From Nuclear Missile Hangar to Pigsty : an Archaeological Photo-Essay on the 1962 World Crisis

Abstract

Half a century ago – in October 1962 – the world was on the threshold to the unthinkable: a full-scale nuclear war between the USA and the Soviet Union. The focus of the conflict was a number of Soviet launching sites for medium-range missiles situated in the Cuban countryside. Today, at first glance it is difficult to discover traces at these sites that testify to their important role in twentieth-century history. A closer look, however, reveals not only material remains but also an extensive, peaceful reuse of elements from the former military installations. This photo-essay presents some of the material evidence found during archaeological fieldwork at the missile site at Santa Cruz de los Pinos, also known as San Cristobal 3, situated c. 100 kilometres west of Havana.