Cuba’s Rock Art Reveals Ancestral Magic, Rituals, and Life in Pre-Columbian Times
April 8, 2025 Hour: 2:31 pm
Rock art, a universal expression of ancient humanity, continues to illuminate the spiritual and communal life of Cuba’s earliest inhabitants, according to Cuban archaeologists and cave explorers.
Luis Olmo Jaz, president of the Samá Speleological Group, told Prensa Latina that more than 300 prehistoric sites have been identified across the island, with Sancti Spíritus standing out for its wealth of petroglyphs and pictographs that speak to the daily lives, rituals, and cosmologies of Cuba’s indigenous peoples.
“These expressions of rock art are not random,” said Olmo Jaz. “They are linked to ritualistic practices, magical beliefs, and the survival needs of primitive communities.”
One of the most striking concentrations of these sites is found in Caguanes National Park, located in the northern municipality of Yaguajay. The park — declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — includes the Guayaberas Wetland and the Cayos de Piedra, a chain of islets that host rare and diverse terrestrial and marine fauna.
Caves within the park contain pictographs suggesting not only aboriginal life and spirituality, but also possible early encounters with European colonizers, bridging two worlds in a single visual language.
Among the most significant discoveries is the Cave of the Knives (Caverna de los Cuchillos) on Cayo Salinas, where six geometric and abstract paintings were found — some resembling spiderwebs. These were uncovered in the late 20th century and are believed to reflect interactions between two pre-Columbian cultures.
Nearby lies the Cave of the Children (Cueva de los Niños), discovered in 1941, where the remains of 13 aboriginal children, buried in a collective tomb with polished stone spheres, offer a rare glimpse into indigenous funeral rites. The excavation was led by Dr. René Herrera (1895–1968), a pioneering Cuban anthropologist and professor at the University of Havana.
Olmo Jaz emphasized the urgent need for further research and preservation, noting that these sites offer invaluable insight into Cuba’s ancestral memory — one that resists erasure and continues to echo through subterranean walls in symbols, rituals, and sacred geometry.
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Autor: OSG
