top of page
Untitled design - 2.jpg

The Winter Solstice and Its Relevance to Tibes: A Deeper Look at the Aboriginals (Pre-Taínos) and the Treasures They Left Behind for Us

  • Writer: yannick-robin eike mirko
    yannick-robin eike mirko
  • Dec 21, 2024
  • 7 min read

The front entrance to the Indigenous Ceremonial Center Tibes, a building to the left cuts off due to the grass hill and TIBES sign on the right.
[Alt embedded]

The Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year, has been a time of reverence and ritual for many cultures across history. At Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the solstice is more than an astronomical event—it is a spiritual connection to our Pre-Taíno ancestors who once thrived there. Today we explore how we, as modern Taíno people, understand and honor the rhythms of nature, our innovative constructions, and the profound lessons our ancestors left for others about living in harmony with the natural world. There are lessons it's time we re-learned, y'all. Let's do this!


The Welcome to Tibes metal sign attached to the gate that opens the land to the public.
[Alt embedded]

For our ancestors, the Pre-Taíno cultures, the cycles of nature, including solstices, were integral to their way of life. The Winter Solstice marked a time of reflection and renewal, symbolizing the balance between light and dark and heralding the gradual return of the sun. Unlike modern meteorological forecasting, which relies on technology, our ancestors read the moods of nature itself—cloud formations, wind patterns, and the behavior of animals—to predict weather changes and ensure survival. Such environmental knowledge was not just theoretical but was intertwined with the fabric of daily life and rituals, reinforcing a deep spiritual connection to the natural world.


As Taíno people, we have a deep connection to nature, and our understanding of the environment plays an important role in our daily life. We used various hand gestures, body movements, and rituals as part of our communication, especially when it comes to interpreting the weather and time. While there isn't an extensive record of specific hand gestures that communicate weather and time, it's known that we'd practice a form of spiritual and physical connection with nature through our rituals. These forms of communication are informed by our acute observations of the skies and seasons, reflecting our deep understanding of the natural world.



Tibes Archaeological Area: Unearthing the Past


In 1975, Tropical Storm Eloisa uncovered a treasure trove of archaeological significance in the Tibes valley. Farmer Luis Hernandez discovered unusual stone formations, seashells, and pottery shards, prompting a series of investigations that revealed seven bateyes and two plazas. The findings indicated that two distinct cultures, the Igneri (approximately 300-600 AD) and our Pre-Taíno ancestors (600-1200 AD), inhabited the site. This discovery sheds light on how our ancestors created a sacred environment at Tibes, establishing spaces that facilitated religious and social practices.You can see an ancestor's skeleton in the museum portion of the land as the main court was once a cemetery, if you keep scrolling here (this is a warning, human remains ahead). I do encourage you to try to see it because if you look intently, you can gain more intel on the traditions and personalities of your ancestors!




This ancestor was buried in a fetal position; offerings, such as containers with food and vessel fragments were found next to the body. This tradition (both the fetal position and the personal belongings) belongs to the pre-taino culture approximately 600 - 1200. It's a neat peek into Boriken deathcare in a way that disheartens me to only find out in a museum, and not through living the experience of putting someone's favorite thing next to them as they move on as I grew up and our elders left us (Call me wild but I will be put to rest with the urn of my dog once it's our time to go. Say what you will, I will die on this hill).


Our Ancestors’ Sacred Spaces and Astronomical Knowledge


Our ancestors transformed Tibes into a sacred and communal hub. They expanded upon the Igneri tradition of court-like areas, imbuing them with a sacred purpose and using them for rituals and ball games that combined sport with spirituality. These spaces reflected their evolving social and religious structures, symbolized by the enigmatic cemís—stone idols representing natural forces and deities. These idols could have served as physical representations of the spiritual forces that governed both the celestial and earthly realms.



For instance, our ancestors worshipped Yúcahu, the god of the sky, sun, and rain, and would likely have used gestures to symbolize the sun’s path across the sky during their rituals. This shows their keen awareness of celestial patterns and their influence on the natural world. Furthermore, their understanding of the stars and solstices was likely more practical than abstract; it was vital to their agricultural cycle, dictating when to plant and harvest crops. Our ancestors tracked the moon’s cycle and seasonal changes, both of which played a crucial role in their agricultural practices. Hand gestures might have indicated different phases of the moon or the changing of the seasons, such as spreading hands apart to represent the growing of crops or cupping them to show the gathering of rain. Their attention to these patterns reflected not just their connection to nature but also their resourcefulness in adapting to it.


