Key to the New World

Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for General NonfictionInternational Latino Book Awards, First Place, Best History Book (English) A splendid work of historical craftsmanship. In tone and content it offers a generally balanced survey of Cuban history through the end of the seventeenth century and in this regard it promises to offer a very usable introductory text. The writing is accessible and thoughtful, organized around an informative and engaging narrative. Louis A. Perez Jr., author of On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture A commendable and important achievement. Jason M. Yaremko, author of Indigenous Passages to Cuba, 1515 1900Scholarly and popular attention tends to focus heavily on Cuba s recent history: its notoriety as the world s largest exporter of sugar and the Western hemisphere s first socialist nation. Key to the New World fills the gap in our knowledge of the island before 1700, examining Cuba s formative centuries in depth. Luis Martinez-Fernandez presents a holistic portrait of the island nation, interrelating its geography, economy, society, politics, and culture. He weaves these threads into a narrative that begins with the first arrival of indigenous people 10,000 years ago. He explores the conquest and establishment of colonial rule and how the island s geographic uniqueness made it an ideal launching pad for Spanish conquests into Central America, Mexico, and Florida. While considering the role of Cuba and the Caribbean as a theater for European power struggles, Martinez-Fernandez also focuses intimately on the people who both influenced and were influenced by these larger, impersonal forces. In these often-overlooked centuries, Martinez-Fernandez finds the roots of many of Cuba s enduring economic, political, social, and cultural complexities. The result is a sweeping history, a seminal text that makes clear that to fully grasp revolutionary or contemporary Cuba we must first understand what came before.