Mochong is a major prehistoric archaeological site on the island of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands. It is considered the best preserved and second largest latte village in the Marianas. It is an extensive village site on the northern side of the island comprising 50 individual latte sets, scattered mortars (lusongs), scattered subsurface artifacts such as tools, fishing implements and abundance pieces of pottery; the Marianas Red Ware Pottery and the Marianas Plain Ware Pottery. This site also includes an extremely rare latte house structure consisting of 14 columns. It also has a latte stone wall, consisting of six columns and five slabs, that is more than 50 feet (15 m) long.[2] The site has been radiocarbon dated to c. 1000 BCE. The site was first sketched in the early 19th century by the French explorer Louis de Freycinet, and was in remarkably intact condition (compared to those sketches) in the 1980s.[3]
Mochong | |
 Latte stones at Mochong, 1984 | |
| Nearest city | Songsong, Rota, Northern Mariana Islands |
|---|---|
| Area | 45.1 acres (18.3 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 85002301[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 11, 1985 |
The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Morgan, William (2010). The Prehistoric Architecture of Micronesia. University of Texas Press. pp. 138–139. ISBN 9780292786219.
- ^ "Draft Reconnaissance Survey: Significant Natural Areas and Cultural Sites, Island of Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands". National Park Service (via the University of Hawaii). Retrieved 2015-05-12.
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