In the work "Militante Spiritist" by Paz Basulto and in Don Quintín López's book "The Occult Sciences", we find references that already in the colonial period the Taino and Siboneyes Indians were in the habit of producing some mediumistic phenomena in their rites.

1856 FOUNDATION OF SPIRITUALIST CENTRES

Don Quintín reports that both in Cuba and in Puerto Rico, the spiritism movement had had repercussions since 1856. "Spiritualist centres" were founded in Havana, Sagua la Grande, Sancti Spiritus, Manzanillo, Caibarién and Santiago de Cuba. This demonstrates the precocity and receptiveness of the evolution of Spiritism in Cuba.

1870 BEGINS DISSEMINATION OF VARIOUS SPIRITISM NEWSPAPERS IN CUBA

Luz de Ultratumba	1874
La Ilustración	1878
Luz de los Espacios	1881
La Antorcha de los Espíritus	1882
El Buen Deseo	1884
La Luz del Evangelio	1885
La Buena Nueva	1886 ***
La Alborada	1888 ***
La Nueva Alianza	1888 ***

At that time there was also a beacon of spiritual light in the publications of the so-called Poetess of Spiritism in the world, Amalia Domingo Soler. In the following years, the number of newspapers and institutions in the country increased, so that a dynamic of fraternal work began, which was consolidated through new spiritism institutions.

1888 REPRESENTATION AT THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SPIRITISM CONGRESS IN BARCELONA

The First International Spiritism Congress, held in Barcelona in 1888, marked an important milestone in the development of spiritism where five Cuban institutions were represented. These organisations were: Centre La Reencarnación of Havana, Centre El Salvador of Sagua La Grande, Spiritist Society of Matanzas, Centre Lazo Unión of Cienfuegos, Centre San Pablo de Quemado of Guines.

To have a reference of how important this delegation was, suffice it to say that, not considering Spain, the host country of the congress, or France, the forge of spiritism, Cuba was the country with the largest representation at the event, together with Mexico, since almost all the others had only one representative entity, except Belgium, which had four groups, and Italy, two. Moreover, if we compare the number of spiritist newspapers sent by the participants to this first international meeting, then again, not considering France and Spain (countries that had nine and four newspapers, respectively), Cuba, like Italy, was also the country that had the most representation, with three newspapers. The other countries had only one or two newspapers represented. These numbers show that Cubans were very aware and active in spiritism organisation and dissemination from the very beginning.

1890 FORMATION OF THE SPIRITISM FEDERATION OF CUBA ISLAND

On July 22nd 1890 the Spiritism Federation of the Island of Cuba was founded, bringing together twenty-three institutions of the country. The objective of the Society was clearly established in the first article of its regulations: "The Spiritist Society has as its objective the union of all the spiritist centres of Cuba, to extend the spreading of spiritism by means of the word, written or spoken, and the practice of all public and private virtue".

1895 BRAKE ON SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

From 1895 onwards, all social and religious activities in the country were affected by the events of the independence struggles.

1902 10 SPIRITISM CENTRES IN THE COUNTRY RESUME SPIRITISM ACTIVITIES

In the 20th century, the publication of the book La filosofía penal de los espiritistas by the famous writer, anthropologist and criminalist Fernando Ortiz (1881-1969), who curiously declared himself to be a "neo-spiritism", stands out. Also noteworthy are the works of the journalist and patriot Francisco M. González Quijano (1862-1926), collaborator of José Martí, founder of the newspaper La Voz del Pueblo and participant in the creation of the Cuban Spiritist Society, as well as the writer Salvador Molina, who attended the Barcelona Congress in 1934, together with all the Spiritist Societies of Cuba, promoters of the First National Congress in 1920, which received congratulations from the Institute of Metapsychics in Paris.

1910 FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY “MÁS LUZ”

In 1910, the "Más Luz" Society was founded in the city of Bayamo, Granma Province, and was officially registered in 1913.

1920 FIRST NATIONAL SPIRITISM CONGRESS IN CUBA

On March 31, 1920, the First National Spiritism Congress of Cuba was held in the "Payret" theatre in Havana-Cuba where 562 delegates, 113 spiritism centres and 336 personal representations participated.

1922 CREATION OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITISM FEDERATION IN CUBA

In 1922, the National Spiritism Federation of Cuba was created.

In 1934 Manuel García Consuegra, from the province of Santa Clara, proposed to hold a National Concentration of the followers of spiritism. The idea was published in a Matanzas magazine called "Rosendeo" in September 1934. The call spread like a divine clarion call throughout the island.

I suggest a first attempt to the most characteristic institutions of Spiritism in Cuba, which are: the "Spiritist Society of Cuba", the "Rosendo" Centre of Matanzas and the "Faith and Charity" Society of Camagüey. An act of national concentration of forces in any of the capitals, where the leading figures of Spiritism (this word in an ethical sense, preferably) would meet and where agreements would be made, lines of conduct would be drawn, and above all, the brother representatives would be spiritually attuned to each other.

1935 - 1963 HOLDING OF NATIONAL SPIRITISM CONGRESSES

National Spiritism gatherings that took place in Cuba in the first half of the 20th century.

