This shirt was made by an unknown maker, undetermined provenance and date. It is a Dashiki, made of fabric, white ground with red dyed areas, and gold embroidery on neckline, front, sleeves, and tops of pockets. It was previously used by Mongo Santamaría.
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (1917–2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s. Santamaria made several recordings as a leader of his own group, as well as a sideman with Fania All-Stars, Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ray Charles.