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All Puerto Rico Caguana Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts
AO Edited

Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts

Built some 700 years ago, this Taíno ceremonial site features ball courts, petroglyphs, and evidence of ancient astronomy practices.

Caguana, Puerto Rico

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Petroglyphs   Monti 102 / CC BY 3.0
Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts   CC445 / Public Domain
Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts   Geoff Gallice / CC BY 2.0
Petroglyph (photo from 2009)   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Petroglyph (photo from 2009)   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Petroglyph (photo from 2009)   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Welcome sign (photo from 2009)   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Ball court (photo from 2009), also called a batey   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Photo from 2009   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
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A Taíno ceremonial site with monoliths, petroglyphs, and ball courts. Considered one of the most important Pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Caribbean, Caguana is nestled in the mountains of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central, a short but fun drive away from the crowded beaches along the coast.

The site is estimated to have been built around 1270. Archaeologists have identified approximately 13 ball courts and plazas (bateyes), many of which have been restored how they might have looked when they were first built. In addition to the ball courts, there are monoliths around the site, some marked with petroglyphs carved by the Taíno.

How the courts and stones are laid out at Caguana indicates that their placements are were aligned with specific astronomical events. It is possible that the Taíno might have used this ceremonial site to observe the stars and their movements.

Related Tags

Astronomy Petroglyphs Archaeology Games Indigenous

Know Before You Go

Caguana hours of operation are 9 am to 4 pm every day of the week (Monday to Sunday).

The site is on road PR-111, roughly halfway between the pueblos (town centers) of Lares and Utuado. This is a winding mountain road with many sharp curves, still being repaired in some portions from the damage brought by severe hurricanes in 2017 and 2022. As of December 2022, a portion of the PR-111 road segment between Lares and Caguana is closed, requiring a detour through very steep side roads. The PR-111 road segment between Caguana and PR-10 (near Utuado town) is in fair condition.

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jimmysoda

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Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

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December 15, 2022

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  • https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/profile/centro-ceremonial-indigena-de-caguana/7962
Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts
Carr.111 Km. 48.6
Caguana, 00641
Puerto Rico
18.295373, -66.77826
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Nearby Places

Tanamá River

Utuado, Puerto Rico

miles away

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Puerto Rico

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