Experts find Taino burial sites dating to the 11th Century

Santo Domingo.- The remains of Taino toddlers, young adultsand adults were found by archaeologists in northern Valverde province, Technological Institute(Intec) said Thursday.

Researchers of the project "Nexus 1492: Encounter ofthe Caribbean with the Globalized World" made the discovery involving severallocal and foreign institutions, funded by the European Union.

Dr. Corinne Hofman, lead researcher and dean of Netherlands’Leiden University Archaeology Faculty, said the latest findings show that theIndians buried their dead in mounds or placed near, above or below their placeswhere they cooked food.

Speaking in the 2nd Archaeology, Anthropologyand History Seminar recently held at INTEC, Hofman said 17 to 1490, confirmedby carbon dating, as well as two burials of dogs in ritual sites.

In a statement, the expert added that the remains are oftoddlers, young adults and adults, mostly men." The low number of femaleindividuals present in the group is remarkable."