Historian Argues Cuba's Heritage is More Spanish Than African

Cuban historian Rolando Gallardo asserts that Cuba's identity is predominantly Iberian, challenging the historical narrative that often overlooks this aspect by portraying modern Cubans as disconnected from the colonial era. His views were shared in an interview with Tania Costa, featured on CiberCuba.

“The mistake lies in historiography, in speaking from the third person. No, no, no, you have to speak from the first person plural,” Gallardo emphasized, urging a radical rethinking of historical narratives. “We killed the Taínos, we mixed with the Taínos, we arrived in Cuba with Columbus, because that’s what genetics tells us, we are 78% Iberian.”

Gallardo’s central thesis relies on genetic data to challenge what he sees as the overemphasis on the "Africanization" of Cuban identity. He noted, “We constantly seek to over-africanize,” and explained that Africans were brought to the island by Iberian settlers already residing there. “The Africans we brought, we brought them, our ancestors did.”

Spanish Roots in Cuban Culture

According to Gallardo, the Cuban cultural phenomenon is a 19th-century construct shaped by the convergence of Asturians, Galicians, and especially Canarians. He stated, “The motherland of the Cuban is the Canarian, because the constant waves of families to Cuba came from the Canary Islands, which is why we speak like Canarians and why Cuban music resembles traditional Canarian music.” He even claimed, “Mojo is not Cuban, it’s Canarian.”

Gallardo’s argument extends to culinary traditions as well. He questioned how enslaved Africans could have introduced crops to the island. “Who would come on a ship carrying seeds to plant in a country where they are being taken as slaves?” he argued. “The banana came from the Canary Islands, we already had cassava, and we adapted it to Spanish cuisine.”

Reevaluating Culinary Symbols

Gallardo went further by challenging one of Cuba’s most iconic culinary symbols. After reviewing the first Cuban cookbook written on the island in the 19th century, he concluded, “Ajiaco is a cousin of the Madrilenian stew and includes chickpeas. We keep saying we are an ajiaco. Listen, ajiaco is a European broth, not a Taíno broth.” This statement directly challenges the metaphor of the “ajiaco” popularized by anthropologist Fernando Ortiz to describe Cuba’s cultural blend.

Regarding casabe — a Taíno-origin food — Gallardo acknowledged its indigenous roots but noted that it was the Spanish who preserved it, with Bayamo being the place where it is still produced today.

The most thorough genetic studies on the Cuban population, such as the 2014 study published in PLOS Genetics involving over 1,000 Cubans, estimate an average ancestry of 72% European, 20% African, and 8% Amerindian in autosomal analyses. This figure is slightly lower than Gallardo’s 78% but points in the same direction. Mitochondrial DNA analyses, which track only maternal lineage, reveal different proportions with a higher presence of Native American and African ancestry.

Gallardo’s statements coincide with the release of his article on slavery and the role of Cuban criollo elites in maintaining it. He argues that these elites were active participants in perpetuating the slave system, not passive victims of Spanish colonial imposition.