Cuban crafts are a vibrant mix of indigenous, African and Spanish influences, reflecting the island’s rich cultural heritage and ingenuity. Artisans across the country use locally sourced materials to create beautiful and functional items, often with a deep connection to Cuba’s traditions and natural environment. One of the most emblematic Cuban crafts is the guayabera, a light embroidered shirt made of linen or cotton, which has become a symbol of Cuban fashion. Hand-woven straw hats, baskets and bags are also widely produced, especially in rural areas, using palm leaves and other natural fibres. Cuba’s Afro-Caribbean roots are expressed in vibrant Santeria figures, hand-carved in wood and painted, often depicting deities of the religion. Additionally, Cuban pottery and ceramics, especially in places like Trinidad, feature intricate designs that reflect the island’s colonial past. These crafts are not only artistic expressions but also an important source of livelihood for local communities, preserving traditional skills while adapting to contemporary needs.
An important production of current Cuban goldsmithing can be classified as neo-crafts and author’s crafts, it is developed in the universe of experimentation and design. It shows the incorporation of themes and concepts of contemporary society such as the unity between tradition and modernity, the diversity of (Read More)
The craft workshops provided the inhabitants of the countryside and the city with the necessary products for productive work and sustenance of daily life, footwear, backpacks, belts, bags, harnesses, saddlebags and tobacco cases are part of the repertoire of objects produced. in leather in an artisanal way, from the colonial era to (Read More)
The production of pottery and ceramic pieces in Cuba has its antecedents in the agro-pottery communities that inhabited the archipelago, before the arrival of the Spanish and that developed an important production with utilitarian and ritual functions. Subsequently, successive waves of immigrants (Read More)
It has probably been the culture of tobacco, a heritage of ancient aboriginal cultures most widespread in the world and with it a type of craftsmanship that became a sign of elegance and good taste, in the most demanding circles of fashion worldwide and that today has its successors in the magnificent jars, humidors (Read More)
Of the rich artisan traditions produced in the Villa de Trinidad, weaving and embroidery, also called «embroidery», stand out for the number of artisans who practice it, the technical level and the diversification of its applications. Of very ancient origin, these techniques were introduced to the country, through Spanish immigration. (Read More)