Tucked away on Ciego de Ávila Province's northwest coastline, this significant archaeological site was originally excavated during the 1980s after fisherfolk began discovering implements such as ax handles and needles in the surrounding swamps. The mud at the bottom of the shallow lagoon preserved these Taíno artifacts so well that the site has yielded the most significant stash of pre-Columbian relics anywhere in the Greater Antilles.
Los Buchillones had been the location of a sizable Taíno settlement of 40 to 50 houses, predating European arrival in the region. Everything from cemíes (Taíno deities to gods of rain, cassava and the like) to canoes to house structures have been recovered from the excavation site, most of which remains a waterlogged work in progress.
