Rock Art Research

Cupules are a form of rock art found in most parts of the world, including the Caribbean islands. Those of Cuba have rarely been considered a distinctive phenomenon. This article attempts to provide a generic summary of Cuban cupules and similar but larger mortar rocks, including a brief history of their discovery. Previously offered interpretations are reviewed, and descriptions of the thirty-four sites of their occurrence are presented. Small cupules tend to be steep-walled and probably involved indirect percussion or drilling, whereas large cupules suggest creation by direct percussion. Frequently groups of small cupules occur together with mortars on portable rock slabs but are more recent than the mortars. This consistency seems to indicate a quite specific cultural behaviour. Nevertheless, the production traces of the cupules are generally consistent with cupules on relatively soft rock elsewhere on Earth.