Until recently, Cuban archaeology was not well known among Caribbean archaeologists. The more than 50 years of blockade affected not only the economy but also academia. Travel limitations and polarizing ideologies of both sides limited the degree and timing of communication, interaction, and exchange of ideas. As a result, Cuba produced a local archaeology somewhat influenced by Soviet archaeology, with the rest of the islands informed by the Anglo-European tradition. Exchange of information was difficult and limited. However, Cuban academia did not isolate itself and for the most part had no desire to do so. Although prejudices developed on both sides, the cessation of communication came largely from outside the island. Notable exceptions were Betty Megger's continuous support of Cuban archaeology throughout the Cold War era (and I may add, at her personal risk), and Kathleen Deagan's partnering with Cuban colleagues.

This hardened intradisciplinary boundary, however, began to crack 20 years ago with the publication in English of a book by Dacal Moure and Rivero de la Calle in 1996, followed later by other publications. Several foreign archaeologists came over in the 1990s to conduct research on the island. The development of the internet and access to e-mail facilitated communication and exchange of information. Arguably the most important catalyst promoting intradisciplinary communication, however, was a young generation of Cuban colleagues who reached out to other Caribbeanists. Thanks to all these efforts, today Cuba is represented in all venues of Caribbean archaeology.

It is within this historical context that this volume comes to light. Although several articles are related to the project at Canímar Abajo, a considerable number of papers are the product of other research. Edited by Ivan Roksandic, this volume has 13 chapters: the introduction, 11 articles, and final commentary. In the introduction, the editor summarizes the chapters and puts the contribution of Cuban archaeology into historical perspective.

The first two chapters deal with the possibility of direct contact and migration between Cuba and Nicaragua. Chapter 1, by Roksandic (editor), consists of a review and summary of evidence for the possibility of people from Nicaragua migrating to Cuba by making stopovers in the many keys between the two regions. This is supported by recent finds of Central American material in the Greater Antilles, the preliminary results of Roksandic's linguistic study in Cuba, and the fact that modern fishermen from Nicaragua travel to distant islands along this route for their abundant fisheries.

Sagrario Balladares Navarro and Leonardo Lechado Ríos (chapter 2) review the archaeology, chronology, and material culture of eastern Nicaragua. The chapter is very informative for those, such as myself, not familiar with this region. The review is thorough and provides information on cultural and chronological sequences and on human-landscape interaction.

David G. Smith (chapter 3) presents a summary of the results of the project in an early Archaic site of Canímar Abajo and includes a description of the site, its deposits, some of the findings, and its chronology. Canímar Abajo consists of two superimposed cemeteries separated by a shell deposit and extending over a thousand years, suggesting a long use of “sacred” space. Other unique finds are dental mutilations in an early Precolumbian context.

Chapter 4, by Roberto Rodríguez Suárez and colleagues, presents a successful experimental study of the use of Congo red dye to identify activities related to food preparation in starch grains, such as grinding and various degrees of boiling.

In chapter 5, Mirjana Roksandic uses the juvenile-adult ratio and mean child mortality rates as proxies for mobility and fertility in the Young and Old cemeteries in Canímar Abajo. Although I disagree with the author's claim that the cemeteries represent normal populations, she found that the individuals interred in the Young Cemetery seem to have had higher mobility than those of the Old Cemetery.

Chapter 6, by Darlene A. Weston and Roberto Valcárcel Rojas, includes paleodemographic and osteological studies of a colonial cemetery at El Chorro de Maíta. This burial population has been identified as a cemetery associated with an encomienda, and it seems to include at least one European, together with African and local and nonlocal Indians. Based on demographic features, the authors claim the population went through a catastrophic collapse. However, patterns such as this one can be produced by social and historical factors. Interestingly, the osteological results yielded evidence of hard labor, but contrary to scholarly lore, there is little evidence of abuse and malnutrition, putting into question assumptions (or prejudices) scholars have about the colonial system.

In chapter 7, Kaitlynn Alarie and M. Roksandic discuss and analyze dental modifications found in both cemeteries of Canímar Abajo, which is of great interest because no Precolumbian intentionally modified teeth have been reported in the Caribbean before. The closest area with such practices is the Maya region.

Yadira Chinique de Armas and colleagues (chapter 8) report the results of an extensive stable isotope study where a large number of sites throughout the Caribbean were compared. Interestingly, Canímar Abajo differed markedly from other Cuban Archaic sites, while it showed isotope ratios similar to those of agricultural sites from other islands.

In chapter 9, Jason E. Laffoon, arguing that precolonial Puerto Rican migrant diets differed from those of the local population, proposes combining strontium isotope data with carbon and nitrogen isotope data to identify the presence of migrants in a population. Using ethnohistorical and archaeological evidence, Ulises M. González Herrera (chapter 10) describes various types of foods consumed among the Arawak aboriginal communities in Cuba and their preparation methods from ancient to colonial times.

Válcarcel Rojas (chapter 11) presents a historical account of indigenous communities in Cuba from precolumbian to modern times, indicating that many communities survived well after the so-called “extinction” promulgated by traditional historiography. Similarly, Jason M. Yaremko (chapter 12) focuses on the presence and survival of Maya Indians who came to the island for reasons ranging from forced migration to voluntary movement to escape persecution. The volume ends with a final commentary by Reniel Rodríguez Ramos (chapter 13), discussing the volume from the perspective of the Greater Antilles, focusing on three main themes: origins, lifeways, and identities.

In many respects, this volume shows both the advancements in Cuban archaeology and the increase in connectivity in the past decades. New approaches are being applied, new perspectives are being used, and new interpretations are being made. In short, it is a good sample of how dynamic and active Cuban archaeology is today. However, while the volume includes a wonderful variety of studies, I felt that several of the articles were forced into it. The articles related to the Nicaraguan connection seemed too preliminary, especially to be placed early in the volume. Also, Laffoon's study in Puerto Rico was inexplicably included in a volume on Cuban archaeology. While we are not close to understanding the extensive, highly diverse, and complex archaeological record of this island, the chapters clearly show how invigorated and dynamic Cuban archaeology is today.