Greetings! We recently returned from a trip to Cuba (country #86), where we were able to experience Havana (Officially known as La Habana [hah-bah-nah]) and some nearby areas. Below, you will find information and photos from our trip. Please note that, while there will be references to prominent individuals and events in Cuban history, the information in this blogpost is for informational purposes, only, and should neither be considered a political stance nor promotion of the associated politics of the individuals or parties discussed.
The current capital of Cuba is Havana. Santiago de Cuba (in the East) was the capital during the Colonial period. It was subsequently determined that Havana was better situated, so, they moved the capital to Havana in the 16th century. Cuba has 16 provinces, all governed by the president, and they each have provincial administration. Cuba is the place here the Caribbean Sea (to the North), Gulf of Mexico (to the South), and Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba has moderate temperatures year-round (range of 66-90 degrees Fahrenheit/18-33 degrees Celsius throughout the year). The Cuban flag is designed as follows: 3 blue stripes that represent the three parts of Cuba (East, Central, West); 2 white stripes that represent peace; red that represents blood shed in war; and one star, which represents that it is one country/government, with no more division.
Cuba has a rather sordid history that has resulted in a complicated set of current circumstances, including the state/nature of their relationship with the United States of America. Here is some background information, as yielded from tour guides and guidebooks.
Cuban History
1500 years ago, the Taino people arrived on the island from South America (from the Orinoco basin) and lived with tribal units (chiefs were the head of the units). They were skilled farmers, potters, and weavers, and were decimated when Christopher Columbus arrived in October 1492, as the diseases that he and the Europeans brought with them killed the natives within a century. Havana was named the capital of Cuba in 1553, and it was regularly attacked by pirates because many treasures were shipped to Spain through the harbor, requiring them to build castles and fortresses to protect the Cuban cities.
Interesting Fact: Males are required to register for the military when they turn 16yo. Females can voluntarily register.
In 1762, Havana was captured by the British and they lifted the trade restrictions established by Spain. This resulted in a significant increase in trade with North America, including a rapid expansion of sugar plantations (Cuba was the largest supplier of sugar in the mid-1800s), which increased in the slave trade. Slavery was abolished in 1886 in Cuba.
After the explosion of a US warship in 1898 in Havana Harbor, the US declared war on Spain and won, resulting in Cuba’s independence (Cuba became a Republic at that point [1902], which lasted from 1902-1958). In 1933, there was a revolt that resulted in Fulgencio Batista taking power. He subsequently retired to Florida, and then took power again. In 1953, 26yo lawyer, Fidel Castro, sought to unseat Batista as ruler, and while his revolution was terribly unsuccessful, Batista granted Fidel and his brother, Raúl, amnesty. Fidel and Raúl went to Mexico and returned with their Rebel Army (along with Argentinian-born Che Guevara, who was in charge of the Cuban military) in 1956, and eventually took over (Batista fled Cuba once Guevara and his guerilla force captured Santa Clara).
Interesting Fact: Havana has a Chinatown but has very few Chinese residents. Those who are there are descendants of Chinese residents who left when their businesses were closed down. We were told that the food is a mixture of Cuban and Chinese food because there are only a few Chinese chefs left, and if they are there, they are in their 90s.
Structure of Cuba’s Government
Cuba is a Socialist Republic with two parties: the Communist Party and the Young Communist League. They also have a Parliament. Within their overall government structure are three levels: Municipal (public elections are held to elect individuals to seats in this level of government), Provincial (members of the Municipal level are selected to be Provincial members), and National (members of the Provincial level are selected to be National members). Members of the National Level (Parliament) will propose members (from the National Level) to be chosen as the president of the country, and then they (members of National Level/Parliament) vote, and the person with the most votes becomes president. The current president was proposed to be president by Raúl Castro, who was proposed to be president by Fidel Castro before him. The president has a five-year term and can be re-elected once.
Interesting Fact: Che (chay) Guevara was given that nickname because of his consistent use of the word “che,” which meant “Hey!” or “mate.” His given first name was Ernesto.
