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Miami's Little Havana: Yard Shrines, Cult Religion and Landscape
22
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1980
Year
Historical GeographySanteríaYard ShrinesLatin American StudyLatin American DiasporaCultural HeritageEducationLatin American ReligionEthnographyAnthropologyCultural HistoryCuban QuarterLanguage StudiesSpanishCultural AnthropologyLatin American CultureLittle HavanaCuban Population
In the past two decades, the Cuban population in Hade County, Florida has surged from about 20,000 to an estimated 430,000, profoundly reshaping the material and cultural landscape of Little Havana. The study surveys Little Havana’s contemporary cultural landscape, emphasizing the description and analysis of yard shrines and the Santeria cult religion. The authors describe and analyze yard shrines and the Santeria belief system, noting its apparent expansion within the Cuban exile community.
In the short span of only 20 years the Cuban population of Hade County, Florida has ballooned from about 20,000 to a current estimate of 430,000. The impact of such sudden and fundamental change in the pattern of ethnicity has profoundly altered both material and non-material elements of culture in the region, especially in Little Havana, the heart of the Cuban quarter in Miami. This study surveys the contemporary cultural landscape of Little Havana, with particular emphasis on the description and analysis of yard shrines; one of the more distinctive urban landscape contributions associated with the Cuban tenure in Dade County. Although many shrines are built by Catholics, perhaps an equal number, if not more, are erected by followers of a fascinating, syncretic Afro-Cuban cult religion called Santeria. Like other syncretic Afro-Christian folk religions, Santeria combines an elaborate ensemble of ritual, magical, medical and theological beliefs to form a total magico-religious world view. The belief system of Santeria is described with comment on its apparent expansion within the Cuban community in exile.