THE FEAR OF HALLEY’S COMET VISIT IN 1910 IS PRESERVED IN A CAVE IN SOUTHERN PUERTO RICO

The karst constitutes approximately 28% of our Boricua (Puerto Rico) land. This geological region has a unique topography where sinkholes, caves, caverns, and aquifers are found. Ninety percent of the population lives in the karst, impacting and using this landscape. This study will explore a unique cave art found in southern Puerto Rico that depicts a comet over a tomb. Through interdisciplinary methods from speleology to archeology to astronomy that includes art interpretation, historical documentation, and demographic analysis, this study uncovered the artist’s identity, the societal context of the period, and the potential motivations behind the creation of this art and the importance of the cave for the individual. The investigation revealed a connection to the passage of Halley’s Comet in 1910 and the widespread panic it induced.