Esto De Vida Cuba

ESTO DE VIDA

CUBA

CONTENTS

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INTRO TO CUBA

14

GETTING AROUND

18

EXPORTS

36

ART

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OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Map & Brief history, Traditions, The people of Cuba.

Transport, Hitchhikers guide to Cuba.

Agriculture, The coffee, Tobacco & Cigars, The Sugar boom.

Graffiti and Street art, Yulier P, Tattoo, 6 Cuban artists you should know.

Las Terrazas & Soroa, Hidden Gems & Unusual things to do.

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THE MAP & BRIEF HISTORY OF CUBA

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Little is known of the pre-Columbian history of Cuba.

Indigenous people lived on the island by about 3,000

ties, some of them from exile in the United States.

In April 1895, Maceo, Marti, and Gomez landed in Cuba

BC. The first settlers were followed by migrations of several cultural groups from elsewhere in the Caribbean. The Tainos were the main indigenous group when Christopher Columbus landed on the island in 1492 (after touching land in the Bahamas).

Spanish landfall was a defining event in the history of Cuba. Concerted Spanish conquest of the island began in 1509, decimating the native population by war, disease, and enslavement. By the 1520s, Spanish landowners were importing slaves from Africa to work their plantations. It is a sad fact of Cuban history that today few Cubans can trace their heritage back to the Tainos, so completely were the indigenous people disposed of their native land.

Colonial Cuba gradually became an important source of wealth for the Spanish Empire. Fueled by a slave economy, Cuba became a major exporter of tobacco and sugar, padding the coffers in Madrid. Despite tensions between Spanish authorities and Cuban landowners and workers, Cuban history resisted the wave of nationalist revolutions that spread through the Spanish New World after the American War of Independence.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, Cuba became the region’s major sugar producer, a major trading partner with the United States, and a jewel in the shrunken Spanish Empire. Deplorable conditions in the islands sugar plantations caused many slave rebellions in this period of Cuba history. In 1868, Cuban landowners also began to resist the status quo, launching the first Cuban War of Independence.

Many great Cuban national heroes rose to prominence during this period of Cuba history: Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, Maximo Gomez, Antonio Maceo, and Jose Marti. Memorials to these figures from history on Cuba are commonplace.

The Ten Years War against Spain ended in 1878 with the Pact of Zanjon, which granted concessions to the Cuban rebels. Nevertheless, Marti and other revolutionaries continued their resistance to the Spanish authori-

to begin the second War of Independence.

In December 1898, Spain ceded control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Cuba to the United States.

The next sixty years of history on Cuba featured a strong U.S. presence. The U.S. Navy established the base at Guantanamo Bay, American tourists flocked to the casinos, hotels, and brothels of Havana, and U.S. interference in internal Cuban politics was the norm.

In the 1950s, Cuba was ruled by an unpopular military dictatorship led by Fulgencio Batista. A resistance movement led by Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevera gained increasing support and power. In January 1959, Castro gained control of Cuba and began a revolutionary reordering of Cuban society, instituting land reform, investing in health care, education, and athletics, moving into a close relationship with the Soviet Union, and imprisoning thousands of political opponents. Castro’s policies in this era of Cuba history made relations between the island nation and its superpower neighbor to the north increasingly fraught with tension. A failed invasion by U.S.-trained forces in April 1961 brought Cuba more firmly into the Soviet camp in the worldwide cold war.

When the USSR established nuclear missile bases in Cuba in 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of war, a tense 14 days known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. A tragic unfolding of cold war history on Cuba was averted when the USSR agreed to dismantle its nuclear bases in return for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba or depose Castro.

The next thirty years of Cuban history were marked by a close alliance with the Soviet communist bloc. Soviet imports of Cuban sugar propped up the islands economy.

Cuba’s economic fortunes were aided by the opening of the island to international tourists in the early 1990s. Today, thousands flock to Cuba to appreciate the unique culture and history of Cuba and enjoy the climate and natural beauty of the historic island.

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HOW CUBAN TRADITIONS WORK In some ways, Cuba wears the guise of a land lost in time. The massively finned 1950s automobiles lumbering down its boulevards and the lingering Spanish colonial influences in its historic architecture exist beside the eclectic and sometimes stern symbols of 20th-century socialism. Together, they create a puzzling landscape that can make Cuba seem mystifying, often quaint and sometimes alarming to the outside observer.

Cuba is a country of contrasts. Centuries of Spanish colonialism are evident in the architecture, cuisine and some of the customs of modern Cuba, but over 30 years of socialism -- under the auspices of the Partido Comunista de Cuba, the Communist Party in Cuba have had a huge impact on the people and culture. Cuban traditions are made up of layers that reflect Spanish conventions, the residual influences and resentments

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of America’s relatively brief occupation and later embargo and decades of socialist austerity.

Cuba’s art, music and food have also been influenced by a diverse population that now exceeds 11 million residents. African, French, Portuguese, Haitian, Jamaican and Chinese immigrants helped to shape a musical and culinary heritage that’s distinctly Cuban. At first glance, the ingredients in Cuban cuisine may lack drama, but ultimately, they work together in perfectly spiced dishes that bring out new flavor notes in common ingredients.

Cuba’s music is special, too. It’s arguably one of the most prized exports of this island nation. Cuban music exhibits an insistent beat, complexity and intensity that make it immediately recognizable around the world.

Like its people, it’s diverse, vibrant and adaptable.

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THE PEOPLE OF CUBA

After arriving at the airport in Havana, you’ll drive into the city and see people hanging out pretty much everywhere you go. They’re playing baseball, talking to neighbours, and peddling around on bicycles with friends. The people are out and about, engaging with one another and the world around them. It’s the exact opposite of an isolated and cold social climate. Relationships with family and friends are prized above pretty much everything else.

As a traveler, this social dynamic offers you a unique opportunity to engage with the local people and learn about their culture. This article is aimed at helping you better understand Cubans and prepare for your trip to Cuba.

Cubans are gregarious, friendly people. They will talk to just about anyone, and seem to spend the majority of their days in the company of others. Walking down the street in Cuba, you’ll see people sitting outside their homes talking to neighbors. On promenades like the Prado in Havana, you’ll witness couples kissing, kids kicking soccer balls, and old men playing chess. The people are tightly interconnected with one another, which is especially refreshing for outsiders who come from countries where technology has largely replaced interpersonal communication. In fact, the lack of technology in Cuba – cell phones, TVs, and computers – has made socializing more of a necessity. It’s how people get their news and entertainment.

Cubans are also extremely honest—most locals aren’t out to rob, steal, or cheat you. If you leave a camera or passport in a taxi or at a restaurant, there’s a good chance that you will get it back.

Cubans want visitors to have a positive experience in Cuba.

Due to their tight social network and outgoing attitude, Cubans seem happy—you often see them smiling, chatting, and hugging one another. However, beneath the surface there is also sadness and dissatisfaction. Alarmingly, the suicide rate in Cuba is nearly twice that of the United States. It’s the biggest cause of death for Cubans between age 15 and 45. Cubans may feel trapped by economic and political restrictions, and suicide often is seen as way to escape.

Despite their economic and political woes, Cubans genuinely love their country and Cubans feel a strong loyalty to their homeland.

Ask a local why they love Cuba and they will tell you about the country’s friendly culture, beautiful landscapes, and inviting climate.

They are proud of their history and hopeful about their future.

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In 2012, the Cuban census reported that the country’s population was a little over 11 million. Of these people, 76 percent live in an

ties to interact with Cubans. In these casas, families rent out rooms in their own home. Although each casa is different, many owners are

urban setting, primarily Havana and Santiago de Cuba. Cuba’s population growth has slowed in recent years, and Cuba is actually one of the few places in Latin America where the population is falling rather than rising. However, Cuba also has a fairly old population about 16 percent of the people are over the age of 60.

