HOUSES

The

houses of the aborig-inal PortoRicans werelikethose of the Haitiansand notver}' different from the cabins of thepoorerpeople of theislandto-daj; especiallythoseⁱⁿthemountains,whereoldtypes ofconstructionstill survive. Naturally

modern

cabins present

many

modifications,astheuse of iron ^{nails in}fastening thebeams, butthe materialsused in construction arc practicallythe same,and the old architecturaltypes are stillfollowed in

modern

dwellings.

As

a rule these houses,as at thepresent day,wei'e ei'ectedon hillocks,almost hidden by trees, and

commonly

^i-emote

from

one another. Archi- tectural modifications are necessarily greatest near the cities and towns,and onthe outskirts of thecities,inthepoorerquarters,there aregenerallyrowsof similarcabins ofprimitive construction, forming- streets.

Here

thehouses are constructed of

modern

building materials

;

theirroofs arecoveredwithtilesor sheets ofmetal

from

oldoil cans, replacing the

pahu

leaves,whicharenot there available forthepurpose.

But

thesehouses,like those in the country, are frequently

mounted

onposts,with their floors raised

from

theground, being universally destituteof cellai-s.

We

have in the earlySpanishwriters several descriptions of the houses of the

West

Indian aborigines.

The

accountofthe habitations of the Haitians given by Oviedo, accompanied by pictures, applies equally well tothe houses of the ancientPortoRicans. Itisstated byearly writers that the nativeslived inpueblos orvillagessituated along theshore orinthehills,aswellas in isolatedcabins scattered throughthe mountains.

Altliough no sufficient evidence has j'et beenpresented to prove that the prehistoricpeople ofPorto Ricolivedincaves,

many

aborig- inal relicsoccurin these places.

The

nativesaresaid tohaveinhab- ited caverns after the advent of Europeans, and Oviedo speaks of certain peopleintheprovince ofGaucayarima,inHaiti,

who

lived in subterranean dwellings, declaring that theywereignorant of agricul- ture,subsistedonthefruitsandrootswhichnature provided,builtno houses,and had nootherhabitations.

He

regarded this raceof true cave dwellersasthe most savage in the island of Haiti. While ^tiie existence ofcave dwellersintheneighboringislands,

Cuba

andHaiti, mightleadtothe conjecture that therewerealsocavepeopleinPorto Rico,

when Columbus

discovered the island the majority of theinhal)- itantswerenot troglodytic,butlived intheopen country and^resorted tothe

numerous

caves only for sepulture of thedead or for religious rites. Iftherewerecave dwellers,

we may

justly'regard

them

as sur- vivors ofthemostarchaic racethatinhabited theisland.

Munoz"

hasgiven us agooddescription ofoneofthevillages atthe ajuanBautlstaMunoz,Historia delNuevo Mundo,Madrid,1793.

4'2

IHK ABORIGINES

OF

PORTO

RICO [eth.ann.i;5

westernoiulofPortoRico,diseoverod))_y

Columbus

durinir his .second vo^'age.

The

houses composing ^thispueblowere, he says,arranged about a central inclosure or plaza,

from

whichthereextendedtothe shore adouble

row

of palisades inclosing a jjassagewaycoveredwith boughs and ending in an elevated lookout near the seashore. This latter structure was larger and higher than the other houses and apparently circularinform.

Clusters of

mounds

arefoundintheneighborhoodoftheinclosuves, surrounded

by

standingstones, caUedthejucgotsdc^Jjo/a,orballcourts, remainsof

many

ofwhicharestillfoundintheinteriorof theisland.

These

mounds may

have been sites of houses arranged about the inclosures,andthere

may

have beena central structure largerthanand in

form

different

from

thesmallerdwellingsclustei-edaboutit. If this weretrue,each of thesinallorcabins in these clusterswas proljabl}' peopledby oneclanorpiiratry,andthelarger centralhouseservedas the temple where the idols and ceremonial objects were kept, and

where

theheadoftheclan,calledthe cacique,resid(>d. Thereisgood evidence that inevery puebloonehou.se, different from^therest,

was

always set apart for religious purposes,and in thishouseidolsand otherparaphernalia ofworshipwere alwayskept.

The

otherhouseswerehabitations of thepeople,andwereapparently of twoforms, circularand rectangular,thesetj^pesbeingconstructed ofsimilar material, so put together that theycloselyresembled each otheringeneral character.

Herrera" thus describes thehousesof theprimitive inhabitants of Espanola, orHaiti:

Eachcaciqueliasalioiiseapartfromthoseofthepeople,wherethere arecertain figuresof stone,wood,orpaintingworkedinrelief,whichtheycallCemis. Inthis house theydonothing but holdservices totheseCemix,performing ceremoniesand prayerswhichcorrespondtotheworshipinchurches.