A Celestial Phenomenon at Tibes:

The Alignment of Rocks with the Winter Solstice


In a fascinating recent discovery, archaeologists have uncovered an impressive architectural feature within the Tibes site. Our ancestors strategically placed specific rocks at the edges of their organized walls to create a phenomenon that occurs during various times of year: including the Winter Solstice. When the sun reaches its precise position on that day, certain rocks cast a perfect shadow straight behind them, aligning with the stars and structures, showcasing ancestral advanced knowledge of celestial events.

One of the cornerstones of the main square of rocks in the woods illuminates a perfect shadow behind itself as it stares at the sun.
[Alt embedded]

The alignment of these rocks with the Winter Solstice is a remarkable testament to our ancestors' profound understanding of the movements of the sun. They were able to mark the precise moment when the sun reached its lowest point in the sky, signaling the darkest day of the year. This alignment not only served a ceremonial purpose, likely reinforcing the themes of renewal and balance inherent to the solstice, but also allowed them to track time and mark the passing of seasons with great accuracy. Such precise alignment suggests that our ancestors were not only attuned to the solar calendar but also embedded this knowledge into the design of their sacred spaces.


One of the cornerstones of the main square of rocks in the woods illuminates a perfect shadow behind itself as it stares at the sun.
[Alt embedded, also yes I'm aware the rock does not perfectly align in this one bending over gets difficult after a couple]

For us, the Taíno people, who revered celestial bodies as part of our spiritual and agricultural practices, these alignments likely held deep symbolic meaning. The Winter Solstice, with its connection to the sun’s return, would have been seen as a time of renewal, a moment to celebrate the sun’s gradual return and the promise of brighter days ahead. The solstice may have marked a critical point in our agricultural cycles, signifying the time to prepare for planting crops as the sun’s strength increased.


The center stone of the main square of rocks in the woods illuminates a perfect shadow behind itself as it stares at the sun.
[Alt embedded]
The center stone of the main square of rocks in the woods illuminates a perfect shadow behind itself as it stares at the sun.
[Alt embedded, also yes I'm aware the rock does not perfectly align in this one bending over gets difficult after a couple]

Using the Big Dipper and Stars to Tell Time


An important aspect of our connection to the celestial world is our ability to read the stars for both spiritual and practical purposes. We likely used the Big Dipper constellation as a time-keeping tool, as its position in the sky shifts with the seasons, providing a reliable means of tracking time at night. Like our ancestors, we observe the stars’ movements to determine the time of year, guiding our agricultural activities and rituals. The Big Dipper, as a prominent feature of the northern sky, would have been a key marker for us, helping us understand the passage of time and when important celestial events, such as the solstices, were about to occur.

An illustration of the constellation the big dipper, spinning around the north star (which is at the center of the page).
[Alt embedded]

This reliance on the stars, including the Big Dipper, reflects our sophisticated understanding of the natural world and our ability to live in harmony with the rhythms of the sky. This star-based timekeeping, combined with our ability to align rocks with the sun’s position, further exemplifies our remarkable astronomical knowledge and deep reverence for the natural world.


A Lesson for Today: Environmental Harmony and Climate Change


Our reverence for the environment and our sophisticated understanding of celestial phenomena can serve as inspiration for contemporary societies grappling with the challenges of climate change. By studying our deep-rooted respect for the rhythms of nature, we can learn valuable lessons about living in harmony with the natural world and potentially develop more sustainable practices for the future. Our intricate understanding of the solstices and celestial movements offers a model for how ancient knowledge can contribute to addressing modern ecological concerns.



Thank you to the Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center for hosting such a wonderful and educational event

this holiday season, as well as giving me the clearance to share some of what I learned!


I encourage anyone who's never made it out here to try their best to do so,

I left a lot of displays out of this to entice you to fill in the gaps!



Citations/recommended reads!


  • Balehegn, M., Balehey, S., Fu, C., & Liang, W. (2019). Indigenous weather and climate forecasting knowledge among afar pastoralists of North Eastern Ethiopia: Role in adaptation to weather and climate variability. Pastoralism Journal, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13570-019-0143-y



  • Curet, A. (2010). Origins of the Tainan Culture, West Indies. ResearchGate.


  • Fewkes, J. W. (2009). The aborigines of Puerto Rico and Neighboring Islands. University of Alabama Press.