This is likely to create economic problems as more Cubans retire and begin to receive a government pension.

About 37 percent of the Cuban population is “white”essentially people of Spanish descent. 11 percent is black, and about 52 percent is a mixture of white and black. A tiny percentage of the population is Chinese. The Cuban population is diverse and heterogeneous, and is far less racially divided than the United States.

Cuba freed its slaves in 1888, and until the 1930s, the country’s institutions remained open to people of all color. However, in the 1940s and ‘50s, businesses sought to appeal to American visitors and adopted a form of racism that was then prevalent in the United States. Multiracial Cubans and blacks were banned from hotels and clubs. After the Revolution, institutionalized racism was banned and equality was supported. As a result, Cuban society is now fairly diverse and accepting of all people. Marriage between blacks and whites is common, and people are friendly and accepting of all races and ethnicities. Even so, Afro-Cubans do tend to be slightly poorer than whites and have fewer positions in government and universities.

The Cuban Revolution worked to erase class lines. At the outset, there were essentially two tiers of social classes: the senior members of the Communist Party/army officials and everyone else.

However, over time, Cuban society has become increasingly stratified. A class of rich Cubans exists, as do very poor people, many of who are black. Many rich Cubans receive remittances from families in the United States; some also own private businesses, including restaurants and casa particulares.

Cubans are warm with foreigners. They aren’t afraid to hug strangers or shake your hand vigorously. While walking down the street, people will talk to you and ask you where you’re from — if you’re up for it (and can speak Spanish), take the time to speak with them. It’s true that some Cubans seek to gain something by approaching foreigners, but many Cubans are simply interested in where you’re from and what you think of Cuba.

If you’re staying in a casa particular, you’ll have additional opportuni-

friendly and interested in the lives of their guests. When you’re sitting down to breakfast, feel free to strike up a conversation with your host.

Oftentimes, they will sit down and tell you about what it’s like to live in Cuba. This is a valuable, first-hand experience for travelers.

Cubans speak Spanish; few are fluent in English. English, however, is taught in schools and many Cubans are familiar with some English words. If possible, try to speak Spanish with Cubans—they are typically very patient and understanding, and provide travelers with a good opportunity to practice speaking a new language. If they show interest in speaking English, give them the same courtesy and support as they have given you.

One other thing, it’s polite to ask Cubans for permission before taking their picture. If you’ve been talking with them, most Cubans will readily agree to a photograph and beam into the camera.

However, if you haven’t been interacting with them at all, please ask before taking their photo. It’s also good to offer them a small propina (tip) in exchange for taking their photo.

Whether it’s the tropical climate or just the lack of puritan ideology, Cubans are a highly sensual people. They kiss openly and are indulgent in their attitudes about sex. Women stare down locals and foreigners alike, making catcalls and kissing noises as you pass. The country is erotic and bold in its suggestions. Sex is a pastime, and, like some Cubans say, is one of the few things that Castro can’t restrict or ration.

During Batista’s era, Cuba was awash in sex and prostitution, often catering to North American tourists. After the Revolution, brothels were closed and prostitutes were sent to trade schools. In time, Cuban women were jailed for suspected prostitution and banned from tourist hotels. These days, Cubans are allowed in tourist hotels (although some casas may not allow locals to come inside), and foreigners can legally sleep with Cubans.

The situation concerning prostitution in Cuba isn’t simple. Women will sometimes spend time with foreigners, who take them out to good restaurants and provide access to places that they would otherwise be unable to go. For many women, the ultimate hope is not cash but a relationship, especially one that would provide them with a non-Cuban passport and the possibility to leave the island.

Thus, Cuban women (and men, too), attempt to court foreigners with the hope of living the high-life in or outside of Cuba.

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MUSIC & DANCING

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Cuban music and dance reveal the soul of Cuban culture They bring together Cuba’s African and European traditions, offering a distinct blend of the two. Fernando Ortiz, a Cuban social historian, described Cuban music as “a love affair between the African drum and the Spanish guitar.” The Cuban-American scholar William Luis says in Culture and Customs of Cuba, “Cuban music is lively, energetic, and invigorating, but also soft, sensual, and emotional. The music makes listeners want to dance and touches the deepest parts of the soul. Indeed, Cubans carry music in their blood.”

Cuban music and dance are inseparable. They are the most famous expressions of Cuban culture. The Cuban son, an AfroCuban music form, came first. A combination of Cuban dance and music called the rumba came next.

Cuban and North American musicians made the son and rumba and their variants famous in the twentieth century by modifying them into popular forms of entertainment.

Son was the first music to successfully mix Spanish lyrics with African rhythm. The son originated in the mountains of eastern Cuba and became popular in the cities there in the late nineteenth century. The radio popularized it throughout Cuba in the 1920s. In its original form, son music was performed by groups using guitars, bongos (a pair of small round drums joined by a piece of wood), a bass, claves (two wooden sticks tapped together to set the beat), and maracas (gourd-shaped rattles). The son involved music, not dancing. A variation of the son is the rumba, which gave rise to several other forms of music and dance.

The rumba is an Afro-Cuban music and dance combination that began in the early twentieth century in urban centres and in small settlements around sugarcane mills. Like the son, the rumba combines Spanish lyrics and African rhythm, but the African rhythm is stronger.

The rumba features a soloist and chorus and a single dancer or pair of dancers. The musical instruments include a clave, the drum, the quinto (a higher pitched drum), and spoons.

In the 1920s, the rumba spread to New York where orchestras changed it into a big-band ballroom dance

with the addition of horns and strings. The rumba is rich and has many variants, including combination music and dance forms called the conga, mambo, and cha-cha.

Conga music is a variation of the rumba. It is possibly of Bantu origin and includes the conga drum. The conga drum is a tall barrel-like drum held together by metal hoops. Musicians and participants dance in a line, improvising steps.

The mambo has a fast beat and uses the violin, flute, piano, contrabass, timbale, and guiro (an elongated gourd rasped with a stick, although there are tin guiros).

Later, it acquired a conga drum, two violins, and three singers. A Cuban musician invented a ballroom dance, the cha-cha, in the late 1940s to appeal to North American dancers. The chacha is not too fast, it is easy to learn, and it has simple lyrics to the songs.

Cuban music has been popular in the United States.

RCA Victor and Columbia Records launched their record companies in the 1940s by featuring Cuban musicians. Well-known Cuban musicians, such as Xavier Cugat, who composed music and appeared in many Hollywood movies, promoted Cuban music. Desi Arnaz, a Cuban, married comedienne Lucille Ball and was an actor and producer on the I Love Lucy show. He popularized the conga line in the United States.

Authentic Cuban music and dance have declined in popularity since about 1980. A loosely defined style related to jazz, called salsa, has replaced them. East Coast musicians in the United States developed salsa. It is a mixture of the Cuban son and other Latin rhythms.

Music bridges the political divide. This was proved in the late 1990s when the movie Buena Vista Social Club was released in theatres throughout the United States.

The story talks about the lives of musicians active since the 1940s in what used to be one of Havana’s exclusive clubs. The movie and the soundtrack became internationally popular. By portraying ageing Cuban artists, it gave a human face to the island’s society put in front of the American public. Many realized that after all politics are put aside, ordinary people share the same zest for life as days go by.

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Where to go...

