Lydia Cabrera

Lydia Cabrera (Havana, Cuba, May 20, 1899 – Miami, Florida, September 19, 1991) was a Cuban anthropologist and poet.

Lydia Cabrera was an Afro-Cuban writer and literary activist. Cabrera was an authority on Santería and other Afro-Cuban religions. Dueing her lifetime she published over one hundred books; little if any of her work is available in English. Her most important book is El Monte (Spanish: "The Wilderness"), which was the first major anthropological study of Afro-Cuban traditions. She donated her research collection to the library of the University of Miami. A section in Guillermo Cabrera Infante's book Tres Tigres Tristes is written under Lydia Cabrera's name, in a comical rendition of her literary voice. She was one of the first writers to recognize and make public the richness of Afro-Cuban culture. She made valuable contributions in the areas of literature, anthropology, and ethnology. Her most famous book "El Monte" (The Forest), published in 1954, became a "bible" for Santeros who practice Santeria, a blend of Catholic teachings and native African religions that evolved among former African slaves in the Caribbean.