Name/Title
Two damas (checkers) pieces, molded plastic with crown device, from at least two sets — black and redEntry/Object ID
2025.1.424Description
Two circular playing pieces in four colors, of one general design but two distinct molds. Each is a flat disc, slightly domed at center, molded on the visible face with three concentric raised rings stepping inward to a plain central field bearing a crown in outline — a five-point form with a tall central spike, two shorter flanking points, and a plain straight-sided band below, rendered as a single line, not filled. Edges plain and slightly rounded, with a circumferential line partway down the thickness.Use
Were part of a checkers gameContext
Damas is played in Cuba on an 8 × 8 board, twelve pieces to a side, conventionally one player red and the other black; the piece that reaches the far rank becomes a reina. It sits among the board games familiar in Cuban households alongside ajedrez, damas chinas, parchís, cubilete and above all dominó, which is treated as second only to baseball in Cuban popular culture. Cuba was admitted to the Fédération Mondiale du Jeu de Dames, with international draughts — the 10 × 10, twenty-piece variant — promoted more recently by enthusiasts.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collectionMade/Created
Place
Country
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
the swirl or flow marking now visible in the black and red field is consistent with remelted or lower-grade stock — the same observation that supported the merolico reading of the die.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús GálvezRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
September 6, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
September 6, 2026