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La Casa De La Música

Tropicana Nightclub

Casa De La Trova

One of Cuba’s best and most popular venues, La Casa de la Música is frequented by both Cubans and visitors alike. With performances from some of Cuba’s biggest bands, La Casa de la Música is the perfect place to test your salsa skills. Best of all, there are numerous Casas de la Música sprinkled throughout the island, Havana even has two: one in Centro Habana and one in Miramar. The Centro Habana Casa is renowned as the more edgy of the two so make your choice accordingly.

Opened in 1939, Havana’s world-famous Tropicana is often top on the Havana hit list. Immortalised in Graham Greene’s 1958 Our Man in Havana; this open-air cabaret remains much the same since the 50s. With magnificently costumed salsa dancers, live music, palm trees and flashing lights, the Tropicana’s floorshow is sure to dazzle even the most cynical of travelers.

A haven for anyone longing to hear traditional Cuban music – or Trova – Santiago de Cuba’s Casa de la Trova is always overflowing with Cuban music. Days are filled with soft crooners and Spanish guitar, while nights tend to be fierier and faster. There are Casas de la Trova in Holguín, Baracoa, and Trinidad, so no need to worry if you choose to skip Santiago.

Salón Rosado De La Tropical

Club Mejunje

Palenque De Los Congos Reales

For anyone who wants a younger, wilder Cuban music experience Salón Rosado is perfect. With live performances from some of the hottest bands on Havana’s music scene, Salón Rosado is loved by both visitors and Cubans alike. Dedicated to the memory of Beny Moré – Cuba’s famous singer in the 1950s – Salón Rosado is sure to be sizzling.

Anyone looking for something different in Santa Clara should drop by Club Mejunje.

An eclectic mix of fiery salsa dancing, traditional Cuban crooners, and children’s theatre, Club Mejenje genuinely has something to offer everyone. Set in the beautiful ruins of an old roofless building, Club Mejunje is also home to Cuba’s only official drag show – every Saturday night!

Trinidad’s best spot for any lover of rumba.

African rhythms, rumba drums, salsa dancing, crooning trova performers and fantastic fire-eating dancers, Palenque de los Congos Reales is one of Cuba’s most energetic venues. Arrive early to ensure a good seat, although the shows tend to start after ten.

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GETTING AROUND 14

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Hitchhikers Guide to Cuba Backpackers and travelers on a budget often seek out countries that can be visited on a shoestring, and getting to their destination if often the costliest part of the journey. Cuba might be a faraway place for many travelers, but if you manage to find a flight deal, then you are pretty much set. Cuba is an excellent Caribbean destination for budget travelers, because from food to accommodation and nightlife, it is ridiculously easy to find budget options, even though there are more than enough luxury resorts on the island. And another great way to save money in Cuba is hitchhiking. Instead of buses or trains, you can travel practically for free, see the country on your own terms and maybe even find a friend or two on your way there.

Here’s a hitchhiker’s guide to Cuba which will give you some basic info on hitching a ride.

Tourists are not the only ones who hitchhike in Cuba.

Due to the relatively small number of cars in the country, hitchhiking is a popular means of getting around for locals and travelers alike. Culturally speaking, hitchhiking is nothing new in Cuba, so to speak, and no one will raise an eyebrow if you travel around the country in this way. In fact, even the government encourages hitchhiking as a method of dealing with the shortage of cars and public transport means. For this

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reason, in cities and larger towns, and on roads there are designated hitchhiking spots where people gather in order to find a ride, called amarillo points (punto amarillo) . A government official (el Amarillo) often oversees the process, and hitchhikers are picked up on a first come first served basis. An interesting peculiarity of Cuban hitchhiking culture is that government cars (you can spot them by the color of their license plates: white, light brown and blue, while private vehicles have yellow plates) are required by law to pic up hitchhikers if they have any free seats, and can be reported if they fail to do so.

At amarillo points, if an official finds a car for you, you will have to pay a nominal fee which goes to the government, but in this case you don’t pay the driver.

When at official hitchhiking spots, preference might be given to Cubans if it is obvious that you are a foreigner, especially if there is official supervision. A good idea is to stop away from the crowd, further down the road from hitchhiking spots, because this way you stand out more, and most drivers are glad to pick up foreigners.

It is advisable to agree on a price before you get into a car, or to simply state that you cannot pay, because some drivers might take advantage of you. In any case, if you don’t speak any Spanish, you should expect to pay something.

The Cuban Way Cubans drive on the right side of the road. Driving is more hazardous in rural areas: One must watch for slow-moving horsedrawn carriages, ox carts, free-ranging animals, and tractors. There were 125,000 registered passenger cars in Cuba in 1955. Most of them were American made, especially Chevrolets and Fords.

Also popular were Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, and Cadillacs. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cars stolen from the East Coast of the United States found their way to the island, owing to a car theft ring run by organized crime. A large number of these American cars are still operating. Cubans have maintained thousands of vintage American cars from the heydays of the 1940s and 1950s. Typically, the car’s bodies and interior upholsteries are in incredibly good shape. Most Cubans use bicycles rather than cars to go to work and school or to run errands. The reliance on bicycles is another adaptation to the high cost of fuel brought on by the loss of Soviet subsidies. In the early 1990s, as soon as the fuel shortage took hold, the government imported more than 200,000 bicycles from China. Most families cannot afford multiple bicycles, so it is common to see a bicycle carrying two to four people. Whenever necessary, Cubans also carry odd loads, such as live animals (a pig or chickens secured in homemade cages) and firewood. The police allow cycling on freeways, because car and truck traffic is light. Cuba’s flat to rolling terrain makes it easy to ride bicycles. Due to the high usage of bicycles, about one-third of accidents on roads involved bicycles in 1997. Hitchhiking is common in Cuba. A law requires that drivers of government vehicles with empty seats pick up hitchhikers whenever they can. At major intersections and highway exits, government officials wearing yellow overalls flag down cars for hitchhiking Cubans. There is usually a line of hitchhikers waiting their turn at these places.

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E XPO

RTS

The Urban Agriculture

A productive and popular movement with ecological bases The urban agriculture can be defined as the production of foods inside the confines of the cities: in yards, terraces, community orchards and fruit-bearing gardens, as well as in public or unused spaces. It also includes commercial operations that produce foods in hothouses and outdoors spaces, but in most cases it is about a small scale activity disperses around the whole city.

The definition of urban agriculture excludes deliberately important aspects of the rural and traditional agriculture such as, forestry and fishing.

In the last years the urban agriculture in Cuba has been developed as a strong agricultural movement in the cities and population settlements. The main goal is to obtain the maximum production of diverse, fresh and healthy foods in unproductive free areas. This production is fully based on organic practices that don’t damage the environment, rational use of resources, and a direct commercialization with the consumer.

The products of the urban agriculture are as diverse as those of the rural agriculture. The first specialize in products that don’t require big land extensions that can survive with limited resources frequently perishable. For that reason on the cities we can find small farms and yards with fruits, vegetables, small animals and highly demanded products as yucca, corn, beans, etc.

The urban agriculture in Cuba has received a prioritized attention of the Ministry of the Agriculture and of the Government of the country having in mind some aspects such as geographical location, consumption destination market, low resources requirements, doesn’t allow the use of toxic and chemicals products, extreme saving of water, and the exquisiteness care of the lands fertility, handling of cultivations and animals.

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THE COFFEE The first coffee plant was brought to Cuba in the 18th century by Don José Gelabert. In 1748 he founded the first coffee plantation in Cuba, in Wajay at the outskirts of Havana City. The seeds came from Santo Domingo, today’s Dominican Republic.

