In the remote and inaccessible areas of the Sierra del Rosario, a group of people known as the ‘acuáticos’ live on the fringes of the Cuban revolution. The government has failed to integrate them or bring their customs into conformity with state norms.
This group is characterised by its practice of treating illnesses exclusively with water, which is why they are known by this name. They refuse to visit medical centres, do not take medication and, in many cases, do not attend school. The most conservative members do not even use electricity in their homes. Furthermore, they have no identity documents and are not registered in any official records. In their way of life, they maintain a stance of total rejection of political participation, living practically on the margins of Cuban society.
Their resistance has even gone so far as to challenge two of the cornerstones of the revolution: healthcare and education. They refuse to send their children to school or to seek medical care, an attitude which, in some cases, has led to them facing imprisonment for failing to comply with compulsory schooling.
Today, there are barely two hundred acuáticos left in Cuba, out of the thousands that once existed in the second half of the 20th century. They are the last followers of a belief that may well disappear within a few years. These individuals are the last witnesses to a little-known, deeply rooted side of Cuba, whose history is in danger of being lost forever.
The Island
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