Voûte-à-Minguet
| Voûte à Minguet | |
|---|---|
| Cave of Minguet | |
| Location | Dondon, Haiti |
| Coordinates | 19°31′27″N 72°15′46″W / 19.52417°N 72.26278°W |
| Geology | Eocene limestone |
The Voûte-à-Minguet (Minguet cave) is a cave in Dondon, Nord, Haiti, with precolumbian petroglyphs[1] and graffitis from the first Spanish and French settlers.[2] It is now used for vodou ceremonies.
The cave is included in the National History Park and is one of Dondon's main tourist attractions.
History
Indigenous populations have used the cave since ancient times, and petroglyphs attributed to the Taíno people are present. Moreau de Saint-Méry writes that caciques from many places went into the cave to pray to their gods.
Early visitors reported finding many artifacts (zemis) in the cave.[1] However, archaeologists have never thoroughly studied the cave since it was plundered of all its artifacts in the 17th century.
Toponymy
The cave's name is from the privateer André Minguet, who was given ownership of the land in 1698.[1] It is mistakenly said that the name comes from the creole word Minguette (Lily of the valley),[3]
References
- ^ a b c Moreau de Saint Mery (1798). Description topographique, physique, civile, politique et historique de la partie française de l'isle Saint-Domingue. Philadelphia. p. 293. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ La Selve, Edgar (1871). La République d'Haïti, ancienne partie française de Saint-Domingue. Port-au-Prince. pp. 161–224. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Delorme, Démesvar (1870). Les théoriciens au pouvoir : causeries historiques. Paris: Plon. Retrieved February 18, 2023.