The fast growing of the coffee plantations in Cuba was caused by the arrival of French planters that emigrated from Haiti due to the 1791’s revolution. They found excellent lands and climate conditions for the coffee cultivation in mountainous areas of the country. That was how these great country estates appeared in Cuba, and soon became into powerful centres of coffee production.

The Cuban coffee boom occurred during the three first decades of the 19th century. This cultivation was establish in Cuba and reached the first place of exports, relegating Haiti to a second place.

The main coffee areas were located in Santiago de Cuba, Las Villas, Candelaria and Las Terrazas in Pinar del Rio. Now on these areas we can find very interesting and valuable ruins showing the influence of the French culture in that region.

But, at the ends of 1830, it was losing strength be-

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cause Spain interceded on commerce. The metropolis imposed high taxes and prices to importers like United States; whom due this situation they turned their eyes toward incipient producers of that time like Brazil, Colombia among others countries from Central America.

In 1894, Frenchmen were criticized by the Spaniards and Americans, that posture stop the immigration and Haitians and French men left the country abandoning the coffee estates, those facts caused the deterioration of coffee production in Cuba.

Although Cuba lost its leadership as coffee exporter, a high quality of cultivation and grain benefits was kept, transferring this tradition as a ritual from generation to generation until our days.

In our days, the production of gourmet coffee of refined quality is exclusively directed to well selected markets.

That’s why the most exquisite connoisseurs know about the existence of this weird jewel, the Cuban Coffee.

After the triumph of the revolution this has taken a new impulse, and at present times coffee grains of very high quality are exported and different varieties from the Arabian species is cultivated.

A young boy buys coffee from a ventanilla to bring to his parents

The story of how coffee came to be begins around 1440 when an Ethiopian shepherd that was looking after his

herd of goats noticed that during the night the animals would jump and move around instead of sleeping and resting. The shepherd was amazed by this facts and he told the story to some monks settled near the place.

They understood that the goats had eaten some plants that caused these effects; they inspected the place and observed some shrubs just stripped of their leaves by the animals. Once they tasted the fruits they verified the effects realizing that sleep was driven away.

Thus, they learned how to boil it in water to drink it when they had to pray all night.

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How Cubans Make Coffee Craig Cavallo (USA)

All Cubans have access to coffee, as they receive a monthly coffee ration, although this ration is cut with ground chicharo beans, a pea-type legume similar to garbanzo beans. If they have the means, Cubans will mix this coffee with a store-bought brand to increase the quality and flavor. The coffee is prepared in a stove-top espresso maker.

“Every home has one,” says Conner Gorry, writer and founder of the Havana bookstore Cuba Libro, “Even the most humble folks offer a cup of coffee to visitors – no matter if it’s their last bit of grounds and they don’t know when or where they’ll get more.”

Since café cubano is such a common reference in the coffee world, I wanted to know if this drink is as popular in Cuba as it has become elsewhere, which is why I spoke with Gorry. The Cuba Libro bookstore that she runs also houses a cafe, and having spent more than a decade in Cuba, she’s well-poised to speak to the subject of coffee. So I asked her about the café cubano.

“Having lived here for 13 years, I didn’t know the café cubano was a thing elsewhere. We don’t call any coffee drink a cubano here; maybe this refers to an espresso, which is the only way Cubans drink coffee” says Gorry.

Gorry is right. What we outside of Cuba call a café cubano is, in fact, the traditional Cuban espresso, and it is an integral part of local culture. In regards to this, Gorry says: “Cubans are very serious about their coffee and taking a small cup of the sweet, dark, strong stuff while having a ‘visita’ (dropping in on neighbors, loved ones, friends) to gossip, catch up, and vent is a tradition in Cuba very much still alive.”

In Cuba, besides making coffee at home, Cubans can get their coffee at a variety of different places, from the less expensive private cafeterias to more expensive restaurants and bars.

“What certainly distinguishes it (Cuban coffee culture)

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The Cuban Coffee you Should be Ordering...

from U.S. culture, where we grab ventis and go, is the fact that in Cuba, coffee is for socializing. Sure, you might have a small cup in the morning, but it’s really a matter of hospitality, brewed on the stove in an espresso pot to share with guests ... preferably over long conversations filled with neighborhood chisme (gossip),” says Julie Schwietert Collazo, bilingual writer and journalist who covers Latin America.

That social element of Cuban coffee consumption is something we often lack in the U.S., where, like Schwietert Collazo points out, our coffee intake is very often on the go; more of a need to fuel up and move on to the next task than to slow down and enjoy a moment with friends.

“This island is all about the wonderful, educated people, who love to have a good time, share good food and drink, and have solidarity to spare,” says Gorry. “Also, this is a society where people make time to spend time with people they love — often over a cup of coffee.”

Much like other cultures with strong social coffee traditions (like Sweden, Turkey, and Ethiopia, among others), while the coffee is important, it’s really just a vehicle for socializing.

To give us a taste what local coffee-drinking culture is really like, I asked Gorry about a favorite coffee memory in Cuba, and if her memory is indicative of anything, it’s of the social ritual that coffee creates: “My favorite is probably heading across the bay on the ferry to Regla, climbing the steep streets to visit my 86-year-old friend Carmita. We always sip coffee in her small living room while we catch up and she sells loose cigarettes from her window to supplement her pension. No matter that she is never able to make ends meet — there’s always a cup of coffee ready for us to share.”

Coffee as a way to bring people together and slow down, whether or not you’re making coffee like a Cuban — I think that’s an approach we can all appreciate.

The most important thing I learned is that, if you want to make friends, the coffee you should order is something called a colada. It’s basically a very large, very strong coffee, served in a styrofoam cup and then poured into smaller cups for sharing.

It’s what you order if your plan is to stand around and talk for a while —which is mostly what people intend to do.

Of course, you can order a cafe con leche or a cortadito or just a straight-forward cafe cubano (aka un cafecito).

Confused? Don’t be. Here are the four cuban coffee drinks you should know.

Cafecito or Café Cubano: The Cuban version of espresso, a cafecito is a small shot of strong coffee with sugar.

Colada: The social coffee! A colada comes in a styrofoam cup with a stack of smaller cups. Share with your friends or drink yourself — at your own risk!

Café con Leche: A shot of espresso with hot or steamed milk, this is similar to a latte with sugar already added.

Cortadito: A short version of a café con leche, this is basically a cafecito with a little bit of milk to soften the flavour.

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TOBACCO AND CIGARS Tobacco plant was originated in the American Continent.

According to observations of Christopher Columbus the Caribbean natives smoked tobacco making use of a cane with the form of a pipe called Tobago, giving the origin to the plant name. They seemed to attribute medicinal properties to it, and used it in their ceremonies.

In 1510, Francisco Hernandez de Toledo took its seed to Spain, fifty years later diplomat Jean Nicot introduce it in France, to whom the plant owns the generic name (Nicotiana). In 1585 the sailor sir Francis Drake took it into England, the English explorer sir Walter Raleigh initiated the habit of smoking tobacco in pipe in the Court of Elizabeth. The new product was rapidly spread through Europe and Russia, and in the 17th century reached China, Japan and the Western Coast of Africa.

Spain monopolized the tobacco commerce, and in 1634 established a tobacconist of this product for Castilla and Leon. In 1707, this regime was extended to all territories of the crown, along with the prohibition to cultivate the plant in the peninsula to facilitate the customs control. The tobacconist extension in Cuba, where a great part of production took place caused numerous revolts and in 1735 Spain handed is exploitation over the Company of Havana.

The Anglo Colonial America became the first world producer of tobacco. This cultivation initiated in the Jamestown settlement, where in 1615 the plant already grew in gardens, farms and even in the streets. In brief, it became the basic agricultural product and the main exchange measure of the colony.

