Parque Ceremonial Indigena de Caguana
Parque Ceremonial Indigena de Caguana
4.5
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
The Caguana Ceremonial Site dates from Puerto Rico's late prehistoric and early contact era. The Caguana site, the largest site of its type in the West Indies, is located in the rainy west central mountains on the east side of the Tanama River, in Barrio Caguana. In 1955, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture acquired the site and began a program of stabilization and restoration. Cobbled walkways border 10 bateyes and stone monoliths, many decorated with petroglyphs, rim some of the court.
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4.5
69 reviews
Excellent
36
Very good
23
Average
9
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Ben_done_that
Atlanta, GA26 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Beautiful place and very cool. However, be warned we drove up on a Sunday and the gates were locked. The staff appeared to still be there, but they refused to let us in and said it would be closed all day. Not sure if you can call ahead, but consider yourself warned.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gina S
1 contribution
Nov 2020
The largest Taino ceremonial ground on the island. Beautiful glyph carvings. Well maintained grounds with minimal protection, so be careful. Great information posted on a wall, but unfortunately I did not get to go into the museum, which probably has better display.
Open Wed-Sun. Call ahead for reservation.
A guide came up and offered more information about the ceremonial grounds and important plants surrounding the field.
The drive is slow and winding through amazing mountains that give you an entirely different, less touristy view of this beautiful island. Waze gave good directions.
(Another great opportunity is the Batey Adventure Tours right across the street! 7 ziplines, rappelling, kayaking through a mountain cave, suspension bridge, with wonderful, positive and energetic guides. I'm 56 and pretty sedentary, so it was challenging!)
Open Wed-Sun. Call ahead for reservation.
A guide came up and offered more information about the ceremonial grounds and important plants surrounding the field.
The drive is slow and winding through amazing mountains that give you an entirely different, less touristy view of this beautiful island. Waze gave good directions.
(Another great opportunity is the Batey Adventure Tours right across the street! 7 ziplines, rappelling, kayaking through a mountain cave, suspension bridge, with wonderful, positive and energetic guides. I'm 56 and pretty sedentary, so it was challenging!)
Written 11 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
v v
Brooklyn, NY4 contributions
Nov 2022 • Couples
Says it’s open 7 days a week. Called 3 times and no answer or voicemail. Drove 2 hours to find it closed with gates locked. Common courtesy if you’re closing for the day put it in your automated recording. This was the one of the only reason I came to PR was to come here and see my culture.
Written 5 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jaguar097
NJ3 contributions
This is a serene location with amazing petroglyphs carved on a ceremonial ball court. The Frog Woman petroglyph is here, which may be Atabey, the Taino name for Mother Earth. The English-speaking guide was very friendly and informative. It was really inspiring to imagine what the ancient Taino Indians must have done here in ball games and ceremonies. The huge Cemi Mountain, shaped like the cemi fetishes which the Taino carved as offerings to the Spirit, looms over the site in majestic, peaceful silence.
If you're visiting Puerto Rico and would like a taste of native spirituality, or just want to get in touch with your past, definitely visit here. I also recommend Tibes Ceremonial Park, about an hour south on Rt. 10/Rt. 123 towards Ponce. That park has more elaborate ruins and is even more amazing, although it has no petroglyphs.
If you're visiting Puerto Rico and would like a taste of native spirituality, or just want to get in touch with your past, definitely visit here. I also recommend Tibes Ceremonial Park, about an hour south on Rt. 10/Rt. 123 towards Ponce. That park has more elaborate ruins and is even more amazing, although it has no petroglyphs.
Written 30 January 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katherine D R
Brooklyn, NY4 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
We hadn't really planned to go to this site, but it was very close to our airbnb spot so we decided to check it out - and were more than pleasantly surprised! Fermin was our very friendly, very knowledgeable and informative guide (and the park's official pet dog, Mason, accompanied us as well!); he gave us the whole tour in English, too, which was very nice. Taino culture is fascinating, and the exhibit room (with explanations in both Spanish and English) was concise yet informative (we skipped the film however, which I think was just in Spanish). We were even impressed with the gift shop, which had great prices on lovely souvenirs (including soap and jewelry, many books, and more). Although this site may be a bit out of the way for some visitors to Puerto Rico, if you find yourself in or around the Central Mountains area - or just want to go on a fun drive through windy roads with beautiful, lush scenery - do be sure to check it out!
Written 19 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LaineyTheExplorer
Honolulu, HI57 contributions
Oct 2015 • Friends
Long and winding road to the park from Camuy Caves. Guard at the parking lot was very informative and pleasant. The grounds were well kept and there's a nominal fee to enter. There's a video to watch but it's in Spanish, so we skipped it and went to the little museum and the grounds. Learned about the Tainos' and the Goddess Atabey. Make sure to stop by El Indio pizzaria after... We were thirsty and the loud music playing was summoning us to check it out!
Written 13 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gavin_Hodgkinson
Germany7 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
Quite a drive from any coast but well worth it. You need a map or navi to find it but it's well signposted. Admission is only one dollar. All the staff are polite. Michael is incredibly motivated, seems to love his job and will willingly answer any questions. The whole complex is in the peak of condition, the lawns and courts are well kept and the exhibits are well presented. Excellently clean premises and WCs. All in all, a fascinating insight into pre-Columbian history and culture.
