Rare petroglyphs found in Cuban caves
By IANSThursday, June 25, 2009
HAVANA - Cuban archaeologists are studying the strange drawings found in caves in eastern Cuba, Prensa Latina reported.
The petroglyphs, discovered in the Sierra del Rosario reserve located in Pinar del Rio province, have now motivated large-scale research in the area to establish the origin of the asymmetric carvings in the stalagmites.
According to Cuba’s renowned historian Luis Formigo, the carvings were made by pre-tribal aboriginal people who also carved stone to make fire, track time and follow the course of events between the years 5,000 and 3,000 B.C.
The Cuban Anthropology Institute called the 2 cm X 7 cm discovery as extraordinary and linked it to the Banwari-Trace tradition of Trinidad, East Caribbean, leading cave stone carving sites in the area.
The discoveries include caves used for housing and others used for ceremonies, plus several others considered graveyards, Formigo said.
In La Lechuza, one of the largest caves, food remains, tools and pieces of human skeletons were also found.