Withinthis"temple"theyhaveasmall,well-madetable(tal)la),roundinform, on which are placedcertainpowderswithw'hichthey sprinkle the headsofthe images withdefiniteceremonies,andwitha caneoftwobranches,whichtheyplace intlieirnostrils,theysnuffupthispowder; thewordsthey saynoSpaniard under- stands. ^{. .} . Theyaffix to thesefigures thenamesoftheir ancestors. ^{. . .} CertainCastilians,desiring to seethe mysteriesof theiraltars, wentinto one of thesehouses,andimmediately theCeiidspokeintheirtongue,fromwhichdeception they learned that the idolwasartificially made,andthe statuewas hollow,from behindwhichtherewasahollow cane extendingtoacornerofthe"church,"where a personwashidden. Theresponsesweremade bythisperson through thetube.

Oviedo gives a description of the architecture of the aboriginal housesofthe Haitians,which probably^appliestothose of the natives

«Descripoi6ndelasIndiasOeeidentales,decadeI,bookiii,chap.3, p. 67,Madrid.1730. Antonio deHerrera,whowasbornin1.565anddiedin 1625 attheageof 60 years,wasappointedhistoriogra- pher^oftheIndiesbyKingFerdinand11. His greatworkinthejudgmentofsomewritersislargely atranslation ofLasCasas,buthehadaccess toSpanisharchives,whichgaveitspecialvalue. See also Ilerrera'sDescripeiAndelaIslade PuertoRico, 1582;andBoletlndela SociedadGeogrdftcade Madrid,1876.

43 ofPortoRico.

The

followingiiocountistakenalmostverbatim from thisdescription:

The

Indians of Haiticalledtheirhousesbi/Ji/'o.t,caneyea^andrraertis,

and constructed

them

in two ways, according to the wish of the builder.

One

kind(figure1)wascircular,thesupportingposts being set in theearth^-iorofeetapart,formingacircle.

The

roofwassup- portedb}'poleswhich convergedattheapex andrestedontheupright beams,beingtied to the tops of the uprights.

They

formedrafters, connectedbvcanestalks,

upon

which wereplaced acoveringofleaves.

CertainIndian houses, calledcaney,were thatched with the leaves of the h!ha<mor with cane stalks; otherswith

palm

leaves or other materials.

The

wallsofthistype were

made

of canes fastened above to the connectingbeams and buried

intheearth below,all

bound

togethei withflexible fibers.

A

^caneywascir

cular, with pointed roof, and desti tuteofwindows,the light beingad mittedthroughthe door. Itissaid tohave hadgreaterstrength than the rectangular tvpe,resistingbetterthi terrificwinds which sometimes blow overtheisland.

The

second type (figure 2) had a square or a rectangular shape, but

was

builtofthesame kindof material astheformer. Descriptionsandfig-

ures of houses of this kind indicate that they had windows, doors, an

A-shaped roof,anda small porch. In the figuresgiven

m

Ovledoof bothkinds of houses,ballsarerepresented along the ridge pole or^at thepoint of theroof. These

may

have beenweights,andit isinterest- ingtocompare

them

withthe spherical stonesfoundnearvillagesites.

Modem

^cabinsinPorto Rico resemble the second rather than the firsttypeofancient dwellings,l)ut difl'er

from

both in this detailof architecture. These

modern

structures are often raisedonpostsabove ground, although examples^are

common

wherethere arenoside walls, theroofextending to the ground.

The

authorhas seenat different points on the island a few circularcabins resembling

somewhat

the caneyasitisdescribed.

Of modern

cabins there are several types, of whichthefollowiiio-niav bementioned:

CircuUr

hue

^Tit

Thatched with

Grasses

On

plateii («) is representedabuilding at Luquillo in process of construction, showing the

framework

withoutcovering, before the thatchhas been tied to the roof or upright beams. All therafters

44 THE ABORIGINES

OE

PORTO

RICO [ETH.ANN. 25

have not yetbeen tied or nailedtothebeams, butthere are postsat thefour cornerswhichare stouter than the rest.

The beams

usedin construction are rough, undressed logs,and there is no attempt at

hewing

or planingthem.

The

^{pileofstrawon the ground isthatch,}

laterusedtocover roofandwalls.

The

next picture (plate Ii,h), representing apartially completed building,issituatedina small fishingvillagenot far

from

Barceloneta, atthe

mouth

of the Manati ^river. It has the thatchtied tothe side

beams

forming the walls and on the raftersformingtheroof.

The

figure shows the care thatis used inthearrangement of the thatch anditsattachmenttothe

framework

of the building.

The

nextillustration(plateIi,c),representing apartiallyconstructed l)uilding near Barceloneta,showsthe

method

of tying this thatchto theside

beams

andtothe rafters.

