To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE


SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

What this Newly Discovered Cave Art Reveals about Evangelism in the New World

News Staff : Jul 21, 2016  CBN News

"The indigenous population invited the Europeans into this cave—a very sacred place for them, as they believed that their people had originated from a cave—and told them about what they believed in. In return, Europeans drew their own Christian belief system on the walls." -Jago Cooper

(Puerto Rico)—[CBN News] Archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery on a Caribbean island, finding cave art that depicts Christian evangelism by Spanish explorers. (Photo by Jago Cooper/via National Geographic)

The 16th century artwork was discovered in a series of underground caves on Isla Mona, or Mona Island, a lone island located about 40 miles west of Puerto Rico.

In one example, the three crosses of Calvary are inscribed in soft limestone above the name of Jesus, written in Latin.
Early European explorers, along with indigenous peoples, created the art, which records the first interaction between two different world-views, according to the journal Antiquity. 

The tiny island has around 200 caves. Archaeologists found indigenous artwork in more than two dozen. It includes human and animal hybrids, faces, crosses made differently than Christian crosses, lines, and swirls—ll drawn with fingers.

"These finger-fluted designs reflect the spiritual beliefs of the indigenous people," investigator Jago Cooper, curator of the Americas at the British Museum in London, told National Geographic.

In one of the caves that has indigenous art, archaeologists discovered markings made by early Europeans who traveled to the island. The inscriptions include Spanish names, Latin and Spanish phrases, abbreviations of the name of Jesus, and numerous Christian crosses. 

Also included are names and dates, mostly from the mid 1500s. Christopher Columbus visited the island during his second voyage in 1494. 

"What we're seeing here is a dichotomy between two very different sets of art," Cooper explained. "The later set is definitely drawn by Europeans who are having a reaction to, and a dialog with, the indigenous art." (Photo via CBN News)

The research team says the markings show that both people groups were explaining their belief systems to each other.

According to National Geographic, the location of the different sets of markings, the absence of art depicting conflict, and the fact that the explorers would have needed the help of indigenous people to find the cave all stand in opposition to the familiar story of the Spanish conquering the New World. 

"This is some of the earliest evidence of Christianity in the Americas and how the indigenous Taíno population experienced it," Cooper told IBTimes UK. "It shows that locals and Europeans interacted and communicated about their beliefs."

"It is also a very good insight into the origins of the identities that were shaped in the Americas after the European arrival; it shows the process by which hybrid identities were being built," he continued.

"The indigenous population invited the Europeans into this cave—a very sacred place for them, as they believed that their people had originated from a cave—and told them about what they believed in," Cooper said. "In return, Europeans drew their own Christian belief system on the walls."

"Accounts of the encounters between Europeans and indigenous populations that we have access to are usually one-sided. We often only have the perspective of Europeans," Alice Samson, the co-director of the cave study, told IBTimes UK. "Here, we have evidence of more personal, intimate cultural and religious encounters."
 
Interestingly, the caves provide the only permanent source of fresh water on Mona Island, which is now a nature reserve, not inhabited by people. Experts say there's a connection between that life-giving resource and the vivid pictures inscribed on the walls.







SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News

Trump Under Fire for Endorsing the Bible, Urging Americans to Pray

Whistleblower Claims Stormy Daniels 'Hush Money' Scheme Cooked Up by Michael Cohen to Extort Trump before 2016 Election

Speaker Johnson Announces He'll Invite Netanyahu to Address Congress

Federal Appeals Court Rules Pennsylvania Must Only Count Mail Ballots With Dates, Signatures

Illegal Alien Charged with Murdering a Michigan Woman Was Deported Under Trump But Snuck Back into US Under Biden's Watch

President Trump to Join Wake Honoring Slain NYPD Officer, While Biden Attends Fundraiser

Woke Disney Surrenders!

Illegals Using Fake Skimmers at Self-Checkouts to Drain Consumers' Bank Accounts; Here's How to Guard Yourself

Elon Musk to Pay Embattled Doctor's Legal Fees after Speaking Out against COVID Lockdowns

Safety of Women Hangs in Balance after Oral Arguments on Abortion Pill Regulation

New Federal Gun Grab Law Would Criminalize Shooting Ranges, and Even Private Security

Treasury Sec. Yellen: Biden Has NO Plan to Save Social Security

Maryland Governor Says 'Keep on Praying' for Families of Missing Workers after Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Chick-fil-A Abandons Long-Held 'No Antibiotics' Pledge on Chicken

The War in Myanmar: Karenni Resistance Fighters Ask for Prayer and Practical Help

The World Is Facing a Major Population Crisis by 2075 If Birth Rates Keep Falling

FDA Admits COVID Vaccines Cause Seizures in Toddlers

'Hamas Is Celebrating' after US Abstains from UN Security Council Ceasefire Vote: Netanyahu Cancels Visit

Kamala Harris Won't Disclose Why Biden Campaign Is Active on TikTok Despite Security Worries

Special Counsel Report Reveals University of Delaware Misled Courts to Hide Biden's Senate Records That Likely Hold Sexual Assault Complaint Filed by Tara Reade



Search the Articles Archives

Keyword:  
Author:  
Words Posted On:  
Day Month Year



BCN Plus

Follow BCN on Twitter
Are You Praying for Our Government Leaders?
BCN Staff

Steve Shultz
Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner


Aimee Herd
Aimee Herd, Editor


BCN Plus
Are You Praying for President Trump?
 
 

All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.


Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved


Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.

editor@breakingchristiannews.com