In 1776, its cultivation spread around North Carolina

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and got to Missouri through the West. By 1864, a farmer from Ohio obtained bay chance a kind of tree stump with deficiency of chlorophyll that receive the name of burley blanco, and finally became the basic ingredient for the American pitting, especially from the invention of the machine to elaborate cigarettes in 1881.

The tobacco was spread out quickly through the American colonies, but it was not until the advanced 16th century that the economical colonization of America began. At that time Cuba was a sort of diving board and scale to get to the Americas.

It was in the last quarter of the 16th century that tobacco acquires economical category of the international commerce, and Havana with the fortress “El Morro” and “La Punta” becomes an important market place.

At this time tobacco was exploited and over wanted in Cuba. The very desire native tobacco was reached at Havana harbour by the illegal commerce between smugglers, pirates and the local population. The Havana Harbour came to be the broadcasting centre of Indian tobacco, because it was in Havana where the Spanish ships gathered with their crew members and rich passengers, for their returning trips to the sands of Guadalquivir.

At the beginning of the 17th century the tobacco commerce constitute an income source for a great part of the Cuban population. Cuba’s name was being favourable known among the worldwide tobacco lovers.

The “Habano” is not still mentioned, but they already talk about Havana as the place where the best tobacco is found. The embarkations that set sail at Havana, Santiago de Cuba and other Cuban harbours toward Sevilla exported a great amount of tobacco branches

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With little technology to help with farm chores, a farmer walks his field to plant yucca in western Cuba.

With few tools,Cuban farners rely on oxen for field work.

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Cuban tobacco farmers carry racks of freshly harvested tobacco leaves into their thatched barn for drying.

using containers very similar to those of today; the typical medium sized made of palm tree’s dry leaves not only for being cheaper material but also for being at the hand of the tobacco gatherers.

According to the 1614’s Royal Decree of Philip Third, the prohibition for tobacco trade with the enemies of the Spain Crown let us deduce how extended was the tobacco smuggling. The Spain monarch knowing about its smuggling and trade benefits, ordered to take to Sevilla all the tobacco coming from his domains over the new world. These were the antecedents of the tobacconist to be born within a century.

The smuggling continued to export tobacco leaves all over the world. Authorities and smugglers acted in agreement, and this Cuban product continued going with no interruption to the British Islands, North America, Holland, France, Portugal, and to the Spanish domains of the New World. Even in Canarias the illegal traffic counted with active agents in charge of the distribution of the Cuban product through the whole world, even Spain.

In August 1617, it’s known in Havana the Royal Decree of abolition of tobacconist, signed by Fernando Seventh to favour the cultivation of the first class of tobacco.

The glory of Habano Cigar is due to the virtues of its

mother “La Vega”. The first secret of this cigar is in this peculiar and virtuous complexity mixture of plant, land, family, poverty, craftsmanship and tradition that in Cuba is known as “La Vega”.

Tobacco production, in many varieties, satisfied all the tasters of the world. Commerce exported tobacco not only as cigars, but also twisted as a cord, rolled for pipes, in breads to chew, and as powder to inhale.

These were the alternatives for the taste of consumers.

While in France predominate the rape, in England pipes were preferred, and in Spain the pure cigars were for rich people. The cigarettes were for poor people. The manufacture of Cuban cigar satisfied all those kinds, even when the pure Habano was the most characteristic one.

This commerce was developed in the middle of a double smuggling: Its free export from Cuba prohibited

by Spain and restricted import from European nations due to its own production or fiscal tobacconist.

In 19th century 30’s, it was established a great industry in Havana, owing its development to the tobacco industry. We are talking about the industry of lithography that made known marks of tobacco, cigars and pitting produced in Cuba. Labels were generally accompanied

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by excellent drawings, mainly signed by Martin and N. Mendez. Big size labels for tobacco and small size (2 inches) for cigars. In rare occasions printed over papers in blue, green, yellow, pink, etc. The label’s text response to the manufacture name and generally are written in Spanish or English, and sometimes in French and German. The label also records the location of the factory or workshop.

The “Habano”, the world’s best tobacco The 20th century begins the Trust era for the tobacco makers, it was an era of strikes, strike breakers and union claims. New guarantee stamps were made for tobacco productions, as a guarantee of the origin of the tobacco harvested in Cuba.

The environment of free industrial and mercantile competition, the “Habano” became the world’s empire centre of tobacco by unanimous consent of the peoples.

During the first decades of the 1990’s, the consumption of tobacco moved toward the manufacture of cigars and tobacco for pipes. Then in the 30’s moved toward the manufacture of cigars and cigarettes machine made. During the 40’s cigarettes occupied the greatest part of the market. By the 1960’s and after the economic embargo to Cuba, other nations began to develop crops of tobacco to export and cover the leak of tobacco from Cuba. This process still continues in our days. This is mainly for the first class tobacco production that is used to manufacture of handmade cigars.

In the middle of the 1990’s, handmade cigars came back to fashion and created a market branch tobacco of the Premium kind that is still kept.

The international quality of the tobacco “Habano” is still the best, the most aromatic and tempting for the smokers of the whole world.

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A tobacco farmer grinds freshly roasted coffee beans.

A roadside fruit stand outside a farmhouse in western Cuba.

Oxen driven carts are common on the roads of rural Cuba

A tobacco grower’s farmhouse in the mountains of western Cuba.

A roadside kiosk selling fresh fruit from Cooperative Chile

After a hot morning in the fields, a farmer devours a Sunday meal at a country restaurant

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A Cuban tobacco farmer outside his thatched barn where his leaves hang to dry.

With few tools, Cuban farners rely on oxen for farm chores and trasnportation.

Tobacco farmers rack freshly harvested leaves and load them on a sled for their oxen to haul to the drying barn.

I sought to discover a slice of this Cuban agrarian soul before the transition begins. I cycled a 3 km road of tobacco farms in mountainous Western Cuba that led to “Republica de Chile”, founded in the 1970s as Cuba’s first farm cooperative. Today, 3,600 cooperatives comprise over half of Cuba’s farm land. The farmers were welcoming and engaging when I approached on my bike, with my Nikon slung over my shoulder.

Photographer: Todd Shapera

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Still Smoking From Havana to Hamburg, Cuban cigars are prized as the very best in the world. Cuba has excellent conditions for growing tobacco, and several hundred years of growing experience. The country’s iconic cigars are an important component of the Cuban cultural heritage. Whether or not you smoke, learning about the history and culture of these cigars is absolutely fascinating.

Cigar culture is huge in Cuba. Walk down any street in Havana and you’re bound to see a handful of locals puffing away on puros as they go about their daily business. The people love cigars, as do the travelers who come here to buy and smoke them. Thanks to the U.S. embargo on Cuba, Cuban cigars have been tough to come by in the U.S. and have enjoyed a certain mystique for the past half-century. Things are changing these days, but most tobacco aficionados still agree that Cuba produces the best tobacco on the planet.

In Cuba, tobacco is grown on small plots of land. The growers can own up to 165 acres (67 ha) for tobacco cultivation, but most plots are less than 10 acres (4 ha).

Tobacco seeds are planted in late October. Initially, the seeds are kept in greenhouses, but they are transplanted to the fields after about a month. The plants then take about 4 months to grow, and are typically harvested in March and April.

During the harvest, the leaves are picked and bundled— the bundles are then hung in a barn to dry. After 45 to 60 days, the leaves are removed from the drying poles, packaged in wooden crates, and taken to the sorting house. At the sorting house, the leaves are dampened, aired, and flattened. Bunches of leaves are then fermented in piles for up to 3 months.

