Beyond the Blockade: New Currents in Cuban Archaeology

8. Turey Treasure in the Caribbean: Brass and Indo-Hispanic Contact at el Chorro de Ma

Figure 7.5. Photographs of shell artifacts from Cave 1, Cayo Hijo de Guillermo Este, and Los Buchillones showing similar species selection and artifact typology. 102 / Cooper, Valcárcel Rojas, and Calvera are very preliminary, vessel forms, clay sources, and ceramic pastes from the island sites seem comparable to the ceramics found at Los Buchillones. Temporal Links between Los Buchillones and Sites on the Off-Shore Islands Although there is evidence for a cultural connection between these sites, it is necessary to establish firmer chronological links that go beyond relative dating based on ceramic and shell artifact typologies. Due to the absence of wood or charcoal samples from the sites on Cayo Hijo de Guillermo Este, six shell samples from three stratigraphic levels in Cave 1 and one from the top stratigraphic layer of Rockshelter 1 were submitted for radiocarbon dating. The calibrated dates from these shell samples reflects an extended period of human activity in the cave, with evidence of chronologically sequenced stratigraphic layers. Four shells from Cave 1 provided a date range between cal A.D. 1232–1323 and cal A.D. 1517–1670. In addition, a shell sample taken from the top stratigraphic layer from Rockshelter 1 provided a date of cal A.D. 1475–1639, and the Strombus gigas sample taken from Surface Deposit 2 on Cayo Contrabando provided a date range of cal A.D. 1429–1506. Considered together, these six radiocarbon determinations provide a chronological range for human activity at sites on the islands of the Jardines del Rey archipelago of cal A.D. 1232–1670. Thus the island chronology is closely correlated with the previously discussed date range of cal A.D. 1264–1690 from Los Buchillones (Figure 7.6). Conclusions The survey and excavation data discussed above provide a picture of a coastal community with marine and island interaction. The map (Figure 7.6) of known archaeological sites contemporaneous with Los Buchillones shows a direct route from the mainland site into the open sea. The small ceramic assemblage and lack of other domestic artifacts at the sites on the offshore islands, combined with the absence of evidence for fresh water sources, may mean that these sites were occupied temporally. Another clear difference between the artifact assemblages from Cayo Hijo de Guillermo Este and Los Buchillones is the large quantity of shell debitage and shell tools that were discarded during the process of manufacturing on the islands. Possibly the sites in the Jardines del Rey archipelago were used as base camps or staging posts for marine resource exploitation and shell artifact manufacturing (Cooper 2008). The environmental context of the islands supports this hypothesis. The bathymetric data from this region indicate that there were different marine environments in the region. Cayo Hijo de Guillermo is located close to the Figure 7.6. Map of sites with contemporaneous radiocarbon determinations taken from Cayo Hijo de Guillermo Este, Cayo Contrabando , and Los Buchillones on the Cuban mainland. 104 / Cooper, Valcárcel Rojas, and Calvera edge of a reef that drops off into the Bahama Channel. This environment provided the rich marine ecosystem from which fauna were exploited. The faunal evidence from Los Buchillones suggests that the journey to procure these fauna was undertaken on a regular basis. Wider interactions can only be inferred from comparative similarities in material culture between Los Buchillones and other sites elsewhere in Cuba and the wider Caribbean. There are a number of examples of stylistic influences that might be associated with wider regional interaction. One of the most striking is found in basketry-impressed griddles (burens) at Los Buchillones that are more commonly found in the Bahamas (Berman and Hutcheson 2000).Four sherds with basketry impressions have been found at Los Buchillones, and the weave types were identified as wickerwear patterns that are similar to those found at Palmetto Grove and Pigeon Creek on San Salvador in the Bahamas (Hutcheson 2001). The good preservation of organic materials such as wood at Los Buchillones has allowed the preservation of a larger spectrum of materials that can be used to identify wider cultural influences. A number of ornately carved duhos, effigies, and vessels have been found at Los Buchillones. The elaborate styles and expressive faces with shell inlays reflect a tradition often associated with highly stratified Taíno chiefdoms. These characteristics are more commonly identified in the more durable ceramic and lithic assemblages...