The inaugural presentation, titled “Anthropological Expeditions in Eastern Cuba in Search of Indigenous Descendants: 1847–2022,” was delivered by Dr. Armando Rangel Rivero, Director of the Anthropological Museum at the University of Havana’s Faculty of Biology.

His talk provided scientific insights into the processes of ethnic persistence and *mestizaje* (cultural and biological mixing) in the Caribbean islands.

The gathering—part of the traditional Ibero-American Culture Festival, primarily hosted at the historic La Periquera complex—brings together researchers, academics, and creators from nations including Italy, Colombia, Chile, New Zealand, and Canada, participating both in person and virtually.

The first day’s academic program explored ties of identity through specialized presentations.

Notable sessions included “Threads of Memory: Ancestral Cultures, Textiles, and Contemporary Identity,” presented by Liliana Avilés Sánchez, and “Ancestral Knowledge, Medicinal Plants, and the Contemporary Reinterpretation of Health,” presented by Maide Perez Aguilera.

Furthermore, intercultural dialogue transcended geographical boundaries through discussions on Mexican folklore—examined by Kessia Jemina Serrano Rosales and Joan Sebastian Hernandez Torre as a living heritage and an intergenerational bridge—as well as an exploration of the Italian experience regarding migration and dialogue between nations, presented by researcher Nicola Pirone.

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