The leaves are graded based upon where they grow

on the plant. Leaves from the mid-to-upper portion are strong and usually used as binder leaves, which hold the whole cigar together. On a cigar, the binder is found in between the filler and the wrapper. Binder leaves typically have very little flavor.

The filler leaves can come from any part of the plant. The top of the plant, known as the corona, typically produces leaves with a strong flavor. The bottom of the plant often has leaves that burn the best. For this reason, filler is usually a blend of different leaves to achieve a mixture of taste and burning qualities.

The wrapper is very important. These leaves are usually grown in the shade to prevent the leaf from becoming too oily or thick. Wrappers should have few veins and be fairly soft. Most of the flavor of a cigar comes from the wrapper. For this reason, these leaves are also the most expensive to purchase.

After the leaves are fermented, they are graded, flattened, misted with water, re-fermented, reclassified, and then finally sent off to the cigar factories. The whole maturation process can take up to two years.

At the cigar factory, the leaves are graded by strength and color. Each cigar has a recipe that includes a specific type and ratio of leaves. The recipes are mixed in a blender before being sent to the production room. In the production room, rollers sitting at workbenches are given enough tobacco to roll around 100 cigars each day. Incredibly, the rollers only have one tool—a rounded knife. They use this to cut and smooth the leaves.

The rolling process goes something like this. The roller grabs a few filler leaves and rolls them into a cylinder.

The cylinder is then surrounded by binder leaves to make a “bunch,” which is then pressed into a mold. The roller then chooses a wrapper, trims it, and lays the “bunch” inside the wrapper. The “bunch” is then rolled. A piece of

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wrapper is cut for the cap and glued into place with a flavorless gum. The cigars are kept in a humidor for three weeks and then are ready to be sold.

The trademark paper band is placed around the cigar and then groups of cigars are laid in wooden boxes.

The lightest cigars are set along the right and the darkest are on the left.

Cigars are judged on eight criteria, including weight, length, smoothness of wrappers, firmness, draw, and burn. Cigars are graded based upon color. In Cuba, cigars are known by many names, including puros, tabacos, and habanos. The Cuban government regulates cigars and all tobacco is sold to the government at a fixed price.

Whether you’re touring a tobacco farm in Pinar del Río or puffing a puro in Havana, there are many ways to engage with the cigar culture in Cuba.

Visiting a tobacco farm is one of the best options. You can walk through the fields to see plants growing and visit the barn where the leaves are dried in bundles.

Knowledgeable guides lead travelers on tours and provide an ample amount of information.

One of the world’s most famous tobacco farms is found in the Vuelta Abajo area of Pinar del Río Province. The El Pinar Robaina Tobacco Farm has been in operation since 1845, and the Robaina family has farmed this plot of land for six generations. The most formative years came under the supervision of the late Alejandro Robaina. Alejandro died in 2010, and his grandson, Hiroshi, now runs the farm. Travelers can tour the farm to learn about the planting, harvesting, and drying methods. You’ll even be given your very own, hand-rolled cigar at the end.

Tours of cigar factories are equally worthwhile. The factories are often found within old colonial buildings. Each building specializes in producing certain cigar brands, which are assigned by the government. The tours usually start in the rolling rooms, where you’ll see rows of men and women sitting at desks, smoking and rolling cigars.

The aroma is remarkable. You will also usually be shown how leaves are judged for quality. Havana has several factories that you can tour with a guide.

Cuban cigars can be purchased at official La Casa del Habano stores. There are about 20 of these stores in Havana and many more in other cities. These stores may have walk-in humidors and smoking lounges. The managers are typically extremely knowledgeable and

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can help you pick out the perfect cigar. You can also buy cigars at most tourist hotels.

As a general rule, don’t buy cigars on the street.

Although the seller will claim that they have brand name cigars, the cigars are usually inferior and cheaply made.

It’s best to buy cigars from a reputable shop or dealer.

Handmade Cuban cigars have a Cubatabaco stamp and a factory mark. Handmade cigars also have the words, “Hecho en Cuba. Totalmente a Mano.” (Made in Cuba. Completely by Hand.). If the label reads “Hecho a Mano,” the cigars were likely hand finished, with the wrapper put on by hand, rather than completely handmade. Finally, if it says “Hecho en Cuba,” the cigars are machine made.

There are around 40 brands of Cuban cigars, each of which sells cigars in different sizes and shapes. In general, fatter cigars smoke more smoothly than smaller cigars, and dark cigars tend to be sweeter. The quality of a certain brand may change year to year, just like wine. Also like wine, cigars continue to age and mature when they are well cared for. Most cigar aficionados agree that the best cigars are those that have aged for 6–8 years. The cigar should either be smoked within three months of being produced or after a year—the period of time in-between is a notoriously bad time to smoke them. The cigar should have a smooth texture and fresh smell, and feel slightly soft when squeezed. Cigar factories in Cuba produce several brands. Experts consider the El Laguito factory in Havana to be the country’s best.

As relations improve, the Cuban cigar industry is looking to enter into the $13 billion U.S. cigar market. Even so, it’s unlikely that you’ll see Cuban cigars appearing on U.S. shelves anytime soon. Most people familiar with the industry think it will be at least five years before that happens.

As of June 2015, American citizens can return to the U.S. with $100 worth of Cuban cigars. These cigars are only for personal consumption and cannot be sold.

If you’re not American, you can leave Cuba with a maximum of CUC5,000 worth of cigars (with receipts).

After passing through customs at the airport, you can purchase additional cigars in the duty-free shops.

Remember to bring a humidor with you to Cuba if you plan to return with cigars. This will ensure that the cigars maintain the proper humidity while traveling. You don’t want to return home with a box full of bone-dry cigars!

THE SUGAR BOOM The Spanish conqueror of Cuba, Diego Velázquez is the one who introduced sugar cane brought from Santo Domingo, and since that time the settlers began to extract the juice to produce sugar, but at first by pressing the cane. The remains of this homemade sugar processing were used to negotiate with other settlers and with the pirates trading it for slaves. In the year 1543 due to population decline, Cuba was not taking off economically, as the settlers who came to America continued his way to the continent in search of gold, Hernando de Castro wrote to the King requesting permission to install a cane mill. At that time Santo Domingo was producing sugar with an industry driven by experts from Canary Islands. It wasn´t just until the end of the sixteenth century that the first commercial sugar mill was installed in the area of Havana.

In the seventeenth century, different types of mills were

installed in Cuba, and by the end of 1600 there were about 60. At this time Cuba was the saga of the Spanish colonies in the production of sugar. The cultivation of sugarcane continued in the eighteenth century while the tobacco production was still prevailing, but then tobacco growers start moving to the sugar plantations.

This is the beginning of what Cuban writer Fernando Ortiz called “the counterpoint of tobacco and sugar.”

After several decades of the eighteenth century, Cuba continues behind Haiti in terms of production. When Havana was captured by the English in 1762, and the trade is opened to their colonies, the production started to rise. To this fact we must add that the following year when the Spanish crown took back the possession of Cuba, they passed laws that favored the sugar industry, and together with the armed uprising in Haiti, made that by the end of the century Cuba produced about

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6000 tons with 600 mills. Since 1791, Cuba began to replace Haiti as a major exporter of sugar, until the end of the fourth decade of the nineteenth century Cuba was governed by a plantation economy, with no significant technical changes in production.

