Lazos Caribeños was hosted by the Museo Provincial La Periquera in Holguín. The opening took place on the 24th of May. The exhibition was presented in Spanish and English.
Symposium talk by Roberto Valcárcel Rojas during the opening (all photos courtesy of Lourdes Perez Iglesias).
The Spanish invasion of Cuba interrupted several millennia of Indigenous history. Archaeological research has uncovered how these populations were exploited and forced to change their lifeways and religion as a result of their interaction with Europeans, Indigenous peoples from other regions of the Americas, and enslaved Africans. The Caribbean Indigenous peoples survived and integrated into the colonial society as “Indian”. These Indians were dispersed across the island and integrated into cities like Havana, yet were also confined to towns like El Caney and Jiguaní.
Archaeological excavations and research at El Chorro de Maíta, Managuaco, and other sites around Holguin have brought to light the cultural heritage of our Indigenous ancestors and allow us to rediscover what makes us who we are as Cubans.