The Playa del Mango assemblage sits on the low terraces of the Rio Cauto, where shifting channels and mangrove edges preserved hearths, shell middens, and scattered lithics. Archaeological data indicates repeated seasonal occupation between about 151 BCE and 250 CE, a late expression of the Caribbean Archaic tradition that persisted in Cuba long after initial peopling of the islands.
Geomorphology and artifact patterns suggest these communities emphasized coastal and riverine resources: shellfish, freshwater fish, and migratory birds. The material culture is modest—simple pebble and flaked stone tools, bone implements, and organic remains—pointing to mobile or semi-sedentary foragers rather than large agrarian settlements. Limited evidence suggests that Playa del Mango may represent a local adaptation to the Rio Cauto’s estuarine environment, with episodic use of inland trails and estuary margins.
Comparative archaeology links these patterns to wider Archaic networks across the Greater Antilles. Yet the site’s specific combination of tool types, midden composition, and stratigraphic context reveals a community shaped by local riverscapes as much as by island-wide traditions. Given the small sample size of human remains, interpretations of population continuity and migration remain tentative; future excavations and direct AMS dating will refine the tempo and trajectories of occupation.