  • Seigel, P. (2012a). Ancient borinquen: Archaeology and ethnohistory of native puerto rico. The University of Alabama Press.


  • The Taino: Can the indigenous agricultural methods of Puerto Rico Feed the island and potentially mitigate climate change?. The Taino: Can The Indigenous Agricultural Methods of Puerto Rico Feed the Island and Potentially Mitigate Climate Change? - SARE Grant Management System. (n.d.). https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/gs23-287/?utm


  • The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center, Ponce, Puerto Rico


  • Wilson, S. M. (2007). The archaeology of the Caribbean. Cambridge University Press.




Comments

yannick-robin eike mirko [who communicates in Spanish, English, + ASL] is a Manhattan-based Biawaisa/Yamoká-hu/Maorocoti multidisciplinary artist, choreographer, writer, doula and disability justice activist with a rare disease. His work sits at the intersection of movement, access, queer and indigenous survival, death care, and institutional accountability, using the body as archive, protest, and living evidence.

​

Her relationship with dance and movement has never been linear or purely technical. From Off-Broadway to online, their work has been shaped by access, interruption, advocacy, and forced stillness. Movement and progress, for yannick-robin, is not simply choreography or activism; it is testimony, how a marginalized body speaks when institutions fail to listen. 
 

In 2021, yannick-robin participated in Drawing Breath, a visual and embodied project by Risa Puno that centered marginalized voices during COVID, with yannick-robin representing disabled people. The work focused on breath, endurance, and visibility at a time when disabled lives were being openly treated as expendable. This project cemented their understanding of movement as political: presence itself became resistance.
 

In 2022, disability justice became inseparable from his professional life. He was the first physically disabled actor/musician [acoustic and electric guitar, accordion, glockenspiel, xylophone, tambourine] to play a physically disabled role written through an ableist lens and publicly fought the theatre and writers for accountability. This work was documented in his blog and a documentary, a social media movement, and ultimately led to his inclusion in the University of Minnesota’s Tretter Transgender Oral History Project, archiving his contributions to disability, gender, and labor justice in theatre (the most recent edition/collection of years awaiting entering the public access archive due to funding and completion of editing. Help fund the preservation of non-cis history here).
 

That same year, he worked on Mr. Holland’s Opus at Ogunquit Playhouse as an actor/musician [bugle, trumpet, drum kit], a fully captioned production where his lived experience as a non-cis deaf and physically disabled artist directly informed their performance rhythm, physical storytelling, and musicality. Also in 2022, she performed in the inaugural Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival on Theatre Row under the direction of L Morgan Lee, delivering work as an actor involving monologuing about wheelchair use, access failure, and systemic injustice, using their body not as metaphor, but as evidence. 
 

In 2024 after a year and some change prioritizing deathcare work, they returned to theatre at New York Stage and Film (NYSAF), contributing to the work of disabled choreographer Jerron Herman as an actor/dancer. They also released their multi-genre EP passing that year, which catalogs their multi-instrumental writing and use of music for processing as they fall deeper into grief, hearing loss and deafness, and a world of being misunderstood for not being cis.

​

In 2025, yannick-robin worked on the developmental process for Jay Alan Zimmerman’s upcoming show Songs for Hands on a Thursday, following Jerron Herman’s recommendation. The project included a residency at New York Theatre Barn’s Choreography Lab and a music workshop premiere, where yannick-robin served as both choreographer and dancer. The piece centered a Deaf father’s death and a CODA grappling with silence; yannick-robin’s role was to integrate sign language into choreography and bridge gaps between sound, access, and movement for d/Deaf performers.
 

Alongside his performance work, yannick-robin has been active in nonprofit and advocacy spaces since 2020. She worked for Imara Jones of TransLash Media, one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023, where they were nominated for a Webby Award as an associate and digital producer for The TransLash Podcast, contributed to The Anti-Trans Hate Machine series, and wrote obituaries for TGNC siblings lost to violence. He has written for TalkDeath on racial disparities and discrimination in death care and other deathcare and injustice related topics and now offers obituary writing, death doulaship, and bereavement counseling for TGNC decedents and their families, people with rare diseases, and disabled communities.


for commissions, death care, speaking engagements and more, press the contact button.
_____________________________________________
yannick-robin eike mirko is represented by Arise Artists Agency

© 2026 yannick-robin eike mirko

bottom of page