The

thatch is

arranged in bundles, as

shown

in the figure,at- tached directly to the rafters,andheldinplace

by

rods fastened a few inches below the points of attachment.

The

next step in the construction ofthishouse would be to layanother course of the thatch higher

up

than that

shown

inthelast figure, andsoinsuccessionuntil the ridgepole isreached.

When

thedifferent courses areall tied in place,the loose hanging endsof the lowest course are

trimmed

toa properlengthwithasharpknife. In attaching the thatch, the courses on the sides of the house begin near theground atthe base of the wall,butthefirstof thoseon^theroofisatthecaves.

Each

successive course ^is laidabove thecourselastprecedinginbothinstances.

A

completedcabinis

shown

inthe accompanying picture(plateii, c/,f),taken

from

a photograph of buildings situated near the last.

To

prevent leakageat the ridgepole, ^{it is} often customary to lay along the top of the roof a

row

of

palm

leaves bent at an angle, as

shown

inthefigure.

TlIATCHEO

WITH PaLM LeaVES

Here

andthere on the island,but less

commonly

than the first-

mentionedtype,

we

findhousescoveredwith the sheaths ofpalmleaves, calledi/(t<juas.

No

thatchisemployedincabins ofthistype,although the method of construction resembles that mentioned aliovc.

One

FEWKES]

HOUSES

45 of these palm-thatched cabins (plate iv, e)differs from those above mentionedratherinmaterialsused thanin

method

ofconstruction.

"With

Palm Leaves ox Walls, and Straw-thatched Roofs

A

large

number

ofhouseshavethe walls coveredwith the sheaths of

palm

leaves{i/ag>ia.s),while the roof is

made

^of thatch (plateiii).

Itwillbe noticed that there are no

windows

in

many

of these houses, allthe lightenteringthroughthe open door;this aperture is closed atnight,however,the natives ofPorto Ricoalmostwithoutexception havingthe idea that nightair isinjurious."

^\'ITH Slabs of

Palm Wood on Walls

Housesof afourthkind(plates iv,?>,andv) haveflatslabsof

palm wood

instead of the yugua andthatch on the sides,the roof being sometimesconstructed of theformer,sometimesofthelattermaterial.

Manj'examples of this t3'pewere observedinwhichhalfofthe walls were coveredwithpalm boai'ds and the remaining halfwith yngna, which^is evidently a

modern

innovation. Inoneof these thedooris

made

of jialmleaves,as

shown

inplateiii, a.

A

^still further modification, regarded as

more

recent still, is the substitution for

palm

leaves of plates

from

kerosene cans, a

mod-

ern innovation that isespeciallycoumion near the larger towns.

A

number

ofbuildingswith oil-can roofs

may

be seenatthe small but characteristicpuebloofCataiio,oppositeSan Juan.

The

accompanyingfigure(plate iv,r/,a')represents a

row

ofhouses near Arecibo. where

many

ofthe roofswere

made

ofcorrugatediron plates. These buildings are situatedon sand dunes overlooking the Atlantic,andareinhabitedby negroes andthepoorernatives,mostly fishermen. All the methods of construction are found in rows of housesin differenttowns on the island,as Luquillo,Caguas. and on the^bluff'satArecibo.

While

thereisaresemblanceincertain

modern

Porto Ricanhousesto those of prehistoric times,asdescribedbyOviedo andothers,this like- ness doesnot holdin details.

The

roiindtj^pe,ov coney,once

common among

theIndians,hasalmostdisappeared,beingrarelj^found onthe island. Althoughthekindofmaterialused for thesidewallsisidentical inancientand

modern

houses,it isnot attached tothe beamsinthe

same

manner. In both old and

new

houses, especiallj' inthelatter, thereis sometimes an elevation of the floorabovethe ground; the explanation

commonly

given for this feature is that itisa

way

of avoidingdampness and noxiousinsects.

The most

primitive cabinsin

Porto Rico have no elevated

wooden

floors, but the ground itself serves as the floors of the habitations.

The

custom of raising the

aTo walkinthemoonlightbareheadedislikewiseregardedasunhealthful. Itisnouncommon

sight to seepersonsonclearnightswith umbrellas spreadforprotection,possiblyfromheavy dews.

46 THE

ABOKICJINES OF

PORTO

RICO [eth.ann.25 floorabovethe

ground

probabh'aroseatatime

when

thepeople lived along the shore, possibly in lagoons where pile dwellings were a necessity, as the}'are to-day

among

theWarraus,inhabiting the delta oftlieOrinoco. Thesefrail

modern

dwellings, constructed after the

same

tj'peasthe aboriginal, are welladaptedtothe climaticandother conditions of theisland,whichfact is supposed to account for their persistence.

