Ancient Calendar Discovered in Cuba
A group of archaeologists from Baracoa, Cuba have made an important discovery in the Yara-Majayara Protected Area, where they have found hundreds of rock carvings, petroglyphs, made by Taínos (the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the region) which form a calendar.
The petroglyphs represent the four phases of the moon (Cuatro Lunas) and figures of animals, crabs, grasshoppers, bees, lizards, frogs, as well as the turtle, which was a sacred animal for the Tainos and closely linked to their deities and mythological beliefs,” explains Roberto Ordúñez Fernandez, president of the Archaeological Society of Baracoa, Cuba.
“The carvings also personify priestly figures or symbolize plantings and constellations”, says Fernandez, who further states, “For me,these engravings are written expressions of language… with which the Taino culture sought to leave as a written legacy for their future generations.”
This finding, Fernandez believes, will create fresh ideas about what is known about petroglyphs in this pre-Columbian culture.
The use of a calendar systems are previously known to have been used by advanced civilizations, which include the Inca and Maya.
The Cuatro Lunas site reveals a much higher degree of technology than was previously believed to have existed amongst the Tainos and which suggests that they were an advanced culture in full bloom whose development was interrupted by the conquest of America.
read more (Spanish):
http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2012/09/17/nacional/artic03.html