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All the Turks and Caicos Islands Providenciales and West Caicos Sapodilla Hill Carvings

Sapodilla Hill Carvings

This island hill is strewn with boulders carved by shipwreck victims from the age of sail.

Providenciales and West Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands

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Sapodilla Hill carving   arteek001 / Atlas Obscura User
Sapodilla Hill   arteek001 / Atlas Obscura User
  dennisvladimirov / Atlas Obscura User
  dennisvladimirov / Atlas Obscura User
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So you've found yourself shipwrecked on one of the distant Turks and Caicos Islands in the age of sail. You're going to have some time to kill while awaiting salvation from a passing ship or rescue party, why not mark your visit on one of the rocks.   

That's just what countless sailors and shipwreck victims did when they found themselves on Sapodilla Hill on the island of Providenciales in the Northwestern Caicos Islands. Etched into the craggy chalk rocks and boulders strewn across the hill are names, dates, and small designs left by unlucky sailors that found themselves marooned on the island, heading to the hill for a better vantage point from which to spot ships. Some of the rocks were left with just a crude name and date carved into the stone, while others featured little boats or buildings to tell their tales. Most of the carvings were left between the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s.

Now that getting marooned on a deserted island isn't much of a problem (at least not in the Caicos), no new rock etchings are being made on Sapodilla Hill. In fact, the ones that remain have dwindled since their heyday. Due to destruction and theft, the historic markers have slowly been disappearing over the years.

Luckily, today the site is a protected historical site which is slowly being catalogued and preserved by the Turks and Caicos Museum. In addition to taking impressions of many of the carvings, the museum has relocated a number of the carved rocks to protect them. They are also researching the names and stories behind each carving to better understand the history of wrecks that left their mark on the island. 

Related Tags

Sailors Shipwrecks Rocks Geology

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Added By

arteek001

Edited By

dennisvladimirov, erikwkolb

  • dennisvladimirov
  • erikwkolb

Published

November 3, 2015

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Sources
  • http://tcmuseum.org/projects/sapodilla-hill/
  • https://www.visittci.com/sapodilla-bay-hill-rock-carvings
  • http://www.timespub.tc/2011/03/written-in-stone/
Sapodilla Hill Carvings
Providenciales and West Caicos, TKCA 1ZZ
Turks and Caicos Islands
21.744538, -72.287451

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Providenciales and West Caicos

Providenciales and West Caicos

Turks and Caicos Islands

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Providenciales and West Caicos

Providenciales and West Caicos

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