Apparently no remains of extensive prehistoric stone and adolje structuresexistontheislandofPortoKico,andthesameistrue of

Cuba

andHaiti,whereIndian ruins of stone oradobewallshave never been observed. This absence ofpermanentbuildings hasweightintheories of the origin of the aborigines, foriftheirancestors

came from

Yuca- tan

we

should expect evidences of a survival of the stone-building habit,forwhich the

Maya

and kindred YucatanIndianswere famous.

Inthe valley of theOrinoco anditstributaries,where thereisbuild- ing materialidenticalwiththatusedbythe nativesinPortoRico,stone houseswere

unknown,

andthearchitecture ofhousesinthatregionis practicallythe

same

as inthe

West

Indies; thisresemblanceisoneof the manjrwhichcanbeadvancedtoindicate kinship of the peopleof South

America

with those ofPortoRico.

The

mostaboriginal of theabove-mentioned tyjaes of Porto Rican cabins are thosewhosewalls and roofs are

made

of thatchand

palm

leaves (plate vi); others are

modern

innovations. These types of dwelling are not confined to Poi'to Rico orto the

West

Indies, Ijut occur likewiseⁱⁿthetropicalparts ofSouth America,wherethe}'are the

common

formsof dwellings inhabitedby very poorpeople,whether Indian, negro, or white. But they are found only where certain building material is available and although confined to no race or people are limited tocertain latitudes. Although theyare sowidely distributedthey reflecttheenvironmentof the tropical geographical localities inwhichthey occurastrulyasdotheadobedwellings of the pueblos of thesouthwesternparts oftheUnitedStates that arid habi- tat. Like these latterdwellings,the}'are exact copies of aboriginal structures or are little changed survivals of a prehistoric style of architecturewhichmaterial athand andclimatehave

shown

to bethe best.

In ordertoobtain information regardingvariationsfromthe types describedⁱⁿtheother parts of the

West

Indies theauthorexamined cabins of Indians, blacks,andwhites of the poorerclasses inseveral islands, as Cuba,the Dominican Republic, and the Lesser Antilles.

In thelatterhe foundcabinsst' .inhabited byIndiansconstructedin thesame

way

andoflikeoridentical materials.

Many

^ofthesewere reputed to Vjeveryold andto have been continuously inhabited by

many

generations of aborigines.

At

the settlement of Ariina. in Trinidad, severalfamilies,survivors of the Indian p()])ulationof that

FEWKES]

SECULAR

(CUSTOMS 47 island, still live in cabins (plate vii, «, I) that are thatched in the same

manner

as those of Porto Rico. The}^^differas a rule in one importantparticular,due,nodoubt,to localconditions.

The

cabins of the

Arima

Indianshavea protected portion not inclosed

by

wallsbut covered by an extension of the roof, serving as a cooking place.

Neitherthis part northe adjoining

room

hasotherthan adirtfloor, likethe Porto Ricancabin. Life in both dwellings,judged

from

a civilizedstandard,isvei'yprimitive;andit isnot too

much

tosay that the cabin and itscontents of the Gibarosor natives living to-dayⁱⁿ themountainsofPorto Ricoareno advance onthecaiieysor hoh'ws of the prehistoric inhabitants.

The

prehistoricpeopleofPorto Ricohad a low cultural development, but possessed decorated potter}^ orna- mented pestles, beautifullycarved

wooden

seats, tinelj'

made

baskets, anddelicately

woven hammocks.

Therewere

many

evidences of art, grotescjuethough^itwas,ⁱⁿthe

home

of the native. In the

modern

cabin thereislittleevidence ofart.

The

Gibarouses the rudest pot- ter}',which^isundecorated; an old oilcan serves

him

for awaterjar;

he generally has no chairs, table, or bed. Hisrude

wooden

pestle bears no ornamentation,and wherever onelooksinhiscabinnothing but squalor meets the ej'e.

The

prehistoric native,judged by what hehasleft,

was

inahigherartisticcondition.

The

CaribhouseinStVincent(plate viii)isbuiltofpracticallythe same kindof materialasthethatchedPorto Ricancabin,althoughthe photograph represents not a dwelling, butacoveredworkingplace, the

group

of Carib here

shown

being employed in basket-making.

Other Caribhousesonthisislandand on Dominica,wheredescendants of these Indiansstill live,diflerbutslightly

from

those of the peas- ants of Porto Rico, and the same is true of the few families

who

claimIndian descent

now

living at ElCaney.near Santiago deCuba.

From

these considerations,nolessthan

from

thefolklore,

we

areled tothebelief that the habitations of the prehistoric natives of Porto Ricodidnotdifferwidely

from

houses^stillbuiltandusedhythepoorer class

now

^inhabitingthe

more

isolated parts of Porto Rico. Ifany- thing,the dwellings of the aborigineswere bettermade,betterfur- nished,and

more commodious

than

modern

Gibarocabins.