What Are the Reef Bay Petroglyph Site?
This is a panel of Taino petroglyphs dating from between 900 and 1450 CE!
What Makes It Historical?
A lot of what is known about the petroglyphs on St. John comes from similar sites in Puerto Rico! From those, archaeologists learned that the Taino, who had come to St. John from South America as far back as 3,000 years ago, developed a special relationship with pools and springs based on what happened there at night. Pools attract insects, and insects attract bats. Bats, to the Taino, were spirits who could flit between the world of the living and the dead, and their presence over a glassy pool, which split all images in two, meant they were in a sacred space for their ancestors! So to mark this as a place to commune with spirits, carvers made symbols in the rock that could be reflected above and below, with faces of the dead and shapes like fruit bat noses! Amazingly, this spring-fed pool never rises or falls, so the reflections have stayed the same since they were made!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Virgin Islands National Park!
- Donate to Virgin Islands National Park!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
1.6 miles south of Centerline Road on the Reef Bay Trail!
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!
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