Cuba Culture

The Cuban population is a melting pot of ethnic mixes from every corner of the world. In the early days slaves cross bread with masters creating the mulattos of today. Later, people of Russian, Chinese and European decent created the make up of today's Cuba. Nevertheless, three dominant chief roots melt, giving shape to the Cuban nation gradually making up the current ethnic society. First of these roots is that of the aborigines inhabitants; their ethnic contribution was reduced by the impact of the conquest and colonisation process. It is for this reason that the more significant roots in the Cuban nationality are Spanish and African. The first was the result of migration from the metropolis, which has been going on throughout our history more or less regularly. During the first centuries, after conquest, most groups came from Castile mainly from Southern of Spain. Later, massive migration arrived from Canary Islands, Galicia and Catalonia. More recently and during the last century Eastern European and Chinese immigrants have further enriched, what is, the unique racial mix that makes up Cuba today.

The African roots also left a very particular mark in the process of the formation of Cuban culture. Coming, primarily, from five different ethnic groups (yoruba, mandingas, congos, carabalies, bantu) as arriving slaves worked at the plantations giving place to new cultural associations among the African communities themselves. As mentioned, at the plantations, before abolition of slavery, began the process of syncretism among the slaves\' and \'masters\' creating this new culture and genetic mix, different from its origins. In the present definition of Cuban culture, these three roots shape the basis of traditions, culture and popular believes.