Among the foundational figures of Afro Cuban religious history, few names carry the weight and continuity of Remigio Herrera. Known widely as Ño Remigio and honored in Lucumí tradition as Adeshina Obara Meyi, he stands as one of the African born elders whose life bridged enslavement and religious rebuilding in nineteenth century Cuba. His presence is felt not through legend alone, but through institutions, family succession, and the enduring shape of Ifá divination in western Cuba.
Herrera’s story unfolds within the harsh structures of colonial rule, yet it is ultimately a story of construction, the creation of ritual space, the organization of community, and the careful transmission of sacred knowledge across generations.
Arrival, naming, and the record of baptism
Church records from Havana identify Herrera under the name “Remigio Lucumí,” baptized in 1833. This moment fixed his presence within colonial documentation, marking him as part of the Yoruba speaking population labeled “Lucumí” by Spanish authorities. The name reflects a system of classification imposed on African people, but it also preserves an ethnic trace that would later become central to religious identity in Cuba.
This baptismal record stands as one of the earliest surviving references to Herrera’s life in the Americas, situating him within the early nineteenth century and confirming his arrival during the height of the transatlantic slave trade to Cuba.
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From enslavement to stability in Regla
Over time, Herrera moved from bondage into freedom and established himself in Regla, a maritime town across Havana Bay. Regla held special significance within Afro Cuban religious life, shaped by devotion to the Virgen de Regla and her lived connection with Yemayá, the orisha of the sea. The town became a crossroads where African derived religious practices found both shelter and public expression.
Herrera’s later life in Regla was marked by economic stability and property ownership, conditions that allowed him to host ceremonies, receive initiates, and maintain ritual obligations. In a society that restricted African gatherings and monitored religious activity, such stability was essential. Religious continuity required physical space, material resources, and trusted community networks, all of which Herrera helped cultivate.
Cabildo Yemayá and organized religious life
One of the most enduring aspects of Herrera’s legacy is his association with the Cabildo Yemayá in Regla. Cabildos functioned as religious, social, and mutual aid institutions for Africans and their descendants, offering structured spaces for worship, leadership, and communal support.
The Cabildo Yemayá emerged in the mid nineteenth century as a focal point for Afro Cuban religious life in Regla. Herrera is remembered among the African born elders connected to its formation and consolidation, contributing to a framework that allowed ritual authority to be preserved and transmitted within an organized community setting. Through the cabildo, religious life moved beyond private survival into collective continuity.
Ifá divination and remembered authority
Herrera’s name is closely tied to the establishment of Ifá divination in Cuba. Within Lucumí tradition, he is remembered as a bearer of deep ritual knowledge connected to Orula and the divinatory corpus of Ifá. His authority did not rest on spectacle, but on longevity, teaching, and recognition within the community.
Stories told within Lucumí lineages speak of Herrera safeguarding sacred knowledge under extreme conditions. These narratives express how religious authority endured despite the violence of enslavement. Through such memory, Herrera’s role is understood as one of preservation rather than reinvention, ensuring that Ifá remained grounded in Yoruba derived principles even as it adapted to new realities in the Caribbean.
Family, succession, and Pepa, Eshu Bí
Herrera’s legacy did not end with his death. His daughter, María Josefa Herrera, known as Pepa and recognized with the religious name Eshu Bí, emerged as an important figure within Regla’s religious life. Her leadership demonstrates how authority and responsibility could pass through family as well as initiation, and how women played visible roles in sustaining Afro Cuban religious traditions.
Through Pepa and subsequent generations, Herrera’s influence continued as a living lineage rather than a closed chapter, reinforcing the communal nature of religious inheritance.
The portrait and material memory
One of the most striking traces of Herrera’s life is a preserved portrait, widely reproduced in historical and educational collections. Images of African born religious elders from this period are rare, making this portrait an important artifact of memory. It offers a tangible connection between the nineteenth century and present day religious practice, reinforcing that the names spoken in prayer belonged to people who lived, worked, and shaped their communities.
In traditions where ancestry is invoked and honored, such an image functions as both historical record and devotional presence.
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Enduring presence in Regla
Today, Regla remains a center of devotion where Catholic and Afro Cuban religious life intertwine. Processions honoring the Virgen de Regla continue to draw crowds, music, and ritual expression. Within this living landscape, the legacy of early elders like Herrera remains embedded in the town’s religious identity.
His influence endures not through monuments or official titles, but through practice, lineage, and the continued relevance of Ifá divination within Cuban Lucumí tradition.
Conclusion
Remigio Herrera’s life reveals how sacred knowledge survived displacement by taking root in people, households, and institutions. Through his presence in Regla, his involvement in organized religious life, and the continuation of his lineage, he stands as a foundational figure in the history of Afro Cuban religion. His story is not one of myth alone, but of endurance shaped into structure, memory shaped into practice.
Author’s Note
What survives is what is built. Ño Remigio’s life reminds us that faith does not endure by accident, it survives because someone makes room for it, protects it, and passes it on, until the sacred once again has a home and a future.
References
David H. Brown, Santería Enthroned, Art, Ritual, and Innovation in an Afro Cuban Religion, University of Chicago Press.
Elizabeth Pérez, The Virgin in the Mirror, Reading Images of a Black Madonna Through the Lens of Afro Cuban Women’s Experiences.
Slavery Images, “Ño Remigio Herrera Adeshina Obara Meyi, 1891”, image record and archival description.
