Roberto Valcárcel Rojas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813061566
- eISBN:
- 9780813051499
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813061566.001.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
Archaeology of Early Colonial Interaction at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba, examines the interactions between indigenous peoples and European invaders in the Caribbean and the way in which domination ...
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Archaeology of Early Colonial Interaction at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba, examines the interactions between indigenous peoples and European invaders in the Caribbean and the way in which domination imposed by a foreign model ultimately transformed this relationship into a system of colonial subordination. Investigations of the domestic and funerary contexts at the El Chorro de Maíta, in the northeast of Cuba, permit the archaeological visualization of the cultural and ethnic diversity imposed by colonial domination. Presented, for the first time, is the identification and archaeological study of an indigenous village that was transformed during the 16th-century into a town of Indian encomendados, which is to say working for the Spanish as forced labor. The study distinguishes the Christianization of the indigenous inhabitants, principally among those of elite status, and the process of ethnogenesis which gave rise to the “Indian” as a colonial category. This occurred in a scenario where indigenous mortuary practices were maintained, and handled and restricted the Hispanic material culture. It treats the process that created the cemetery with syncretic characteristics, in which there is an adjustment to a process of transculturation where the cultures and the individuals are transformed, and in which the indigenous peoples demonstrated a capacity for resistance and adaptation that is generally underestimated. This book demonstrates the value of archaeology to observe unrecorded episodes of Caribbean and American history that are vital for constructing the link with the pre-Columbian world and the construction of an integrated and new history.Less
Archaeology of Early Colonial Interaction at El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba, examines the interactions between indigenous peoples and European invaders in the Caribbean and the way in which domination imposed by a foreign model ultimately transformed this relationship into a system of colonial subordination. Investigations of the domestic and funerary contexts at the El Chorro de Maíta, in the northeast of Cuba, permit the archaeological visualization of the cultural and ethnic diversity imposed by colonial domination. Presented, for the first time, is the identification and archaeological study of an indigenous village that was transformed during the 16th-century into a town of Indian encomendados, which is to say working for the Spanish as forced labor. The study distinguishes the Christianization of the indigenous inhabitants, principally among those of elite status, and the process of ethnogenesis which gave rise to the “Indian” as a colonial category. This occurred in a scenario where indigenous mortuary practices were maintained, and handled and restricted the Hispanic material culture. It treats the process that created the cemetery with syncretic characteristics, in which there is an adjustment to a process of transculturation where the cultures and the individuals are transformed, and in which the indigenous peoples demonstrated a capacity for resistance and adaptation that is generally underestimated. This book demonstrates the value of archaeology to observe unrecorded episodes of Caribbean and American history that are vital for constructing the link with the pre-Columbian world and the construction of an integrated and new history.
Luis Martínez-Fernández
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781683400325
- eISBN:
- 9781683400981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9781683400325.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter explores the complex manifold hybrid cultural manifestations stemming from the human interactions discussed in the previous chapter. The chapter recurs to Fernando Ortiz’s ajiaco (Cuban ...
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This chapter explores the complex manifold hybrid cultural manifestations stemming from the human interactions discussed in the previous chapter. The chapter recurs to Fernando Ortiz’s ajiaco (Cuban stew) metaphor as representative of the syncretic or hybrid culture forged by transculturation among Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans. The chapter brings to life the stories of different characters that are emblematic of creolization and transculturation in religion and burial practices, food and diet, and music.Less
This chapter explores the complex manifold hybrid cultural manifestations stemming from the human interactions discussed in the previous chapter. The chapter recurs to Fernando Ortiz’s ajiaco (Cuban stew) metaphor as representative of the syncretic or hybrid culture forged by transculturation among Amerindians, Europeans, and Africans. The chapter brings to life the stories of different characters that are emblematic of creolization and transculturation in religion and burial practices, food and diet, and music.
Roberto Valcárcel Rojas
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813061566
- eISBN:
- 9780813051499
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813061566.003.0008
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
Chapter 8 interprets the results of diverse lines of evidence. The demographic differences and mortuary behavior between locals and non-locals, the ethnic composition of the burial population, the ...
More
Chapter 8 interprets the results of diverse lines of evidence. The demographic differences and mortuary behavior between locals and non-locals, the ethnic composition of the burial population, the chronology of the cemetery and of the non-funerary zones, the particulars of the material culture present, and the historic information for the zone where the site is located, identify this place as a town of Indian encomendados. The cemetery developed under pressure from the Spanish but appears to be maintained by the indigenous population. It is a place of syncretic character that combines diverse cultural traditions and reflects the needs of a region of intense colonial activity. Evidence of Christianization, the abandonment of indigenous practices, such as cranial modification, and the burial of individuals in clothing point to the appearance of the Indio as an individual adjusted to colonial requirements. This place appears as a stage in the process of transculturation in which new individuals emerged (Indians, mestizos, criollos).Less
Chapter 8 interprets the results of diverse lines of evidence. The demographic differences and mortuary behavior between locals and non-locals, the ethnic composition of the burial population, the chronology of the cemetery and of the non-funerary zones, the particulars of the material culture present, and the historic information for the zone where the site is located, identify this place as a town of Indian encomendados. The cemetery developed under pressure from the Spanish but appears to be maintained by the indigenous population. It is a place of syncretic character that combines diverse cultural traditions and reflects the needs of a region of intense colonial activity. Evidence of Christianization, the abandonment of indigenous practices, such as cranial modification, and the burial of individuals in clothing point to the appearance of the Indio as an individual adjusted to colonial requirements. This place appears as a stage in the process of transculturation in which new individuals emerged (Indians, mestizos, criollos).