From 1935 to 1963, 26 large National Congresses were held, reflecting the proportions that the spiritism movement had reached on the island. They were all held between March 29th and 31st, concluding on this date, when both the Hydesville episode and the disincarnation of Allan Kardec are remembered.

1936 CREATION OF THE SUPREME NATIONAL SPIRITISM COUNCIL IN CUBA

In April 1936 the Supreme National Spiritism Council of Cuba was created and approved at the beginning of November 1937.

1941 FORMATION OF THE CUBAN SPIRITISM CONFEDERATION

The Federation they had formed expanded through the creation of a Confederation, which had a consolidated federative structure, made up of six Provincial Federations and, in each one, the respective Municipal Federations, with their centres, as grassroots nuclei.

It should be noted that during this period, Cuba had several radio programmes in Havana from 1941, such as La Psiquis and La Doctrina Espiritist, on Radio Alvarez.

1942 FOUNDATION OF REPRESENTATIVE INSTITUTIONS IN CUBA

CREATION OF THE INSTITUTION “CLÍNICA DEL ALMA”
FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY “LUZ DEL SOL”
FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY “JOSÉ DE LUZ”

In 1942, at the VIII Spiritist Congress of the country, it was decided to create the important social institution "Clínica del Alma", in Camagüey, a hospital dedicated to the healing of the sick, an example of the humanitarian work carried out by the Spiritist Society at that time, which played an important role in helping the needy until 1966, when it was decreed that it should be incorporated into the Ministry of Public Health.

In this same year in the forties, the medium Claudio Agramonte founded the Society "Luz del Sol" and also founded the Society for the Study and Scientific Investigation of Spiritual Phenomena "JOSE DE LUZ" in the city of Santiago de Cuba. He attended as a delegate to the 6th Spiritism Convention of Cuba held in the province of Camagüey and later became a member of the Executive Team of the same Confederation.

There is a reference to the presentation of credentials of the Society "Amor y Caridad Universal" which was represented by Mr. and Mrs. Menéndez during the VIII Spiritist Congress in the city of Camagüey.

Provincial Directors participating in the XI National Spiritism Congress. March 1945.

Delegates to the XII National Spiritist Congress of Cuba in March 1946, held in Havana.

Table of the XIII National Spiritism Congress of Cuba held in March 1947. In the centre, Mr. Claudio López, Governor of Cuba.

Dr. Miguel Santiesteban giving a lecture on the scientific character of Spiritism, at the Ateneo de Santa Clara, March 1947.

The XIV National Spiritist Congress of Cuba held in Camagüey in 1948 as part of the centenary of the Fox family phenomena. On the right reproduction of the commemorative stamp.

Lunch of the delegates of the XIV National Spiritism Congress of Cuba, held in Camagüey in 1948, in one of the gates of the Clínica del Alma.

Delegates to the XV National Spiritism Congress of Cuba, meeting in the gardens of the Hatuey Brewery in Santiago de Cuba in 1949.

En the year of the Centenary of the Cuban Flag, in 1950, the XVI National Spiritism Congress of Cuba was held in Matanzas.

Delegates of the XVI National Spiritism Congress of Cuba, Matanzas, 1950.

Delegates to the XVIII National Spiritist Congress of Cuba, held in Havana in 1953.

Meeting of the National Spiritism Confederation at the "Yubanamy" Spiritist Centre, during the XVIII Congress held in Havana in 1953.

Salons of the Fine Arts Circle in the night of October 3rd, 1955, in the evening dedicated to the Master Allan Kardec by the Union of Spiritism Women.

On April 21st 1957 a significant event in the history of spiritism in Havana - Cuba took place, when a public plaque and a bust of Allan Kardec were erected, promoted by the initiative of the Enrique Carbonell Spiritist Association. Unfortunately, the plaque and the bust were later removed.

La Pera Park located in Calle Lugareño and Almendares, Havana City, Cuba. Homage to Kardec on the 153rd anniversary of his birth and the centenary of the launching of "The Spirits’ Book" by members of the Cuban Spiritism Federation.

Homage paid at the XXII National Spiritism Congress of Cuba in Havana, 1959, to the brothers José Cruz, Florencio Ojeda, Dr. Armando Labrada and Dr. Miguel Santiesteban, for their constancy in acting as delegates in all these events from the 1935 congress to the present one.

SPIRITISM IN CUBA SINCE 2001

A new stage full of hope and proposals for action is beginning in Cuba; processes of fraternal support and continuous proposals for work and dissemination have been undertaken in the spiritism field.

August 2024

Fraternal meeting on the 10th of August 2024 in the Centre Misión y Caridad, located in Holguín/Cuba between spiritists from Cuba and outside Cuba.

This event brought together national and international brothers and sisters from the areas of Holguín (Banes Rafael Freyre, Velasco, Uñas, Calixto García, Mayarí), Granma (Bayamo), Camagüey, Sancti Spíritus, Santiago de Cuba, Havana, Italy, Germany. The Spiritist Union - Nuevo Renacer is born.