Mountain River Cave

TEENhistory

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

SOME would say this is just a cave, but oh, they are so wrong. This particular subterranean feature has many wonders to discover if only you'd make the trek.

Filled with a large collection of Taino art, the Mountain River Cave located in Cudjoe Hill, St Catherine, is at the end of a four-mile-long river, which is a combination of three streams approximately 12 feet deep. Mountain River Cave was first discovered in 1897 by JF Duerden and pinpointed in 1954 by JW Lee with the aid of Robert Cooper.

In May 1982, the Archeological Society of Jamaica (ASJ) presented the cave as a gift to the Jamaica National Heritage Trust that declared it a national monument in April 2003. On the way to the cave are various exotic plants and trees that are intertwined with the Jamaican culture.

Some of them are: jackfruits, oranges, tangerines; 'common' mangoes, pineapples and, most notably, pimento which is a famous spice of the Caribbean. There are also Cedar and Guango trees that are used to produce furniture, the Log Wood, which is used to produce the finest coal and a number of herbs that are used as traditional medicines and antidotes.

The cave represents the most outstanding Taino art site in the island. Comprising of limestone and granite, the cave is approximately 100-feet long and 30-feet deep. Of the 148 pictographs, many are well-preserved depicting birds, fish, turtles and abstract patterns. The exact age of the artwork is unknown, however, according to experts it may have been done about 1000-1450 AD.

It is believed that the emphasis on food items suggests that the Tainos used the cave for religious rites to ensure successful hunting.

Mountain River Cave is not only an opportunity for Jamaicans to learn about their heritage, but also an opportunity to appreciate our history.