Maipés is a sacred site hidden underneath a volcanic lava plain. It is an archaeological site because it contains the remains of the ancient aboriginal people of 1300 years ago.
There is a visitor centre with exhibits and sheet steel walkways to make it safer to walk over the lava field. There are a couple of models of the site and the variety of sizes of the tombs probably reflects the importance of the person in the community.
There are about 700 tombs and the burial mounds range in size from three meters to eight meters in height. The mounds are carefully made of the lava rocks that are scattered in the fields surrounding them.
The Prickly Pear cactus was introduce to the islands from the Americas. It is a sweet fruit but also it hosts the cochineal insect which is collected and used to make a natural red carmine dye for food, cosmetics and clothes.
Here are some of the displays within the visitor centre.
The most interesting exhibit is the model of the tumulus or burial mound.
With the time changing back to standard time from daylight saving time, the locals enjoy the still warm evenings of late fall.
What a fascinating place! Thanks for sharing this.