On an uninhabited Caribbean island, archaeologists were amazed to discover a series of cave drawings pre-dating European contact. This was a surprise because the drawings are so well-preserved. Over 70 winding caves on the island of Mona, between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, contain art. Some are scratches on the rock. Others are more sophisticated, with paint made from sophisticated organic materials such as bat droppings, plant gums, minerals like iron, and materials from native trees like turpentine trees. The islanders were putting a lot of work into their art, deep where the light of day could not illuminate their creations.

The researchers noted that the indigenous people of Mona Island believed that the sun and moon emerged from beneath the ground. So exploring deep into the expansive network of subterranean caves, and making art there, is interpreted by today’s archaeologists as a highly spiritual act. 

According to UNESCO, the site of San Agustín in Colombia is host to the largest collection of megalithic sculptures in South America. San Agustín is a massive necropolis strewn with some 40 burial mounds and 600 stone statues fashioned from volcanic rock. These statues range in height from only a few inches to around 20 feet! They depict grotesque monsters, club-wielding warriors and animals such as eagles, jaguars and frogs. The vast majority of the monuments date to between the 00s to 700s CE. Sadly, little about the site is understood – why it was created, what kept it in use for over 600 years, and why the site was finally put out of use.

Coca Does Not Equal Cocaine

Use of coca leaves, the leaves which can be used to make cocaine, is traditional in the Andes. In fact, its consumption dates to the very earliest of ancient South American cultures. We have evidence that coca was consumed in what is today Ecuador as early as the 8000s BCE. This is hardly surprising. Coca is extremely useful.

The leaves contain a powerful alkaloid which acts as a stimulant. Its effects include raised heart rate, increased appetite, and suppressed hunger and thirst. Its muscle-relaxing properties mean coca leaves are great for menstrual cramps. And that also helps treat altitude sickness, but opening up the respiratory tract and relieving the feeling of shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. Further, coca leaves have antibacterial and analgesic properties. It also aids in digestion and preventing constipation. Finally, the leaves themselves are nutritionally beneficial. They are rich in iron, vitamin B, and vitamin C. No wonder coca leaves continue to be a large part of Andean culture through today.

Since his discovery in 1996, scientists, Native American groups, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have fought over his remains. Personally, h-nf first heard about the remains, and the anger around them, in middle school. It has been far too long that this man, whoever he was when he lived, has not been allowed to lay at rest.

Bottle in the shape of a gourd. Chimu, pottery, circa 1200 - 1400. Courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian.

The Rukai are one of Taiwan’s aboriginal peoples. It consists of six subgroups in southern Taiwan (Budai, Labuan, Maga, Mantauran, Tanan, and Tona), each of which has their own dialect of the Rukai language. They worship the clouded leopard (whose coat is worn by the young Rukai man above) and the hundred pacer, a type of venomous viper, which they believe to be the spirit of their ancestor.