In the early nineteenth century with the introduction of the steam engine perfected by Richard Trevithick, which was called “maquina Cornualles�, Cuba enters the great era of sugar. By 1830 there was over a thousand mills that produced about 94 000 tons., in 1837 the steam locomotive comes to Cuba making further increases the production of sugar. Cuba was the seventh country in the world to have railways, and the first in Latin America. In the late nineteenth century with the modernization of the sugar mills, and thanks to the transportation of the cane by rail from distant farms, the number of mills is reduced from 2000 to about 500. In this period of modernization settlers are emerging, those who were the owners of small and outdated mills had to sell the cane to the mills. In the harvest of 1894 Cuba produced 1million tons of sugar.

In the twentieth century when Cuba gained its independence (May 20, 1902), with the introduction of new equipment the sugar mills were modernized, some were built with new technology, and thus their number was reduced. With less than 200 plants in 1925, the nascent Cuban nation produced more than 5 million tons of sugar. At that time most of the mills and the farms were owned by foreigners, but because of laws enacted by the subsequent democratic socialist government since the end of the 1950s, of the 161 work stations, 131 were owned by Cubans with 60% of total production.

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It is worth noting that the War of Independence left the Cuban economy almost destroyed.

In 1958, exports to the United States (mainly sugar) accounted for two thirds of Cuba’s exports. United States gave preferential treatment to Cuban production but this commercial bond had political implications. Another characteristic of the sugar that had political effects was the tendency to generate strong fluctuations in the labor market, sugar production provided work for many people, but only for about three months a year. This gave rise to a rural proletariat more concerned about wages and working conditions for purchasing land and labor. That is very much connected with workers in the cities and played an important role during the uprising against Batista.

With the triumph of the communist revolution, the new government began to intervene not only the sugar mills of foreigners, but also those that belonged to Cubans, as well as small an large farms, resulting in that the incentives of private enterprise were reduced to zero. The sugar was present at the breaking with the United States and association with the Soviet Union.

The land reform of 1959 included the expropriation of large estates, most of which were in American hands.

Compensation measures were deemed insufficient by the U.S. government. In July 1960, the United States reduced by 700 000 tons the sugar quota purchased from Cuba. The Soviet Union immediately proposed buy at higher prices. Thanks to the sugar, Cuba entered the socialist bloc and led to dependence even stronger than the one with the United States.

In the first decades of communism in Cuba, the

government continued to produce an average of 5 million tons, this was done by planting more cane, lengthening the harvest up to nine months and using more than one million machetes, where most were “volunteers� with the results that the cost of production based on labor was practically insignificant. The cane became an emblem of economic growth promised by the revolution. More ambitious targets were set and major operations were organized to harvest time.

The aim was to reach 10 million tons in 1970, but never achieved.

Since then, the industry lived a long decline.

Sugar production contracted by 57.4 percent between 1989 and 2000, and continued falling since then. The area planted was reduced by 23 percent between 1989 and 2000. Lands now are devoted to other crops, or have been abandoned. But the drop in production is not only related to the smaller areas of plantation, but also a sharp drop in performance: in the 90s , productivity in Cuba was 35 metric tons per hectare, when the global average according to FAO exceeds 60. In 2001 there were 3.5 million tons (13 per cent less than last year). In 2002 it was 3.6 million, but in 2003 there was only 1.3 million, which meant a reversal of a century. In 2004 there was a slight recovery, but the 2005 harvest was again at 1.3 million. In 2000, Cuba began to import sugar from Brazil. The drop in production had an impact on employment. In the 2006 harvest, only 42 mills processed sugar cane. A few years earlier, there were 156.

In the eighties, the activity mobilized 400,000 workers.

In 2002, the final closure of 71 plants left without employment some 100 000 people. The Cuban authorities appealed to natural disasters and the fall in international prices, but experts do not believe that is sufficient. Adverse weather conditions actually existed, but also affected other countries in the region. As for the drop in international prices, this is a long-announced phenomenon, the increase in supply generated by the emergence of new producers (Brazil, India, Thailand, Australia) and falling demand due to changes in habits (including consumption of sweeteners) were evident processes. The real explanation is that the Cuban regime never took measures to defend their industry, no investment were made to remain technologically up to date, no attempt to diversify, an irrational use of land to exhaustion, and no incentives to the emergence of competitors.

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CUBAN ART 36

Havana, Cuba, founded in 1519, is a visually fascinating and culturally rich city, a photographer’s paradise.

Centuries of history, architectural development and the artistic expression of her citizenry have added to the visual feast. In neighborhoods across the city, groups of vibrant and creative artists have been expressing themselves in all forms of public art, not only for themselves & for visitors but for all the children who, from a very young age, develop a deep appreciation and respect for art in their own surroundings.

As you travel the streets of Havana, you will see the broad range of creative expression in paint, mosaic tile work, woodcarving, sculpture and ceramics. It is a joyous and optimistic picture of a creative and courageous people.

Havana is a city known for its vivid colours, timeworn beauty, and startling contrasts. The deteriorating facades of colonial buildings can make your imagination run wild with visions of past grandeur. But beyond the historical riches, it’s the future of Cuba that’s stirring curiosity in travelers around the globe. With restored diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States after a 54-year embargo on trade and travel, the country is in a period of transformation. And as with any kind of change, it’s the artists who are spearheading the nation’s critical voice.

Traveling to Havana to experience the city’s independent art scene involves a bit of advance research regarding where to explore. While the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana boasts an impressive collection of works by Cuban artists, the city’s contemporary art

scene thrives in a handful of autonomous galleries, studios, and creative collectives.

“Artists in Cuba are more free than ever before,” says artist Max Delgado inside the Taller experimental de Grafica, a printmaking studio located on the same block as the famous Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana.

Founded in 1962 by mural artist Orlando Suarez with the support of Che Guevara, the studio opened as the first experimental artist collective in Cuba.

“We preserve traditional grabado [printmaking] techniques but create work with new perspectives,” says Delgado, as he shows us the studio’s latest exhibit about United States and Cuban relations, a topic that has pervaded galleries and discussions across the country.

Delgado, who lived in Spain with his family for 10 years before returning to Cuba, is part of the country’s privileged artistic class. In a country where citizens are paid an average salary of just over $23 a month, artists reserve the right to earn money outside of the country and keep the profits from the direct sales of their work—a rule that has been in place since the late 1980s.

At that time, a new generation of Cuban artists were catalysts of change. One curator in particular was instrumental to injecting the Cuban art world with a contemporary critical voice: Gerardo Mosquera. After publishing investigations on two artists who were marginalized as a result of homophobic policies, Mosquera pushed the Ministry of Culture to introduce more liberal regulations. He later became one of the organizers of the first Havana Biennial in 1984, but resigned in 1989 due to increasing repression in the cultural sector.

“During the 1980s, a critical culture developed that is

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still in place today. The problem is, the market now has a very strong impact on Cuban work. People live in a very poor society and need to maintain a standard of life,” says Mosquera. “This hampers their critical

approach because they’re creating art according to what the commercial market wants, and now, what American collectors want.”

Mosquera says he believes not-for-profit initiatives are an antidote to commercialization. He points to Espacio Aglutinador, the oldest independent art space in Cuba run by artist Sandra Ceballos. Roughly translated to “melting pot,” the space in the Vedado district gives censored and oppressed artists a place to exhibit their work.

“It’s run in a completely free way. Of course, she’s had many conflicts with the government over the last 15 years but she’s managed to keep it going because she’s committed,” says Mosquera.

Another not-for-profit gallery, Factoría Habana, has transformed a historic 20th century industrial building into a cultural hub. Opened by Spanish art aficionado Concha Fontenla in 2009, the gallery’s program focuses on highlighting emerging local artists such as Lázaro Saavedra and René Francisco, as well as international talents.

