Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

Introduction / 15
young scholars focused on centralizing and cataloguing Cuba’s archaeological
collections, both those created by earlier generations and those being created
by new investigations. In terms of scienti¤c applications, two important
methodologies were applied to Cuban excavations: the use of stratigraphy and
absolute radiocarbon dating. These methods produced a reevaluation of the
objectives, methods, and results known up to then.
During the ¤rst decade of institutionalization of Cuban archaeology as a
science, the country’s archaeological heritage was preserved and recovered by
¤eld projects, priorities for future research were established, and a core group
of ¤eld professionals was trained. The following decade saw the continuation
of the development of excavation and recording techniques, while our knowledge
of the island’s indigenous cultures grew considerably. The 1980s marked
the beginning of an expanding process of self-evaluation on the limitations of
the scienti¤c approach and suggestions that the discipline needed a paradigm
shift.
During these years, archaeological investigations centered on two foci related
to the speci¤c needs of Cuba. One was the creation of technical manuals
on the classi¤cation of archaeological evidence to make the ¤eld accessible to
students, and the other was the development of historical syntheses of native
peoples in the Cuban archipelago that helps inform contemporary Cuban
identity. Advancements made in the area of artifact classi¤cation motivated
some specialists to publish monographs intended to teach or validate classi¤cation
systems. Also during the 1980s, investigations developed by several Cuban
archaeologists were made accessible to the scienti¤c community through
the publication of excavation results, artifact analysis, and studies of collections.
Many of these specialists also offered historical syntheses and interpretations
of the communities they studied. One of the most important social
results of Cuban archaeology during recent decades has been its contribution
to national identity and to the preservation of our archaeological heritage.
Cuba can proudly point to accomplishments in these ¤elds, but they respond
more to the needs of Cuba than to current archaeological problems in the
wider ¤eld.
The 1990s, certainly the most fruitful years for Cuban archaeology from a
scienti¤c perspective, were also a period of questioning and hardship. These
were the years during which global socialism collapsed and the U.S. embargo
of the island was reinforced. Despite the many dif¤culties produced by this
situation, most Cuban archaeologists continued to work with dedication. Al-