Mary Read was an English-born pirate who operated in Caribbean waters in the early 18th century, typically disguised as a man, and was captured alongside Anne Bonny and "Calico Jack" Rackham in 1720. Cuba's decision to commemorate her on a circulation-weight coin in 1995 reflects the island's sustained interest in Caribbean maritime history as a component of regional identity — an unusual choice given Read's English nationality and the entirely non-Cuban scope of her career.
Read died in a Jamaican prison in 1721, reportedly of fever while pregnant, never having been executed.
Mary Read was an English-born pirate who operated in Caribbean waters in the early 18th century, typically disguised as a man, and was captured alongside Anne Bonny and "Calico Jack" Rackham in 1720. Cuba's decision to commemorate her on a circulation-weight coin in 1995 reflects the island's sustained interest in Caribbean maritime history as a component of regional identity — an unusual choice given Read's English nationality and the entirely non-Cuban scope of her career.
Read died in a Jamaican prison in 1721, reportedly of fever while pregnant, never having been executed.