Embargo (per USA)/Blockade (per Cuba) on Cuba
Fidel Castro was in power for five decades and embraced Communism as a way to get rid of racism, poverty, illiteracy, and inequality of healthcare. He joined forces with the Soviet Union and broke with the United States, resulting in President Dwight D. Eisenhower imposing an embargo on Cuba (which Cubans refer to as a blockade). A series of unfortunate events subsequently took place (e.g., Bay of Pigs in 1961, when a group of mercenaries trained in South American countries and Guatemala wanted to overthrow the government; Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when Cuba asked the former Soviet Union for missiles to deter the US attempt to overthrow Castro). Communism under Castro was mostly successful, but the economy tanked when businesses were nationalized, and Castro had to rely, exclusively, on the former Soviet Union for supplies. This became even more grave with the fall of the Soviet Bloc in 1991, which sent Cuba into what they still call a “Special Period” of significant economic crisis. During this time, there was very little food (people had to go to rural areas to find food) and no public transportation. Up to this point, Cubans were not allowed to privately own businesses. At some point during the “Special Period,” the government allowed people to open private businesses, which were given the name Paladar, which comes from the word “palate.” The concept of the paladar was reportedly inspired by a Brazilian soap opera that was shown in Cuba, within which a woman opened her own restaurant to make money and used her own house to do so, eventually opening up a separate public place for the business.
The former Soviet Union bought a lot of sugar from Cuba at high prices and sold to Cuba at low prices. Cubans still have ration books from World War II and use them for their groceries – for rice, sugar, oil, coffee, salt, detergent, and chicken (once a month for butchers, the amount of which is based on the number of people they serve), and the prices are subsidized by the state. People who own their own restaurants are still part of non-agricultural cooperatives, meaning the building is owned by the state. The president of the co-op takes the money from the owners of the restaurant, who then find food for the restaurant, or the owners can find their own food. Paladar owners must find everything for their restaurant, and they usually have an agreement with some of the local farms to accommodate their needs.
Interesting Fact: The retirement age in Cuba for women is 60yo and for men is 65yo. A lot of young people are leaving the country and not as many people are working, so, they need people to retire later. If people work in the private sector, they can retire early. In addition, there are unions that represent those who work in the private sector.
Cuban Migration
During the war of independence, many people went to Key West (Florida) to build cigar factories to financially support the war. Most who left were white people who owned businesses, as their businesses were impacted by the war, and they wanted to go where they could experience success and growth. Many others sent their children to orphanages or churches in the USA, a process referred to as “Peter Pan.” Blacks did not leave until after 1959, as they did not have the means or opportunity to do so before then. In the 1980s malelitos (mah-lay-lee-toes) stormed the Peruvian Embassy and went from Cuba to the USA, via yacht, and then came back to take their families to the US. The last big group went to the US in 1994, making their own rafts to do so. They were called “rafters,” and many died because their rafts were not sturdy.
Tourism helped Cuba recover, but Cuba is struggling significantly with tourism due to the pandemic, as well as their reduced resources due to their current financial situation as a country. The height of Americans visiting Cuba was shortly after Former President Obama visited (2015), as they wanted to see it before it became commercialized. We were told that the Cuba that you see today is about the same as it was in 2015. Cuba is also currently experiencing a shortage of food, medicine, and clothing. They have an open economy (not a market economy), and used to export a lot of sugar and sugar cane (especially to the USA), coffee, tobacco, and rum.
Interesting Facts: Cuba is the only country in the Americas with a UNESCO ranking of 100% literacy. It is also the only country that we have visited (thus far) that has no diet or sugar free drinks on the island. And there are no public bathrooms/restrooms.
When Fidel became ill in 2006, he handed over power to his brother, Raúl, who worked to stimulate private enterprise in 2011. Former President Barack Obama formally re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015 after having lifted travel restrictions for Americans in 2011. Many of those restrictions were subsequently reinstated in 2017 (which, ironically, was the year that we were originally planning to travel to Cuba…those restrictions were reinstated two weeks before our trip). Raúl stepped down in 2018, and civilian, Miguel Díaz-Canel, replaced him.
Interesting Fact: Many of the antique cars in Cuba have Russian engines due to the unavailability of spare parts in Cuba. They are also used all over the country for actual transportation and not just as a tourist trap. Most of the time during our visit, it felt like we were in a time warp between the 1950s and the 1980s…and then we would see something like a late model Audi or Mercedes that would spring us forward to present day. Unreal! Also, despite the influence from other nations/cultures (including a significant number of import of cars from Russia), Cubans drive on the same side of the road as in North America.
Interesting Fact: The United States Mafia – Cuba connection was first established in 1920 when Americans (including Al Capone) flocked to Havana during Prohibition, and it grew with gambling/casinos in the 1960s. It ended with Che Guevara leading the charge to rid the country of “loose morals and decadent gambling” (quote from Lonely Planet book on Cuba).
