The various studies of traditional popular culture in Cuba have many precedents, dating from the late 19th century to the present. The development, over two decades, of the Atlas de los instrumentos de la música folclórico-popular de Cuba [Atlas of Cuban folk-popular music instruments] and the Atlas etnográfico de Cuba: cultura popular tradicional [Ethnographic atlas of Cuba: traditional popular culture], represent the coming of age of such studies in Cuba, not only because they are widely applicable in several levels of teaching and establish a multitude of contacts with Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, but also because, for the first time, we have a national sampling of these popular expressions that revealed a wealth of cultural diversity. As in much of Latin America and the Caribbean, this experience called into question the disciplinary limitations of folklore and expanded the anthropological reach of culture.
Folklore; Traditional popular culture; Living cultural heritage; Cultural carriers
