Beyond the Blockade
Beyond the Blockade
New Currents in Cuban Archaeology
An important collection of essays and scholarship by Cuban archaeologists about precontact human settlement on the island.
An important and timely collection of essays that greatly expands knowledge of the human settlement of Cuba and the activities of its indigenous peoples. The collection is a testament to the tenacity of Cuban and US scholars determined to dismantle the political and economic barriers that have impeded collaborative archaeological scholarship in Cuba. Despite economic and political challenges that have limited the pursuit of archaeological research in Cuba, these essays show that Cuban archaeology has made valuable contributions to understanding the cultural processes that have shaped life in the Caribbean in both prehispanic and historic periods and added significantly to our understanding of past Cuban peoples.
The collection, one of only a few studies of Cuban archaeology published in English in the United States, includes essays by both Cuban and US scholars that highlight trends in Cuban archaeology. It recognizes the past pioneers of joint Cuban-US archaeological projects and pays homage to those researchers, including Betty Meggers and Lourdes Dominguez, who sustained scholarly contact across the Florida Straits despite geopolitical roadblocks.
An excellent range of topics from pre-Columbian and colonial- period archaeology, including heritage and conservation of colonial buildings, which will appeal to a broad readership. The sensitive issue of blockade is brilliantly discussed. . . .The authors succeeded in keeping my interest and attention level high throughout the book.’
—José R. Oliver, UniversityCollege of London
The volume, as a whole, gives the reader a very interesting overview of the state and history of Cuban archeology, as well as its future directions. It is not so technical that a newcomer to the subject would get lost, and the chapters are all concise and engaging. Since most of the contributors are Cuban, much of what you take away from the book is couched in the island’s scientific tradition, which is itself an interesting glimpse of a foreign approach to research. I strongly recommend Beyond the Blockade to anyone interested in learning about Cuban archeology or furthering their knowledge of the Caribbean.’
—Field Notes
L. Antonio Curet is Associate Curator in the Department of Anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago.
Gabino La Rosa Corzo is research archaeologist at the Centro de Antropología in Havana.
List of Illustrations
1. Introduction to Beyond the Blockade: New Currents in Cuban Archaeology
Susan Kepecs and L. Antonio Curet
2. Prologue: Homage to Dr. Betty Meggers
Lourdes Domínguez
3. Cuba and Florida: Entwined Histories of Historical Archaeologies
Kathleen Deagan
4 La Loma del Convento: Its Centrality to Current Issues in Cuban Archaeology
Vernon James Knight, Jr.
5. New Early Tradition Stone Tool Industries in Cuba
Lorenzo Morales Santos
6. Investigations at Laguna de Limones: Suggestions for a Change in the Theoretical Direction of Cuban Archaeology
Daniel Torres Etayo
7. Recent Archaeological Fieldwork From the Region Around Los Buchillones, An Indigenous Site on the North-Central Cuban Coast
Jago Cooper, Roberto Valcárcel and Jorge Calvera
8. Turey Treasure in the Caribbean: Brass and Indo-Hispanic Contact at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba
Roberto Valcárcel Rojas, Marcos Martonón Torres, Jago Cooper and Thilo Rehren
9. The Archaeology of Escaped Slaves: Utensils for Resistance
Gabino La Rosa Corso
10. Built Patrimony and Historical Archaeology: Problematic Relations in Working with the Past
Iosvany Hernández Mora
References Cited
Index
