Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

Introduction / 5
the Censo de Sitios Arqueológicos, which has resulted in a sizeable computerized
database; it should serve as a model for recording and inventorying
archaeological sites throughout the Caribbean (see Dacal and Watters, Chapter
2).
In the realm of theory, Cuban archaeologists have applied the concept of
transculturation, developed for the ¤rst time by the Cuban anthropologist
Fernando Ortíz (1943), to the interaction of ancient groups. Transculturation
has been used successfully to explain many changes in late Archaic and Colonial
times that resulted from the interaction between groups within Cuba
and with those from neighboring islands (e.g., Rey 1970; Ulloa Hung and
Valcárcel Rojas 2002). Cuban archaeologists have brought the issue of culture
change to a higher level of discussion, especially in dealing with protoagricultural
societies or with Archaic pottery-makers (see Ulloa Hung, Chapter 6;
Ulloa Hung and Valcárcel Rojas 2002).
Another major contribution is in the area of historical archaeology (Domínguez,
Chapter 4). In general, historical archaeology has been poorly appreciated
in the Caribbean and other parts of the Americas, but the works of
Cuban archaeologists dealing with topics such as the hacienda system (see
Singleton, Chapter 10), slavery and escaped slaves (La Rosa Corzo, Chapter
9), and urban processes (Domínguez, Chapter 4) have in many ways anticipated
developments in the North American branch of this ¤eld by a
decade or more. Of special interest are recent renovation projects in Old Havana
that have integrated in an exemplary manner the work of historians,
architects, and archaeologists (Domínguez, Chapter 4). Although it is true
that other pioneering works tied to historic renovations exist (e.g., Ricardo
Alegría’s work in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico), most of these have focused on
architectural restoration rather than on a scholarly, multidisciplinary study of
colonial urban settlements. In terms of its multidisciplinary nature, the joint
project between the Cuban government and UNESCO is serving as a model
for restoration of other colonial zones in the Americas.
ON INTERNATIONALISM, POLITICS,
AND THE PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
To qualify our critique of American perceptions of Cuban scholarship, we
should acknowledge that in recent years archaeologists have become increasingly
sensitive to the political context of their work, both intellectually and in
terms of practice. Critical assessments of “nationalist archaeology” in differ-