Other Notable Figures from Cuba and its History
José Martí – Activist, poet, and politician José Martí was born in Cuba to Spanish parents, and was involved in “anti-Spanish conspiracies” (according to Eyewitness Cuba) from a young age. He was deported in 1868 (at age 15), and exiled in 1878. He was influential in the revolutionary struggles by the time he died in battle at age 42 (he was the first person to organize the revolutionary party). He was also the first person to use the word “imperialism” in Cuba.
Che Guevara – Argentinian born leader of the Cuban military who lived in Cuba for many years. He joined with Fidel Castro in an attempt to overthrow Fulgencio Batista to gain independence. July 26 is now a national holiday that celebrates that attempt to gain independence.
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (CESS-pay-dess) – Wealthy business owner who was the first to free his slaves because he wanted them to fight for the war of independence. He started the first war of independence. His son was captured and when asked if he wanted his son back in exchange for him to stop the war, he said that all of the people of Cuba were his children. As a result, he is referred to as the Father of Cuba.
Francisco de Albear (ahl-bay-ahr) – An engineer who designed the first aqueduct in Cuba in the 19th century, as they had problems with their water supply and getting water to the city.
Usebio Leales (lay-AH-lays) – Historian of the city who promoted Old Havana being restored. He was very personable, which is what his statue reflects.
Ernest Hemingway – American writer who lived with his wife on a farm on the outskirts of Havana for 20 years. He spent several years living in Room 511 of a hotel in town, where he wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” He ultimately died by suicide.
Interesting Fact: Carnaval was cancelled this year (2022) due to it potentially causing too much of a drain on the cost and amount of electricity needed, as Cuba is significantly struggling with electricity.
Religion in Cuba
There are several religions practiced in Cuba, including Catholicism and Santería.
Santería (sahn-tay-REE-ah) is an Afro-Cuban religion that is very well practiced in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, and helped keep the language and culture in place in those locations when they were ruled by other cultures. The original language was established in beliefs of the Yoruba slaves (per Eyewitness Cuba), with a main god that is a creator of divinity, similarly to the God in Christianity, though the Santería god has had no contact with earth. Santería has become a kind of business because people have to pay to be a real practitioner. A Madrina (mah-dree-nah; godmother) is the person in charge, and animals are sacrificed, the process of which is expensive. Those who are preparing to be followers of Santería wear all white for a full year as a time of purification (born again), and during this time, they are not allowed to shake hands, cannot be outside at night, must use an umbrella during the day when the sun is out, and are limited in their sexual relationships.
Catholicism – For many years, if a person practiced religion, they could not be a part of the Communist Party. This changed a few years ago. In addition, they did not celebrate Christmas after 1959, but this changed after Pope John Paul II came to visit in 1998, during which he had a public mass at the Cathedral, and many people came to see him. Since then, many Cubans have celebrated Christmas.
And last but not least….the cigars
Tobacco seeds are planted to grow from October to February because the weather is dry and fresh and there is no humidity and no caterpillars. The number one enemy for tobacco is rain. In February, they start to dry the leaves, a process that is completed in June, and then they go through the fermentation process for four months. Similarly to wine, the longer the leaves are kept in the fermentation process, the better the cigar. The entire process takes 15-16 months.
The top of the tobacco plant is the best, the middle is for rubber, and the bottom is dry and does not smell, but helps for the combustion of the cigar. Tobacco and tomatoes are in the same plant family and are often planted together, with the tomato plants at the end of each row to attract the insects and other enemies that would be a detriment to the tobacco plant (e.g., caterpillars, fungus).
Each plant has a different flavor based on which part of the leaf is used, and they blend the parts to get different types (e.g., Cohiba, Romeo and Juliet, Monte Cristo). Some say that the best cigars are the Cohiba cigars, which was the cigar that was exclusive to Fidel Castro until he stopped smoking cigars, at which point they were made available to the public. The tobacco farmer that we talked with (who was fourth generation on his farm in Viñales) said that the best cigar is the one you like the best/most.
Interesting Fact: Tobacco leaves from Virginia and North Carolina are exported to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua because they are good for wrapping the tobacco due to their soft flavor.
Interesting Fact: Very few Cubans smoke cigars because they are very expensive.
There is still a lot more to explore on this fascinating island, so, I definitely hope to return one day. Until next time, take care and be well…