Members of the Cuban Speleological Society (SEC) denounced the occurrence of vandalism against engravings corresponding to cave art, Cuban heritage, preserved in caves in the Maisí-Caleta area, in the eastern province Guantanamo.
The first attack detected took place in what is known as Cueva de los Bichos, del Cemí or de la Patana, one of the most important sites for this cultural expression of the island’s natives, according refers today the official newspaper Granma.
Statements to this medium by the Master of Science Divaldo Gutiérrez Calvache, president of the SEC and national coordinator of the Cuban Research Group on Rock Art, refer that in the aforementioned place the presence of “numerous graffiti with names of people and signs” was verified above of several existing petroglyphs in the place.
Residents of the Patana Arriba community, located about five kilometers from the cave, report having seen a group of adolescents loitering around the entrance of the cave, accompanied by an adult who, presumably, could be related to the aggression, according to the note. .
The second case was reported in the Cueva de los Cayucos, where a good part of the pre-Columbian paintings were adulterated with marks of human faces and “other figures”.
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Gutiérrez Calvache underscored the seriousness of the events since they constitute, according to Granmathe third reported assault in the last year against the cave heritage of the Maisí area.
In October 2021, Cuba established special regulations, of the high type environmental significance and Historical-Cultural importance, in the category of Protected Area, over zones of six provinces and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. One of the regulated spaces was the Maisí-Caleta area declared an “Outstanding Natural Element”.
