Today I returned to El Yunque, Puerto Rico’s biggest and most famous national park. It comprises 28,000 acres and lies southeast of San Juan. Although also known as the Caribbean National Forest, here it is known as El Yunque, coming from the Táino Indian word for “Forest of Clouds.” Today, I returned to hike a much longer trail which took me to the peak of El Yunque, the main mountain in the park which was worshipped by the Táino Indians. As I ascended, I discovered quickly why it was named such. By the end of the first hour, I was already walking through cloud and surrounded by a light mist. As I continued, the clouds thickened and began pour. I arrived at the top completely soaked. On the way back down, I took a side trail which brought me to the top of another peak, Las Picachas. It was there that I sighted the reason for many a warning sign around the park, namely the Indian mongoose. They were originally taken from India by the British and exported to a number of different colonies to kill rats on sugar plantations. Unfortunately, it took off before my camera was ready. I’m having a fabulous time down here in Puerto Rico and will celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings tomorrow.
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COMMENTS / 5 COMMENTS
MountainRunner added these pithy words on Jan 06 07 at 6:32 amPicking ICT Targets
What do we mean when we want to use information communication technology? Do we want to bring light to the dark areas? This metaphor from colonial times brings with it certain implications that may or may not mean progress….
Rommel added these pithy words on 07 Jan 07 at 2:17 amLooks like a beautiful place. I’m jealous. Out of curiosity Chirol, have you ever been to a temperate rainforest like the ones in WA, Oregon and B.C.? I bet you would love Olympic National Park.
Also, I’m curious – why do they have warning signs about the Indian Mongoose?
Curzon added these pithy words on 07 Jan 07 at 3:26 amBeautiful pics. Get a flickr account and batch upload them all!
chirol added these pithy words on 07 Jan 07 at 4:35 pmRommel: Because the mongoose are dangerous and very aggressive, which is the original reason they were brought (to kill rats in the cane fields). They also carry rabies and supposedly aren’t afraid of attacking humans.
Curzon: I’ll have to once I return to Germany.
lirelou added these pithy words on 08 Jan 07 at 12:04 amActually, Yunque is Spanish for “anvil”. It is possible that it is a Taino word as well, though I have never heard it described as such. Taino, by the way, is not the name of a tribe. It was the name of the noble class of Indians who inhabited the Island when the Spanish arrived. The four classes were slaves, warriors, shamens, and nobles (Nitainos), and it was from this las that the name was taken. The sad truth is that no one knows what the original inhabitants called themselves, as they disappeared within a generation. This is usually news to modern Puerto Ricans, as their vision of history has been formed by ultra-nationalist professors. They assume that it was the name by which the Tainos called themselves. El Yunque was presumed to be the abode of “Yukiyu”, the god of rain. (The god of storms was “Juracan”) Puerto Rico has another rainforest (“Toro Negro”) in the center of the island which is not as accessible as El Yunque, but which can offer an interesting trek for those interested in walking the mountains across the interior of the island.
