Bloody Waters: The Zaragozana and Cuban Piracy in the 1820s

The Cuban Heritage Collection will host an online book talk with maritime historian Glenn M. Stein about his latest work, “Bloody Waters: The Zaragozana and Cuban Piracy in the 1820s.”

The book examines piracy along Cuba’s coasts during the early 19th century, when Spain’s empire in the Americas was beginning to decline and the Caribbean became a contested region for privateers, pirates and imperial powers. Drawing on archival research from eight countries, Stein traces the pursuit and capture of pirate captain Cayetano Aragones aboard the schooner Zaragozana.

During the presentation, Stein will discuss the research behind the book and the political, maritime and social conditions that shaped Cuban piracy during the 1820s. The program will also address the trials and executions connected to efforts to end piracy in the region.

Following the presentation, Amanda Moreno-Schroeder, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair and director of the Cuban Heritage Collection, will moderate a live audience Q&A.

Stein is a polar and maritime historian who has researched maritime and polar history since 1975. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and has written more than 70 articles and papers. His previous book, “Discovering the North-West Passage: The Four-Year Arctic Odyssey of H.M.S. Investigator and the McClure Expedition,” was published in 2015 and launched at the Library of Congress.

This online event is sponsored by the Cuban Heritage Collection.