Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

Historical Archaeology in Cuba / 65
modate a variety of interests, it is a well-de¤ned ¤eld with particularities that
make it truly multidisciplinary. Historical Archaeology is, in fact, the study
of the modern world and especially the capitalist context, from its establishment
to its expansion, embracing a wide chronological range.
The “Letter of Venice,” produced by a UNESCO-sponsored meeting
in 1964, states that restoration of historical features requires archaeological
treatment. As a result, restoration-sponsored archaeology became an of¤cially
endorsed policy throughout the world (Centro Nacional de Cultura–
Restauración de Monumentos 1984). Historical Archaeology is closely linked
to restoration, but as a social science it goes beyond the mere location, excavation,
and collection of artifacts from a site; it demands much more. One
agenda is to describe particularistic tendencies from a historicist perspective,
considering archaeological sites as reference works or case studies. The most
important contribution of this type of research is reconstructing past lifeways
of various social groups for whom the documentary record is limited. This
type of work is called traspatio (backyard) archaeology, and it is generally
conducted on patrimonial properties (Rovira 1985). Another approach addresses
how general sociocultural processes operated in particular times and
places, contributing to the development of the modern world. Examples include
archaeological studies of Indo-Hispanic contact (Domínguez et al.
1994). When the scienti¤c method is mentioned in the context of Historical
Archaeology, it refers to a model in which theory and method drive research
toward a desired objective. Predictive modeling makes it possible to evaluate
regularities and variability in the archaeological record, sometimes combined
with ethnoarchaeological studies. Following this method, we can arrive at
complex inferences and perfect interpretative process that can be of great assistance
to other documentary and historical studies.
My intention in the rest of this chapter is to offer a brief review of how
Historical Archaeology has developed in Cuba. As mentioned, before the
1960s, investigations were initially conducted under the rubric of Colonial
Archaeology or the archaeology of colonial-phase sites. Examples of this work
appeared between the 1940s and 1950s in articles in the Revista de Arqueología
y Etnología, published by the Junta Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología de
Cuba (see Dacal and Watters, Chapter 2). This was the prestigious institution
that regulated national patrimony in Cuba at the time. These articles should
be required reading for anyone studying Cuban archaeology.
The works of our predecessors, such as professors Prat Puig, Boytel Jambu
and Martínez Arango, Guarch, Payares, and Elso, have served as standards for