Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

Rock Art Research in Cuba / 95
preted in the context in which they were produced, and the necessity of
understanding the rock images within the context of landscape. In other
words, it requires an understanding of “how people ‘know their country’”
(Ross 2001:546). As the brief overview of the efforts of Nuñez Jiménez and
his colleagues in the SEC suggests, Cuban researchers are in the forefront in
these areas of research.
HERITAGE AND CONSERVATION
The destruction of archaeological sites is a worldwide problem. For rock art
sites, which are typically located in remote areas, the problem is particularly
acute. Without the concerted efforts of archaeologists and the cooperation of
the general public, “graf¤ti” and other destructive acts threaten to obliterate
any traces of the images that have survived these many years. It should
come as no surprise that for many decades it was Núñez Jiménez who spearheaded
efforts in Cuba to conserve the nation’s rock art heritage. These efforts
have been most intense for pictographs located in caves of Punta del Este and
for the drawings of the Cueva de Ambrosio. A comparison of early photographs
taken at each of these caves with more modern examples clearly reveals
the extent of the restoration efforts at each site (cf. Rivero de la Calle
1966 and Núñez Jiménez 1985). José Alonso Lorea (2001) has effectively demonstrated,
for example, that restoration efforts in 1969 signi¤cantly altered
the pictographs of Cueva No. 1, Punta del Este, rendering many of these images
inappropriate for many types of scienti¤c analyses, including stylistic,
chronometric (either relative or absolute methods), and materials analysis. Yet,
considered in both their historical and social contexts, such efforts reveal a
sincere desire on the part of Cuban researchers to preserve the artistic legacy
of early Cuban peoples for posterity.
In recent years, North American archaeologists have made concerted efforts
to present the study of the past to a wider audience. Such public outreach
efforts have been an integral part of the SEC from its inception. Reports of
cave research that include rock art have routinely been published in the popular
press. These have often also been reprinted in publications that celebrate
at regular intervals the accomplishments of the organization (Núñez Jiménez
1961, 1980, 1990). The group has also sought to establish interchange, maintain
relationships, and celebrate cooperation and friendship with not only
similar institutions from other countries but also the Cuban people. For ex-