Special thanks to UNGKULU for helping me put out this
cache.
Taga Latte Stone Quarry.
This site where the quarrying of latte stones took place is located
in the As Niebes area of the island near the eastern end of the
airport runway. The site consists of several latte stone columns
and capstones in various states of being cut away from the solid
coral limestone. The edges of the columns and capstones have been
separated from the limestone rock by excavating trenches. The site
consists of eight columns (each column approximately eight by
twenty feet) and eight capstones (approximately twelve feet in
diameter) in varying states of having been quarried out of the
rock. One capstone has been elevated to nearly the surface of the
ground.
It is believed basalt tools, possibly in combination with fire,
were used to dig out the huge latte stones from the solid
rock.
The site on Rota is the best preserved and largest known latte
stone quarry in Micronesia. Archeologists have described the Taga
Latte Stone Quarry as the most unique cultural site on Rota. It is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The quarry
represents tangible evidence of the engineering skill attained by
the ancient Chamorros.
The latte stone structures at the Taga site are somewhat larger
than the latte stones connected with the "House of Taga" on Tinian.
The Tinian site is the legendary home of Taga, the great unifier of
the Marianas. It is not known if the stone latte being quarried at
As Niebes on Rota were intended for shipment to Tinian as tribute
or if they were to be erected on Rota by a rival clan or perhaps as
the initial step in moving the capital to that
island.
The cache is a small container located at the base of a tree
. Be sure to bring your own pen. FTF gets a US
gold dollar coin.
ENJOY!!!