, Rivers within Stone: Rock Art in Ancient
Puerto Rico
Peter G. Roe 000
9. The Aftermath of Conquest: The Indians of Puerto Rico during
the Early Sixteenth Century
Karen F. Anderson-Córdova 000
10. Multiple Visions of an Island's Past and Some Thoughts for
Future Directions in Puerto Rican Prehistory
Peter E. Siegel 000
References Cited 000
Contributors 000
Index 000
Ancient Borinquen: Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Native Puerto Rico
edited by Peter E. Siegel contributions by Karen F. Anderson-Córdova, Anne V. Stokes, Daniel P. Wagner, Peter G. Roe, Peter E. Siegel, Joshua M. Torres, John G. Jones, Lee A. Newsom, Deborah M. Pearsall, Jeffrey B. Walker and Susan D. deFrance
University of Alabama Press, 2008 Paper: 978-0-8173-5238-7 eISBN: 978-0-8173-8150-9 Cloth: 978-0-8173-1471-2
Native American cultures of Puerto Rico prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1493.
A book on the prehistory of a modern geopolitical entity is artificial. It is unlikely that prehistoric occupants recognized the same boundaries and responded to the same political forces that operated in the formation of current nations, states, or cities. Yet, archaeologists traditionally have produced such volumes and they generally represent anchors for ongoing research in a specific region, in this case the island of Puerto Rico, its immediate neighbors, and the wider Caribbean basin.
To varying degrees, this work addresses issues and draws data from beyond the boundaries of Puerto Rico because in prehistoric times the water between islands likely was not viewed as a boundary in our modern sense of the term. The last few decades have witnessed a growth of intense archaeological research on the island, from material culture in the form of lithics, ceramics, and rock art; to nutritional, architecture, and environmental studies; to rituals and social patterns; to the aftermath of Conquest.
Ancient Borinquen provides a comprehensive overview of recent thinking, new data, syntheses, and insights into current Puerto Rican archaeology, and it reflects and illuminates similar concerns elsewhere in the West Indies, lowland South America, and Central America.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Peter E. Siegel is a Principal Archaeologist and Senior Project Manager with John Milner Associates, a cultural heritage management firm specializing in archaeology, architecture, and planning.
REVIEWS
“This volume was a much-needed publication, not only for Puerto Rican, but also for Caribbean archeology.”
—The Americas
“Ancient Borinquen is a fabulous collection of articles written by the leading practitioners of archaeology in Puerto Rico. The book, which consists of ten chapters, highlights a number of new directions in the field, and will be of value to everyone with an interest in the history and prehistory of the Caribbean.”
—New West Indian Guide
“This volume does a commendable job assembling a comprehensive overview of recent archaeological work on Puerto Rico. The book furthers our understanding of Caribbean prehistory by focusing on this island interface between the Greater and Lesser Antilles.”
—Charles R. Ewen, author of From Spaniard to Creole: The Archaeology of Cultural Formation at Puerto Real, Haiti
"Puerto Rico has been the focus of intensive archaeological research for the last 20 years and more. This impressive volume pulls together the insights from this work and presents them within a context that emphasizes both indigenous perspectives and Puerto Rico's connections to the rest of the Caribbean.”
—Samuel M. Wilson, author of Hispaniola:Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
List of Illustrations 000
Preface 000
1. The Crab-Shell Dichotomy Revisited: The Lithics Speak Out
Reniel Rodríguez Ramos 000
2. The Paso del Indio Site, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico: A Progress
Report
Jeff Walker 000
3. Environmental and Cultural Correlates in the West Indies: A
View from Puerto Rico
Peter E. Siegel, John G. Jones, Deborah M. Pearsall, and
Daniel P. Wagner 000
4. The Status of Paleoethnobiological Research on Puerto Rico and
Adjacent Islands
Susan D. deFrance and Lee A. Newsom 000
5. Ceramic-Age Dietary Patterns in Puerto Rico: Stable Isotopes
and Island Biogeography
Anne V. Stokes 000
6. Deconstructing the Polity: Communities and Social Landscapes
of the Ceramic-Age Peoples of South Central Puerto Rico
Joshua M. Torres 000
7. The Proto-Taíno Monumental Cemís of Caguana: A
Political-Religious "Manifesto"
José R. Oliver 000
8. Rivers of Stone, Rivers within Stone: Rock Art in Ancient
Puerto Rico
Peter G. Roe 000
9. The Aftermath of Conquest: The Indians of Puerto Rico during
the Early Sixteenth Century
Karen F. Anderson-Córdova 000
10. Multiple Visions of an Island's Past and Some Thoughts for
Future Directions in Puerto Rican Prehistory
Peter E. Siegel 000
References Cited 000
Contributors 000
Index 000
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC