I was born in Cuba, in 1970. At the University of Havana I completed a BS in Biology (1993) with an emphasis on ethno-botanical research and a BS in Library Sciences (1997), focused on the study of colonial scientific journals. Then I earned an MA in Economics from Carleton University (1998) with a concentration on international development. At the University of Havana I finished an MA in Latin American Studies (2000) with a focus on the comparative study of popular religions in the Caribbean. After coming to the United States I completed a PhD in History (2007) at UCLA. From 2007 to 2011, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in International Humanities at Brown University. I am currently employed as Assistant Professor of History at the University of Delaware.