Historiography of Cuban Heraldry in the 20th – the Beginning of 21st centuries

Abstract

In recent years, Russian heraldry has gone beyond the scope of local and Western European heraldry. One of the new areas of research is Latin America. Among the countries of the New World, Cuba has been the friendliest to Russia. Historically, Cuba was the gateway to America, so it is logical to open a series of articles on Latin American heraldry with Cuban heraldry. In Cuba, interest in state, family, and municipal heraldry has not declined among researchers, despite the change of regimes. Despite gaining independence from Spain in 1898, cultural ties with the former metropole were not severed. One of the most important areas was the study of the genealogy and titulature of the local nobility and their coats of arms. The first Cuban historians, whose works were published in the 19th – 20th centuries, paid little attention to social representation in society. Cuban Heraldry in the 20th century is represented mainly by the relevant research of Cuban, Spanish, and American specialists. The ecclesiastical heraldry and emblem studies, as well as the emblems of political parties and organizations in the 20th century are still waiting for their researchers. By and large, Cuban heraldry studies could be reduced to only a few well-known names, but the good news is that new names appear today, especially in related historical disciplines. The works of Russian researchers on the history of Cuba should be noted since, without them, this study would be less informative.