Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

Subsistence of Cimarrones / 165
lands. The purpose here is to analyze subsistence remains from 5 out of 25 sites
discovered in these mountain ranges.
CIMARRÓN SPACE
The elevations of the Alturas del Norte de La Habana-Matanzas have a morphology
de¤ned by conical karstic formations. These formations produce
steep slopes that rise up abruptly from the surrounding plain, although not as
high as the eastern mountain ranges of the island. The Alturas del Norte are
covered with thick vegetation, cut by deep canyons, ravines, and valleys, and
pocketed with overhangs and caverns.
According to an 1849 report submitted by a local authority from El Naranjal
in the province of Matanzas, the eastern end of the these mountains “is
very rough and the ascent to them quite dangerous due to the cliffs.” He goes
on to say that from those elevations the cimarrones, or escaped slaves, “can see
all the movements in the surrounding area perfectly and they ®ee immediately
because they have developed the custom of having lookouts watch for movements;
their defense strategy is to escape for other parts” (Archivo Histórico
Provincial de Matanzas, I Gobierno Provincial, Leg. 13, no. 66). In an 1852
letter from the governor of the city of Matanzas addressed to the Capitán
General of the island, the governor asserts that these mountains had become
habitual dens for cimarrones, “since they have many inaccessible parts where
no human foot has set down, almost all of them dif¤cult to access, and where
dogs are normally useless” (Archivo Nacional de Cuba [ANC], Gobierno Superior
Civil, Leg. 1416, no. 55225; emphasis added).
Based on many historical descriptions such as these, a search for archaeological
evidence has been undertaken during the past few years in the Alturas
del Norte de La Habana-Matanzas, so far resulting in the recording of 25 sites
that suggest the presence of small groups of fugitive slaves. Within these elevations,
all the sites consist of overhangs and caves that served as temporary
shelters to isolated groups of cimarrones. 4
Some of the archaeological patterns that characterize this type of human
shelter have been examined in previous studies and their particularities analyzed
within the context of historical archaeology (La Rosa 1999, 2001). The
presence of work tools, weapons, and glass and ceramic containers originating
from nearby haciendas, combined with the existence of artifacts manufactured
by escaped slaves such as ceramic pots, rustic smoking pipes, and objects
of personal appearance such as wooden combs, have shed light on several