I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4436 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and Tibes 

Indigenous Ceremonial Center, as units of the National Park System. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 16, 2017 

Miss GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N of Puerto Rico introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Caguana Indigenous 

Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center, as units of the National Park System. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indige6 nous Ceremonial Center Study Act’’. 

7 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows: 


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1 (1) CAGUANA INDIGENOUS CEREMONIAL

2 PARK.— 

3 (A) The Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial 

4 Park is comprised of approximately 13.5 acres 

5 located at the center of Puerto Rico, in the 

6 Caguana Ward at the Municipality of Utuado. 

7 (B) The park is visited by approximately 

8 60,000 students and tourists every year. 

9 (C) Efforts to protect the park began in 

10 1915, when archeologist John Alden Mason, to11 gether with Robert T. Aitken, started research 

12 on this archeological site. A final report was 

13 issued in 1941. 

14 (D) In 1949, the Puerto Rican anthropolo15 gist and archeologist, Ricardo E. Alegrı ́a start16 ed a series of excavations and, in 1964, as Di17 rector of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, 

18 ordered the restoration of the park. 

19 (E) During 1992, after years of studies 

20 and investigations, the National Park Service 

21 included the park in the National Register of 

22 Historic Places. In 1993, the park received the 

23 distinction of a National Historic Landmark. 

24 (F) The park has one of the most sur25 prising archeological sites of the Antilles, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:43 Nov 17, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4436.IH H4436

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1 cluding 22 petroglyphs on calcareous slates, 

2 monoliths located in its main square, and the 

3 Cemı ́ Mountain as sentinel. 

4 (G) The park museum has a permanent 

5 exhibition of more than 80 archeological pieces 

6 from the Taı ́no ancestors. Other pieces are ex7 hibited at the University of Puerto Rico Mu8 seum, the Puerto Rico Historical Archives, the 

9 National Museum of American Indians in New 

10 York City, and at Yale University, among other 

11 private collections. 

12 (H) The Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial 

13 Park has unique pieces belonging to precolonial 

14 culture, from Puerto Rico and from the Carib15 bean, and the best way to ensure their protec16 tion of these treasures may be the inclusion of 

17 the park as a unit of the National Park Service. 

18 (2) TIBES INDIGENOUS CEREMONIAL CEN19 TER.— 

20 (A) The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Cen21 ter is located between the wards of Tibes and 

22 Portugue ́s in the municipality of Ponce, and is 

23 considered one of the most significant indige24 nous sites in the Caribbean. The center is visVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Nov 20, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4436.IH H4436

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1 ited by approximately 80,000 students and 

2 tourists every year. 

3 (B) In 1975, Don Luis Herna ́ndez—a 

4 sugar cane worker—discovered the remnants of 

5 indigenous cultures after the massive flooding 

6 caused by Hurricane Eloı ́sa. 

7 (C) Just after the discovery, the Guaynia 

8 Society of Archeology and History from the 

9 Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico 

10 started the excavations and restoration on the 

11 site. The group was assisted by the renowned 

12 Antillean archeologist, Ricardo Alegrı ́a. 

13 (D) After months of excavations, the Soci14 ety had discovered the oldest Antillean indige15 nous ceremonial site in Puerto Rico, including 

16 the largest indigenous cemetery on the Island 

17 with more than 186 human remains from the 

18 Igneri and Pre-Taı ́no cultures. 

19 (E) Additionally, the Society discovered 

20 nine plazas used by the indigenous to dance the 

21 areyto, play ball and celebrate ceremonies of 

22 great importance. The plazas varied in size 

23 from 42 feet long by 35.8 feet wide to 115 feet 

24 long by 30.5 feet wide, and were named as fol25 lows: Horseshoe Ball Court, Cemı ́ Ball Court, 


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1 Santa Elena Ball Court, One Row Ball Court, 

2 Principal Plaza, Oval or Elliptical Plaza, Bat 

3 Ball Court, and Chief Ball Court. The ninth 

4 court remains unnamed. 

5 (F) The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Cen6 ter is key in the education of the current and 

7 next generations of Puerto Ricans about our in8 digenous roots. Thus, the best way to preserve 

9 our heritage may be the inclusion of the center 

10 as a unit of the National Park Service. 

11 SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY. 

12 (a) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior shall— 

13 (1) carry out a study regarding the suitability 

14 and feasibility of designating Caguana Indigenous 

15 Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial 

16 Center as units of the National Park System; and 

17 (2) consider management alternatives for the 

18 Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and Tibes In19 digenous Ceremonial Center. 

20 (b) STUDY PROCESS AND COMPLETION.—Except as 

21 provided by subsection (c) of this section, section 

22 100507(c) of title 54, United States Code, shall apply to 

23 the conduct and completion of the study required by this 

24 section. 


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1 (c) SUBMISSION OF STUDY RESULTS.—Not later 

2 than 1 year after the date that funds are made available 

3 for this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Com4 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Representa5 tives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re6 sources of the Senate a report describing the results of 

7 the study. 

Æ 


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