They Came From The Sea: The Anthropogenic Study Of The Cuban Migrant Craft La Esperanza, The Normalization Of U.S.-Cuba Relations, And The Potential For Future Research

Summary

Since the fall of the Batista regime during the Cuban Revolution of 1959 more than one million Cubans have fled the country seeking protection and opportunities as political refugees. While many of these refugees traveled to the United States by more traditional means, many others desperate to flee the nation took to sea in improvised watercraft to attempt to cross the Straits of Florida. These craft, which greatly vary in size, construction, and technology are often found cast ashore and abandoned along the beaches throughout the Florida Keys. The potential normalization of political relations between the two countries could end this exodus and thus the presence of these crafts which help provide some of the only tangible evidence of this journey, and reflect the cultural values of their users and hold significant potential for future study. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2016   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 116