Metallic encounters in Cuba: The technology,exchange and meaning of metals before and after Columbus |
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Authors: | Marcos Martinón-Torres Roberto Valcárcel Rojas Juanita Sáenz Samper María Filomena Guerra |
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Affiliation: | 1. UCL Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, United Kingdom;2. Departamento Centro Oriental de Arqueología, Centro de Investigaciones y Servicios Ambientales y Tecnológicos (CISAT), Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente (CITMA), Holguín, Cuba;3. Museo del Oro, Banco de la República, Calle 16 No. 5-41, Bogotá, Colombia;4. Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France, UMR 171, Palais du Louvre, Porte des Lions, 14 quai François Mitterrand, 75001 Paris, France |
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Abstract: | Metals held important symbolic and political values for the indigenous communities of the Caribbean islands. However, metal objects are not abundant in indigenous archaeological sites, and their study has hitherto been very limited. This paper presents the results of the first analytical programme focused on metal artifacts recovered in a range of Taíno sites in Cuba, chronologically covering the periods before and after contact with Europeans. Our aims were: (a) to identify metallurgical traditions related to a diversity of cultural or learning backgrounds; (b) to investigate the origins of different metal artifacts found in Cuba, as a proxy to reconstruct patterns of exchange and interaction among indigenous communities and between these and Europeans; and (c) to approach the meaning and symbolism of different metals by considering their contexts of appropriation and use. The techniques employed included optical microscopy, SEM–EDS, pXRF and PIXE. The results allow a diachronic picture of the procurement, transformation, use and symbolism of metals in Cuba with broader implications for Caribbean archaeology. We reveal culture-specific Taíno choices in their interaction with materials and value systems from continental America and Europe. We also discuss the selective appropriation, recontextualization and meaning of different metals in the indigenous cultures. |
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