Resort's Cultural Heritage
A Look Back to the Start of Our Island Culture
Our Caribbean Resort doesn't just hide here on three mile of sand and sea all on it's own, it hides here with a pedigree of heritage stretching back into the sophisticated culture of the Taino natives, the galleons of the Spanish carrying the gold away from our island just as they did in Central and South America and then, the mixed native and Spanish cultures that built our rich plantations. That is the Puerto Rico heritage reflected in our small, tropical corner of the island.
Puerto Rico had, prior to the explorations of Columbus, a vibrant native culture - The Tainos
The Tainos, they were, are called as there are still elements of the culture in all of us here in Puerto Rico - their genes are with us.
The Tainos seemed to have taken root in the Lesser Antilles from Arawak tribes coming out of Venezuela around 1000 AD. They developed a complex social construct, lived in their tropical Eden and developed sophisticated arts.
:: see and read more about Taino culture at the University of Puerto Rico
Columbus
Columbus "discovered" in 1493 what was known by the Tainos as Borinquen. Even today our area of the island is still Borinquen.
Columbus decided on a new name - San Juan. The puerto rico part came from the rich port area, where streams spilled gold into the conquerors' hands.
It glittered but it took another fifteen years before Spain would lay its hands on the wealth, lay its hands on the Taino, turn them into slaves, kill them, disease them, convert them. Guns, germs, steel.
Aguada Sees Ponce Before He Searches for Eternal Youth
It was in 1508 that Ponce de Leon appeared just off our headlands here at Villa Montana Beach Resort, landed in Aguada just around the headlands, as short climb will show you, and did the conquering and . It didn't take many men. A small group of 10 was given 100 slaves and all the land they could claim by fighting for it. Remember, the island was solid jungle then.
The gold rush was on and like so many gold rushes it petered quickly.
Horses for The New World - for us and America
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But before the last galleon laden with gold for Madrid set its course, it had dropped off Paso Fino horses on the shores of central America to help conquer the Maya, the Aztec, and the Inca. Those Paso Fino horses are still treasured in Puerto Rico. :: read more. Ask Michelle Barker about them at our neighboring stables.
:: read about horseback rides
They are a heritage of Spain's Puerto Rico. Some our villa owners at the resort have their own horses and bring them to work out in our jumping ring and then ride our jungle trails.
Limestone Karst - Land Deep Caves and Craggy Mountain Cliffs
With a land that is largely made of limestone "karst" limestone that allows for dramatic cliffs, undercuts, caverns, and caves with leftover "upthrusts" and weathered, whittled away ravines, we have a wealth of caves, of deep canyons, and steeply sided hills. The classic ink drawings of China usually have karst mountains in the background .Vietnam's Halong Bay is peppered with karst "upthrusts".
:: read more about our karst landscape
Here at our resort, our karst is directly behind us - it is our limestone cliffs that make cut us off from the world beyond. The caverns out on the headlands are formed by karst action.
Third Largest Cave System
Here in Puerto Rico we have the third largest cave system in the world - the Camuy Caverns.
:: read more about Camuy Caverns.
They are ripe for spelunking, for rappelling into and adventuring through.
:: read more about Puerto Rico spelunking and canyoneering
While the limestone was gradually being eaten away inland, down on the beaches our native culture was being eliminated by the Spanish - from whom so many of are descended . We are truly a mix of native and Spanish here in Puerto Rico.
Grand Plantations in Island Life
The Spanish culture took over here just like it did wherever it landed. We had our share of Grandees, of "Patrons who cleared the land and planted, maize, coffee, rubber, and of course sugar cane and more sugar cane.. Unlike on the other islands, the plantation owners did not need to import a huge number of slaves to work the fields. Therefore our mix of races was not tilted dramatically. The result of that is that we all have a sense of participation, ownership and pride in our Puerto Rico and in each other.
These were the days of our the grand plantations, of our land owners building their gracious tropical lives.
:: Puerto Rico Culture as revealed in Puerto Rico on-line guide book >
The Sea
In the sea, with the collision of the currents and temperatures of the Atlantic combining with their counterparts in the Caribbean, our water world is fertile with hosts of fish, whales, and shell fish. The humpbacks whales have not left us. They still come to mate in our warm waters in the winter months.
:: read about whales in Puerto Rico
And Here at Villa Montana Resort on the Caribbean
It is this period of our heritage that we at Villa Montaña hark back to for inspiration as we design, re-design, and re-fine our Caribbean resort.
:: read more about our architecture
With the aftermath of the Spanish American War and America's annexation of Puerto Rico, we have continued to cleave to our Spanish traditions, to our heritage.
Although much of our northern sea coast has large towns with the overflow of consumerism, with Wal Marts and K Marts, we still have our villages and village life just 4 miles into the hills.
It really is there. You'll drive through a bit of it as you drive down our limestone cliff and cross the small farm areas to get to our enclave.
Eco Responsibility
For us in Puerto Rico, our family life is the core of who we are.
We have made and continue to make a commitment to our special enclave here at Villa Montana. We have made and continue to make a commitment to caring for our world here.
:: read about eco-friendly resort here.
We do the simple things. We conserve on chemical detergents, we reduce our chemical use and we ask our guests to help us in our eco-friendly program. We want our world to be as it is today when we have seen another fifty years. We want it that way for our guests.
The turtles still find a moonlit night to inch their way up our beach to lay their eggs. The humpback whales still come back every year
:: Puerto Rico Culture >
:: read about sea turtles in Puerto Rico at this forum
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