Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

Subsistence of Cimarrones / 167
us to de¤ne the use of space, recover all possible evidence, identify food
sources, and determine the sequence of the processing (butchering) of the
game. After identifying the faunal elements, the presence of a variety of species
was evaluated and their relationship within the sample was determined.
The identi¤cation of the zoological species and their anatomical elements was
performed by paleontologist Williams Suárez of the Museo de Historia Natural
de la Habana, but the analysis and the ethnohistoric interpretation of these
data are the responsibility of the author.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE FAUNAL REMAINS
A total of 1,167 elements of faunal remains were recovered in the study, 840
(72 percent) of which were identi¤ed, while the rest constituted fragments too
small for categorizing. Cimarrón 5 produced the highest number of remains
(Table 9.1) with 298 elements, followed by La Cachimba with 278 elements
and Cimarrón 2 with 182. Cimarrón 1 and 3 produced lower numbers (Figure
9.2). Signi¤cantly, Cimarrón 5, La Cachimba, and Cimarrón 2 were in
fact the most isolated and protected sites within the highlands, conditions that
must have allowed runaways to remain in these locations for longer periods
of time. Cimarrón 1 and Cimarrón 3 were sites of smaller size and are located
on the hillsides of the ranges, at elevations intermediate between the plain and
the highest parts of the mountains. Figure 9.3 shows the minimum number
of individuals (MNI) for each species obtained in all the sites. Species that
stand out in the sample include the large native rodent hutía (Capromys sp.)
(16 individuals), pig (Sus scrofa) (10), chicken (Gallus gallus) (8), cow (Bos
taurus) (6), and duck (Cairina moschata) (6). Present in lower numbers are
dog (Canis familiaris) (2), horse (Equus caballus) (1), and majás or the Cuban
boa (Epicrates angulifer) (also 1).
Figure 9.4 shows the distribution of faunal remains for all sites allowing
the comparison of species and MNI for each shelter. Cows, pigs, and hutías
are present in almost all of the shelters, while ducks were located in only three
of them and chicken in two. On the other hand, the two samples of dogs
came from Cimarrón 1, the horse from Cimarrón 2, and the majá or Cuban
boa from Cimarrón 5. Since no relationship between the represented species
and the degree of accessibility of the shelters was con¤rmed, the representativeness
of species within the sample may correspond to other casual factors.
Of the total of 840 bones identi¤ed taxonomically, 93 percent belong to
bones or fragments of less than 10 cm. Paleontological studies con¤rm that the