Fernando Ortiz

Ortiz, Fernando 

(also F. Ortiz y Fernández). Born June 16, 1881, in Havana; died there Apr. 11, 1969. Cuban scholar. Specialist in history, ethnology, sociology, and folklore.

Ortiz was educated at the universities of Madrid, Barcelona, and Havana. From 1915 to 1925 he was a member of the House of Deputies. In 1910 he became the editor of the journal Revista bimestre cubana (Cuban Bimonthly Review). In 1924 he founded the journal Archivos del folklore cubano (Archives of Cuban Folklore). He served as its editor until 1929.

Ortiz was the founder of Cuban ethnology. In 1926 he organized the Spanish-Cuban Cultural Society, and in 1937, the Society for Afro-Cuban Studies. From 1942 he taught a course at the University of Havana on the ethnology of Cuba. In 1945, Ortiz became president of the Cuban-Soviet Cultural Institute. In 1959 he became a member of the National Commission on the Cuban Academy of Sciences. His principal works deal with the contributions of the Negroes to Cuba’s racial composition and culture.

WORKS

Hampa afro-cubana: Los negros esclavos. Havana, 1916.
La crisis política Cubana. Havana, 1919.
Contrapunteo cubano del Tabaco y el Azúcar. Havana, 1940.
Historia de una pelea cubana contra los demonios. Havana, 1960.
Bohemia, 1969, no. 16. (Contains a list of Ortiz’ works.)

REFERENCE

Cuba, 1969, nos. 7, 12.