Cuban and Canadian scientists investigate findings at an indigenous cemetery in Matanzas, one of the oldest in the Caribbean

A multidisciplinary group of Cuban and Canadian scientists has been investigating since the beginning of this month new findings in the aboriginal cemetery of Canímar Abajo, in Matanzas, considered a unique archaeological site in the Antilles due to its age and the number of human remains discovered.

The new excavation campaign at the site began on April 1 and will last for several weeks. It is part of two scientific initiatives: "Early Settlement of the Canímar River Watershed" and "The Dynamic Caribbean: Traces of Interaction among Indigenous Communities," reported the meteorologist from Matanzas, Henry Delgado Manzor, through the Facebook page "Canímar Abajo Matanzas Cuba".

"The site continues to reveal, through its findings, its significance for the archaeology and history of Cuba since its discovery more than 40 years ago," Delgado stated in another post this Sunday.

The research involves the participation of specialists from the Research and Development Group of the Provincial Culture Directorate of Matanzas, the Carlos de la Torre Group of the local Speleological Committee, the El Morrillo Memorial Museum (Matanzas), as well as experts from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Winnipeg (Canada) and the Eastern Center of Archaeology of Holguín, it was specified.

Site of regional significance

Canímar Abajo, located four kilometers east of the city of Matanzas, sits on the grounds of the homonymous camping site, by the river after which it is named.

Discovered in 1984, it is considered the oldest aboriginal burial site in the greater Antilles, and according to radiocarbon dating, it is over 3,000 years old.

It is, moreover, the site with the largest number of individuals excavated in the region - over 230 indigenous remains -, and it is a key location for understanding pre-Columbian migrations.

Canímar Abajo has revealed itself to be a unique place, not only within local and even national interests but also for the entire area of the insular Caribbean, as highlighted in the book Paleopathological Studies in Canímar Abajo, published in March 2025 by Aspha Ediciones.

Its author, the physician, speleologist, anthropologist, and historian of the city of Matanzas, Ercilio Vento Canosa, explains that the findings there regarding ways of life and economic practices transformed many previously established and sanctioned views of Cuban prehistory in non-tribal groups.

According to the specialist, it became evident from the initial excavations that some of the exhumed individuals exhibited pathological alterations as a consequence of various morbid conditions experienced during their lifetime. They assess the study of these processes in comparison with other archaeological sites in the country and the region.

Pre-Columbian Connections

Various studies explain that the first inhabitants of the Cuban archipelago likely arrived from the northeastern part of South America, in rustic boats or canoes, traveling through the islands of the Lesser Antilles, reaching Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and finally the shores of Cuba.

It is striking to note the resemblance between certain types of stone artifacts found in sites like Río Canímar and those discovered in the delta of the Mississippi River in the United States.

Likewise, the typology of certain shell tools found in the western region of Cuba aligns with similar objects from northern Yucatán, which suggests the possibility of using other maritime connections through the Gulf of Mexico or from Florida.

In addition to gatherers, fishermen, and hunters, as was previously believed, the first inhabitants of the Island were also farmers, according to archaeological discoveries of various human remains, rudimentary tools, and other objects.

Until now, more than 3,200 archaeological sites have been identified in Cuba, a number that highlights the country's heritage value for the Caribbean region in this field.

The Chorro de Maíta Museum, located on the hill of Yaguajay, very close to the famous Guardalavaca beach - the third most important tourist destination in Cuba, in the eastern province of Holguín - is regarded as one of the most revealing sites of Cuban aboriginal archaeology and was declared a National Heritage site in 1991.

The cemetery was discovered in 1986, and more than 108 burials were found there, of which 62 are currently on display to the public in the museum.

Historians assert that this mountainous area belonged to the agro-pottery culture and was a settlement with a high population density of indigenous people, where agriculture, pottery, gathering, fishing, and hunting were practiced.

Frequently asked questions about the indigenous cemetery of Canímar Abajo in Matanzas