The Dominican Republic has the most extensive cave sysytem in the Caribbean (Hayward, Atkinson, and Cinquino 102). These caves contain artwork, petroglyphs and pictographs, done by the Taino Indians. Archeologists believe the oldest drawings are up to 2,000 years old, but no one is certain because you would have to destroy them to carbon-date them. These caves have been compared to the pyramids of Egypt in terms of their importance to Caribbean native culture.
There are over 500 rock art sites in the Dominican Republic, 97 percent of the those sites within the extensive cave system (102). Current understanding of the nature and distribution of petroglyphs suggest that these images can be grouped into four styles:
Anamuya Petroglyph Style- characterized by large scale designs; geometric motifs including circles, crosses, spirals, and linear designs; location in open air (not caves) sites, polished and ground deep lines.
Chacuey Petroglyph Style- medium to small-scale image; a predominance of zoomorphic figures; production via pecking or incised pecking; location near open-air sites, rivers or streams; designs show movement and sexual activity.
Mixed Type Style- This style is the most numerous and can be found throughout the Dominican republic. It consists of anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and anthrozoomorphic images; circular humanlike faces with gesturing appendages; location in caves at the entrance and toward interior.
Fine-Line Incised Petroglyph Style- motifs include crossed lines giving the appearance of woven fabric. Bone or wood, among other types of tools, may have been used to produce the designs.
