Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center Study Act

Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center Study Act

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Puerto Rico as units of the National Park System.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4436 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 Gonzalez-Colon 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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Caguana Indigenous 
Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center Study Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Caguana indigenous ceremonial park.--
                    (A) The Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park is 
                comprised of approximately 13.5 acres located at the 
                center of Puerto Rico, in the Caguana Ward at the 
                Municipality of Utuado.
                    (B) The park is visited by approximately 60,000 
                students and tourists every year.
                    (C) Efforts to protect the park began in 1915, when 
                archeologist John Alden Mason, together with Robert T. 
                Aitken, started research on this archeological site. A 
                final report was issued in 1941.
                    (D) In 1949, the Puerto Rican anthropologist and 
                archeologist, Ricardo E. Alegria started a series of 
                excavations and, in 1964, as Director of the Institute 
                of Puerto Rican Culture, ordered the restoration of the 
                park.
                    (E) During 1992, after years of studies and 
                investigations, the National Park Service included the 
                park in the National Register of Historic Places. In 
                1993, the park received the distinction of a National 
                Historic Landmark.
                    (F) The park has one of the most surprising 
                archeological sites of the Antilles, including 22 
                petroglyphs on calcareous slates, monoliths located in 
                its main square, and the Cemi Mountain as sentinel.
                    (G) The park museum has a permanent exhibition of 
                more than 80 archeological pieces from the Taino 
                ancestors. Other pieces are exhibited at the University 
                of Puerto Rico Museum, the Puerto Rico Historical 
                Archives, the National Museum of American Indians in 
                New York City, and at Yale University, among other 
                private collections.
                    (H) The Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park has 
                unique pieces belonging to precolonial culture, from 
                Puerto Rico and from the Caribbean, 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 
                Service.
            (2) Tibes indigenous ceremonial center.--
                    (A) The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center is 
                located between the wards of Tibes and Portugues in the 
                municipality of Ponce, and is considered one of the 
                most significant indigenous sites in the Caribbean. The 
                center is visited by approximately 80,000 students and 
                tourists every year.
                    (B) In 1975, Don Luis Hernandez--a sugar cane 
                worker--discovered the remnants of indigenous cultures 
                after the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Eloisa.
                    (C) Just after the discovery, the Guaynia Society 
                of Archeology and History from the Pontifical Catholic 
                University of Puerto Rico started the excavations and 
                restoration on the site. The group was assisted by the 
                renowned Antillean archeologist, Ricardo Alegria.
                    (D) After months of excavations, the Society had 
                discovered the oldest Antillean indigenous ceremonial 
                site in Puerto Rico, including the largest indigenous 
                cemetery on the Island with more than 186 human remains 
                from the Igneri and Pre-Taino cultures.
                    (E) Additionally, the Society discovered nine 
                plazas used by the indigenous to dance the areyto, play 
                ball and celebrate ceremonies of great importance. The 
                plazas varied in size from 42 feet long by 35.8 feet 
                wide to 115 feet long by 30.5 feet wide, and were named 
                as follows: Horseshoe Ball Court, Cemi Ball Court, 
                Santa Elena Ball Court, One Row Ball Court, Principal 
                Plaza, Oval or Elliptical Plaza, Bat Ball Court, and 
                Chief Ball Court. The ninth court remains unnamed.
                    (F) The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center is key 
                in the education of the current and next generations of 
                Puerto Ricans about our indigenous roots. Thus, the 
                best way to preserve our heritage may be the inclusion 
                of the center as a unit of the National Park Service.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of the Interior shall--
            (1) 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 System; and
            (2) consider management alternatives for the Caguana 
        Indigenous Ceremonial Park and Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial 
        Center.
    (b) Study Process and Completion.--Except as provided by subsection 
(c) of this section, section 100507(c) of title 54, United States Code, 
shall apply to the conduct and completion of the study required by this 
section.
    (c) Submission of Study Results.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date that funds are made available for this section, 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 study.
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