Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

The Organization of Cuban Archaeology / 43
the “¤rst Cuban rebel” and the ¤rst martyr for Cuban independence, has been
immortalized and popularized by serving as the logo for Hatuey beer. As all
Cubans know, the Spanish captured him and burned him at the stake on
February 2, 1512. The Rey del Mundo-Taíno, one of Cuba’s most expensive
cigars, features a picture of a Taíno Indian. A popular tourist hotel located in
Guama features a reconstructed Amerindian village. These ¤gures and images,
associated with contemporary economic production, are very much a
part of Cuban identity. As viewed by Fernando Ortiz, materials such as tobacco
and sugar are “highly complex metaphorical constructs that represent
at once material things and human actors” (Coronil 1995:xxvii). Prehistory,
though represented through these popular but highly symbolic and ideologically
rich images, is taken seriously in Cuba. The work of archaeologists has
supported the revolutionary agenda by contributing signi¤cantly to the construction
of the country’s history through the lens of Marxism and Historical
Materialism.
THE FOUNDATION OF CUBAN ARCHAEOLOGY
The Nineteenth Century
Interest in archaeological remains was well established in Cuba prior to the
Revolution and can be viewed as a long-standing expression of pride in national
heritage that is also re®ected in the works of numerous nineteenthcentury
writers such as José Martí, the Cuban national poet. As Fernández
Leiva (1992) and Davis (1996) have pointed out, a strong sense of patria
(fatherland) and curiosity about the archaeological history of the country existed
before the Revolution. This earliest work was highly descriptive and
speculative and was performed by schoolteachers, engineers, and doctors, who
pursued their interests as an elite avocation. During the later part of the century,
the study of the past began to become more scholarly. While archaeology
had not yet become a formally recognized science, several scienti¤c papers
were published that brought local ¤ndings to the attention of scholars outside
of Cuba. Excellent summaries of these early works can be found in Ortiz
(1922a) and Fernández Leiva (1992). Fewkes (1904) and Rouse (1942) both
provide overviews in English. Rouse’s summary relates speci¤cally to the
history of archaeological investigation in the Maniabon Hills area in northcentral
Cuba.
Fernández Leiva (1992:33) regards the work of Andrés Poey as marking
the beginning of archaeological study in Cuba. Poey’s 1847 discovery of a