Between Dovecotes and Columbaria: Rock-Cut Architecture in 19th Century Cuba

Odlanyer Hernandez-de-Lara, José Manuel Gil Avalos, Judith Rodríguez Reyes, Esteban Grau González-Quevedo, Darién Urquiza Rives

Post-Medieval Archaeology, September 2025

Odlanyer Hernández de Lara

Anthropology Department

Archaeology

Latin America & the Caribbean

Post-Medieval Archaeology

Odlanyer Hernández de Lara

Abstract

Rock-cut architecture likely originates from traditions that have been documented at least from 2000 to 1900 BCE until the twentieth century, especially in the Mediterranean region, with a construction variability that includes secular and religious spaces.

The Pura y Limpia “cave” in Matanzas, Cuba, is presented considering similar places and their interpretations as dovecotes or columbaria. In the Cuban context, however, distinctive architectural traditions have characterized these structures.

Here, a case study from Cuba that likely resulted from the Mediterranean influences that arrived in the Caribbean with the 19th-century migrations is reported for the first time.