Written 7 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Writersmuse
Eugene, OR1 contribution
July 2014 • Friends
My friend and I went to the park and were really impressed with the tour guide. His name is Fermin and he went to great lengths to answer all of our questions and understand the Taino culture and history. Go with the tour guide so you learn about the history. There are petroglyphs to look at as well ad a small museum. Bring your lunch and plan to spend time sitting under the many Ceiba (Kapok) trees.
We went in July, very humid and it was raining. It cost $2 per adult but we got there at 2pm so I don't know if that made any difference. You have to walk down a path to get to the center but in the park you walk at your leisure.
The road to get to the park is a mountain road and far from the main roads but as long as you stick to the 111, you will find it.
We went in July, very humid and it was raining. It cost $2 per adult but we got there at 2pm so I don't know if that made any difference. You have to walk down a path to get to the center but in the park you walk at your leisure.
The road to get to the park is a mountain road and far from the main roads but as long as you stick to the 111, you will find it.
Written 10 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oldanalyst
Warsaw, IN197 contributions
Jan 2013 • Couples
….The Tainos lived in the Caribbean islands before the Europeans came. From what I have read, the Tainos were relatively peaceful but not as well organized as the Mayans. There are no ruins of major cities or ruins to see. In the early 1900s, the Centro Ceremonial Indigena de Caguana was discovered. Given the dearth of Taino sites, this probably would be considered one of the more significant archeological sites in the Caribbean islands.
….Various excavations have been made on the site and The Puerto Rican government has owned the site since 1957 and has done an excellent job of uncovering and restoring the 10 playing fields called batayes. On the side of some of these fields are over 20 petroglyphs (stones with carvings) carved by the Tainos. What surprised me was the good shape of these. Exactly what these areas were used for is not known but it is thought that they were ceremonial sites and perhaps recreational areas.
….I had read that the site is not always open and that access is sometimes limited after a heavy rain. We had no limitation although some of the ground was a bit soupy. However in the restored areas, the ground was fine and we enjoyed walking around. There are a variety of trees on the grounds and a big Cieba tree (national tree of PR) dominates the site.
….Be sure to go through the small but informative museum before going to the site. Go upstairs and look at the huge wooden carvings depicting Tainos. There is a small gift shop although it was not open when we were there. Talk with the guides. The one we talked with was very knowledgeable and interesting. He also was one of the few Puerto Ricans who answered my halting Spanish with careful Spanish that a gringo such as myself could understand. Most of the time, I asked in Spanish and the answer came back in English.
….To find the site, you can take route 10 from Arecibo to route 111 outside Utuado. Turn left (west) and go to KM 12.4. The park is on the left and well marked and there is plenty of parking. When we were there, we were not charged an entrance fee. (I'm not sure why.) Be aware that route 10 in an excellent straight road and while 111 is nicely paved, it is very winding and requires due diligence.
….We had been to las Cuevas de Camuy and were going to visit a friend in Utuado and approached the site from the west. In doing so, we found a camping site with a similar name some distance before the actual site. We mistakenly thought this was the site and were disappointed. A local person told us this site was only open on weekends and while it was quite pretty, it fell short of our expectations. We were pleasantly surprised when a few kilometers later, we saw the entrance to the actual site. So we got to view two sites and had a pleasant drive.
….Various excavations have been made on the site and The Puerto Rican government has owned the site since 1957 and has done an excellent job of uncovering and restoring the 10 playing fields called batayes. On the side of some of these fields are over 20 petroglyphs (stones with carvings) carved by the Tainos. What surprised me was the good shape of these. Exactly what these areas were used for is not known but it is thought that they were ceremonial sites and perhaps recreational areas.
….I had read that the site is not always open and that access is sometimes limited after a heavy rain. We had no limitation although some of the ground was a bit soupy. However in the restored areas, the ground was fine and we enjoyed walking around. There are a variety of trees on the grounds and a big Cieba tree (national tree of PR) dominates the site.
….Be sure to go through the small but informative museum before going to the site. Go upstairs and look at the huge wooden carvings depicting Tainos. There is a small gift shop although it was not open when we were there. Talk with the guides. The one we talked with was very knowledgeable and interesting. He also was one of the few Puerto Ricans who answered my halting Spanish with careful Spanish that a gringo such as myself could understand. Most of the time, I asked in Spanish and the answer came back in English.
….To find the site, you can take route 10 from Arecibo to route 111 outside Utuado. Turn left (west) and go to KM 12.4. The park is on the left and well marked and there is plenty of parking. When we were there, we were not charged an entrance fee. (I'm not sure why.) Be aware that route 10 in an excellent straight road and while 111 is nicely paved, it is very winding and requires due diligence.
….We had been to las Cuevas de Camuy and were going to visit a friend in Utuado and approached the site from the west. In doing so, we found a camping site with a similar name some distance before the actual site. We mistakenly thought this was the site and were disappointed. A local person told us this site was only open on weekends and while it was quite pretty, it fell short of our expectations. We were pleasantly surprised when a few kilometers later, we saw the entrance to the actual site. So we got to view two sites and had a pleasant drive.
Written 30 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AcoJr
Dover, NJ54 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
Took my children so they can learn about their Puerto Rican heritage. Upon arrival we where changed a small fee that is used for maintenance. I think it was $3 or $4 per adult and $2 for children. At the entrance there is a small museum. Above the museum their is a room playing a long informational video. The land was many acres. Showed their meeting places and where they played games. Many authenic drawings on rocks. There is also a person sitting in a gazebo explaining how the TaĂno people lived, their day to day lives, etc. I found it very educational. You can do the whole site in 2 hours. Do NOT forget to stop at the food truck in the parking lot. GREAT food.
Written 4 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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