,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ddcf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #af1 #bjag 
,miss ,gonzlez-,coln of ,puerto ,rico   
introduced the following bill2 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 ,center1 as units of the   
,national ,park ,system4  #a4 ,short    
title2 findings  7a7 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,caguana       
,indigenous ,ceremonial ,park and ,tibes
 ,indigenous ,ceremonial ,center ,study 
,act4  7b7 ,findings ,congress finds as 
follows3  7#a7 ,caguana indigenous      
ceremonial park  7,a7 ,the ,caguana     
,indigenous ,ceremonial ,park is        
comprised of approximately #ac4e acres  
located at the center of ,puerto ,rico1 
in the ,caguana ,ward at the            
,municipality of ,utuado4  7,b7 ,the    

park is visited by approximately #fj1jjj
 students and tourists every year4  7,c7
 ,efforts to protect the park began in  
#aiae1 when archeologist ,john ,alden   
,mason1 together with ,robert ,t4       
,aitken1 started research on this       
archeological site4 ,a final report was 
issued in #aida4  7,d7 ,in #aidi1 the   
,puerto ,rican anthropologist and       
archeologist1 ,ricardo ,e4 ,alegra      
started a series of excavations and1 in 
#aifd1 as ,director of the ,institute of
 ,puerto ,rican ,culture1 ordered the   
restoration of the park4  7,e7 ,during  
#aiib1 after years of studies and       
investigations1 the ,national ,park     
,service included the park in the       
,national ,register of ,historic        
,places4 ,in #aiic1 the park received   
the distinction of a ,national ,historic
 ,landmark4  7,f7 ,the park has one of  
the most surprising archeological sites 
of the ,antilles1 including #bb         
petroglyphs on calcareous slates1       
monoliths located in its main square1   

and the ,cem ,mountain as sentinel4     
7,g7 ,the park museum has a permanent   
exhibition of more than #hj             
archeological pieces from the ,tano     
ancestors4 ,other pieces are exhibited  
at the ,university of ,puerto ,rico     
,museum1 the ,puerto ,rico ,historical  
,archives1 the ,national ,museum of     
,american ,indians in ,new ,york ,city1 
and at ,yale ,university1 among other   
private collections4  7,h7 ,the ,caguana
 ,indigenous ,ceremonial ,park has      
unique pieces belonging to precolonial  
culture1 from ,puerto ,rico and from the
 ,caribbean1 and the best way to ensure 
their protection of these treasures may 
be the inclusion of the park as a unit  
of the ,national ,park ,service4  7#b7  
,tibes indigenous ceremonial center     
7,a7 ,the ,tibes ,indigenous ,ceremonial
 ,center is located between the wards of
 ,tibes and ,portugus in the            
municipality of ,ponce1 and is          
considered one of the most significant  
indigenous sites in the ,caribbean4 ,the

 center is visited by approximately     
#hj1jjj students and tourists every     
year4  7,b7 ,in #aige1 ,don ,luis       
,hernndez--a sugar cane                 
worker--discovered the remnants of      
indigenous cultures after the massive   
flooding caused by ,hurricane ,elosa4   
7,c7 ,just after the discovery1 the     
,guaynia ,society of ,archeology and    
,history from the ,pontifical ,catholic 
,university of ,puerto ,rico started the
 excavations and restoration on the     
site4 ,the group was assisted by the    
renowned ,antillean archeologist1       
,ricardo ,alegra4  7,d7 ,after months of
 excavations1 the ,society had          
discovered the oldest ,antillean        
indigenous ceremonial site in ,puerto   
,rico1 including the largest indigenous 
cemetery on the ,island with more than  
#ahf human remains from the ,igneri and 
,pre-,tano cultures4  7,e7              
,additionally1 the ,society discovered  
nine plazas used by the indigenous to   
dance the areyto1 play ball and         

celebrate ceremonies of great           
importance4 ,the plazas varied in size  
from #db feet long by #ce4h feet wide to
 #aae feet long by #cj4e feet wide1 and 
were named as follows3 ,horseshoe ,ball 
,court1 ,cem ,ball ,court1 ,santa ,elena
 ,ball ,court1 ,one ,row ,ball ,court1  
,principal ,plaza1 ,oval or ,elliptical 
,plaza1 ,bat ,ball ,court1 and ,chief   
,ball ,court4 ,the ninth court remains  
unnamed4  7,f7 ,the ,tibes ,indigenous  
,ceremonial ,center is key in the       
education of the current and next       
generations of ,puerto ,ricans about our
 indigenous roots4 ,thus1 the best way  
to preserve our heritage may be the     
inclusion of the center as a unit of the
 ,national ,park ,service4  #b4         
,national park service study  7a7 ,study
 ,the ,secretary of the ,interior       
shall-- 7#a7 carry out a study regarding
 the suitability and feasibility of     
designating ,caguana ,indigenous        
,ceremonial ,park and ,tibes ,indigenous
 ,ceremonial ,center as units of the    

,national ,park ,system2 and  7#b7      
consider management alternatives for the
 ,caguana ,indigenous ,ceremonial ,park 
and ,tibes ,indigenous ,ceremonial      
,center4  7b7 ,study process and        
completion ,except as provided by       
subsection 7c7 of this section1 section 
#ajjejg7;c7 of title #ed1 ,united       
,states ,code1 shall apply to the       
conduct and completion of the study     
required by this section4  7c7          
,submission of study results ,not later 
than #a year after the date that funds  
are made available for this section1 the
 ,secretary shall submit to the         
,committee on ,natural ,resources of the
 ,house of ,representatives and the     
,committee on ,energy and ,natural      
,resources of the ,senate a report      
describing the results of the study4