Plessis website 2

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The site of Plessis 2, located in the river of Plessis on the border of the communes of Baillif and Vieux-Habitants in Guadeloupe, comprises 19 rocks engraved with petroglyphs attributed to the arawak period, between the 1st and the 7th century. These 147 engravings include a variety of motifs and two polishers, suggesting a ritual use linked to water, reinforced by the proximity of a waterfall and a natural basin. The site, discovered in 1886 by Mathieu Guesde, has been the subject of successive studies, notably by Cornelis Dubelaar (1984) and Alain Gilbert (1991-1995).

Ranked as a protection site in 1917, the site benefited from photographic surveys in the 1930s under the leadership of Governor Louis Joseph Bouge. In 1995, Cyclone Marilyn revealed an additional block decorated with engravings and cupules. Rocks and their plated terrain were listed as historical monuments in 2013, followed by a partial ranking in 2014 for a second nearby site. These petroglyphs, among the rare material testimonies of the Arawaks in Guadeloupe, illustrate their sacred relationship with natural elements.

The archaeological complex, located 1.5 km from the coast, bears witness to a pre-Columbian occupation where water played a central role, probably in spiritual or community practices. Studies conducted in the twentieth century have documented these remains, while highlighting their vulnerability to climatic hazards, as evidenced by post-cyclone discoveries. Today, the site remains a key place to understand the Amerindian cultures of the Lesser Antilles before the arrival of Europeans.

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