The cave where the so-called Idol of Patana
“THIS TEAR-LINED FACE, HIS LONG AND THICK STONE BODY AND HIS BACK WERE SERRATED FROM THE LONGER IGUANABOINA FORMATION OF THE CAVE.” —MARK HARRINGTON, 1921
was found is located in the village of Patana, near the Point of Maisi. Academics have called it the Cave of Patana after the village, but it is better known locally as the “Cueva del Agua” (Cave of the Water), “Cueva del Cemi” (the Diety’s Cave) or sometimes as “Cueva del Bi- cho” (Cave of the Gremlin or Vermin). In his 1921 monograph for the Mu-
seum in New York entitled “Cuba Before Columbus,” Harrington describes how he spotted the carving on the stalagmite in the cave by sheer luck. Benito Mosquera and his brother, local Cuban Indian de- scendants of the remote eastern coastline, guided the explorer to the large ceremo- nial cave. As Harrington entered, a snake revealed itself, perching atop the stalagmite. A Cuban colleague, he writes, “succeeded in capturing” the snake. Minutes later, the ar- chaeologist spotted the carving. Harrington recollects that he “was astonished to find that a large stalagmite we had passed many times . . . had not only a plainly marked face, but indications of a body carved upon it.” The large carving “faced east, and was so placed by nature that at a certain time in the morning, at least during our stay in June and July, a shaft of sunlight striking through a crevice fell full upon the face of the figure for a few minutes.” The idol had sat here, facing the ocean, for at least 500 years. Harrington left it in place, as it was heavy and strongly rooted. That evening, he filed a report about it to Heye in New York. The master collector of American Indian antiquities did not hesitate: “Get the idol,” he wired back. Harrington writes that Mosquera pro-
vided the long, two-man saw used to serrate the stalagmite stone into heavy pieces. The sections were wrapped and strapped to a mule for the descent to the coast. Although the workers had “to oil and sharpen often,” the saw did the job on the front of the long, carved stalagmite, leaving behind the rest of the formation. Harrington serrated the front face of the “cemi” (the divine figure), then cut the base into five parts for shipping from the port of Baracoa to New York City. Over time, Harrington extracted and
The idol, a statue of a Taino “cemi” (deity) identified as Boinayel, was carved into a stalagmite in a cave known locally as the Cave of Water or the Diety’s Cave in La Patana, Cuba. Photo by Mark Harrington, “Cuba Before Columbus,” NMAI/01371
shipped 36 large crates of artifacts from Baracoa in eastern Cuba to Heye’s museum. Alejandro Hartmann, the city historian of Baracoa, reports that along with a few hu- man remains, Harrington’s cargo included the large, heavy piece identified as the Idol of Patana. The Cuban icon was thus depatriated.
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