The not-for-profit arts movement has also inspired Cuban artists who have found international success, such as Wilfredo Prieto, to return to the capital. Prieto recently purchased a colonial mansion in Vedado and has transformed the house into artist residences and an exhibition space.

“These efforts are very necessary to support serious artists who aren’t working on a commercial level,” says Mosquera. “We need more of it, but change is a result of dedication.”

In the bustling streets of Havana, you can sense a shift is on the horizon. While the historic buildings and vintage cars are beautiful vestiges of the past, the future is being shaped by the pioneers behind closed doors—the artists who are transforming Cuba from the inside out.

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GRAFFITI & STREET ART Street art is like a public tattoo. Sometimes loved, sometimes hated and always open to interpretation.

Whether political, cultural or religious, legal or illegal, street art is a visual statement capturing a city’s zeitgeist in a completely creative way. Colourful, vibrant murals that pop against dull, cement walls become a source of neighborhood pride while offering visitors a powerful look into a city’s cultural scene.

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Havana Street Art

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Cuba’s political murals are one of the most potent images of this country: the faces of Che and Castro, strong and resolute, looking out over their people. You happen upon them like old friends: some images remain vibrant, freshly painted by teams of fastidious workers; others are faded and chipped, the walls crumbling beneath them, a potent metaphor for the aging administration. These murals are as omnipresent as advertising is in America, using every available surface to share the ‘triumphs of the Revolution’.

But in recent years, new voices have emerged: they started as a clandestine whisper, a few words - often in English - here and there; but the voices are rising in volume and noise, and graffiti has begun to change the urban landscape. A call to arms by the government, over half a century old, alongside a call to arms by a young street artist, with his own political message to share, creating a fascinating layering, a conversation between individuals and state, played out across generations.

The most famous and prolific of Cuba’s street artists is a passionate young man known as El Sexto, who

state-sanctioned work. For many years, non-political murals have brightened the already colourful streets of Havana, such as the incredible Afro-Cuban work by Salvador Gonzáles Escalona along Callejón de Hamel.

Street art has often been used as a means of social outreach. Art project Muraleando began in 2001, when two local artists started teaching art classes to young people in the community. They focused on beautifying their neighbourhood, and soon they were painting on the walls. To this day the art classes continue, and international artists visit to paint murals alongside the locals.

Notably, in 2011 there was a collaboration between US and Cuban artists, working to transform a 100-year-old water storage tank – now known as El Tanque - into a workshop, office and art gallery for the initiative.

For the 11th Havana Biennial, UNEAC invited a number of artists to paint the city’s walls, including Cuban emigrants like Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada or children of exile families like José Parlá (both now US based). Miami-born Parlá teamed up with French street artist JR to create 25 portraits of Cuba’s oldest citizens, the cracks

creates irreverent and politically charged images all over the city, as well working in paint and multimedia.

His distinctive tag even appeared on the Museum of Fine Arts, a two fingers up to an institution which won’t or can’t accept him. He has already been arrested on several occasions for his art, and in the last report I could find (July 2014) he was imprisoned and awaiting trial.

According to dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, at first officials talked to him about his potentially profitable art career if he would only put his talents to a different use. But he views artistic expression as something spontaneous, rebellious by nature, and free of cultural bureaucracy. He’s not alone.

Only graffiti created with State approval is considered art by the powers that be, and anything else is defacement of public property, liable for prosecution.

That’s not to say there aren’t some stunning pieces of

in the walls becoming the lines in their weathered faces, evoking the hardships they’ve suffered. These people were everyday heroes, images of hope for any who saw them. In many ways, seeing the power of these works, made many artists realise the potential of the city walls as a canvas, and they began moving their work from the privacy of the studio into the public spaces of the street.

The line between official and unofficial isn’t always clean cut. When it comes to street art, there is a constant interplay between ‘art’ and ‘vandalism’, questioning what is art and who has the right to decide.

While this debate is hardly new, what has changed for Cuba in recent years is the introduction of the spray can into the equation. The cultural canvas has been spread wide open, so to speak, and suddenly ‘unofficial’ art is not just created, but it is witnessed and absorbed by every single person who happens to walk by.

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Yulier P The whimsical designs of the graffiti artist with the signature Yulier P. began to appear randomly on walls around Havana three years ago. The first ones were large abstract renderings of rabbits, their floppy ears outlined in black against chipped concrete.

Now, there is hardly a neighborhood in the Cuban capital where you can’t find one of the sprawling works of Yulier P. They include enormous gaping mouths 2 yards (meters) high, or flowers mixed either with the image of a woman or in the hands of a child.

The works of the 27-year-old artist, whose full name is Yulier Rodriguez Perez, are striking not just for their artistry and ubiquity, but that they exist at all in a place where graffiti is rare and nearly all posters and murals feature political slogans or revolutionary figures. His art stands out not only for being different, but for its sly sense of social criticism.

“It is important to me that the urban artist expresses himself freely, not restricted by anyone, whether it’s a gallery or the government,” Rodriguez said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Cuba has long had a thriving art scene and in recent years there has been a boom for works by some of the island’s most famous painters, including Manuel Mendive, Roberto Fabelo and Nelson Dominguez. Rodriguez did not emerge from the artistic establishment, he was born in the central province of Camaguey, where he said

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he tried without success to get a formal art education.

Instead, he learned on his own with local teachers, participating in community workshops and using his own walls for a canvas. He said he sees his work as a political and social statement.

“The urban artist questions society and politics, the realities of life in the streets,” which for him includes a sense of helplessness and frustration over the daily struggles that may not fit with the image many have of Cuba.

While he does not have the government’s endorsement, he seems to be tolerated. Rodriguez said that the police have never interfered with his work and have kept others from vandalizing his art. He has, though, been questioned by state security agents about work they considered overtly political.

“It’s not that I’m against the system,” he said. “I am in favor of a system that works for the people ... the good and the bad are aspects of the truth.”

He has not catalogued his paintings, which typically take about 40 minutes to complete, but estimates that he’s done around 150, mostly in Havana.

The works are often welcomed by people in Havana as a diversion from the sometimes drab cityscape.

Osmel Ochoa, a 40-year resident of the rundown section of Old Havana known as Belen, is an admirer. “It’s a new style for me but people enjoy it in inhospitable places,” said Ochoa. “They should be everywhere.”

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Havana’s Tattoo Artists

Thousands of art curators, collectors, museum directors, and artists from around the world are flocking to Havana for Cuba’s 12th biennial, the country’s largest art festival. Installations have sprung up along the Malecón that runs along Havana’s northern coast, and gallery showings and events have been taking place each evening — ranging from the construction of an ad hoc ice rink to the release of hundreds of LED-clad pigeons.

But in the midst of this massive celebration of art, there is one community of artists not faring very well — Havana’s tattooists. Coinciding with the opening of the biennial two weeks ago, tattoo artists in the city began to receive unexpected visits from Cuban officials ordering them to shutter their businesses.

“I asked the people who showed up to close me down why this was happening, and even they said… they didn’t know,” Che, one of the city’s most respected and best-known tattooists, told VICE News.

The 42-year-old was among the first tattooists to receive such a visit. When officials showed up at his studio, which he operates from his house in the neighborhood of Vedado, he was told that he must permanently close or risk having all of his tattooing supplies — and all of his other possessions — confiscated by authorities.

When I visited his studio this week, it was clear he’d taken the orders seriously. Che’s home is filled with reminders of his past as one of Cuba’s best skateboarders; decks adorn his walls, and a few local skaters hung out on his couch watching an old Bones promo tape. But when he invited me into his studio, hardly anything remained.

“I’ve put away everything for good,” he said. “I still get a lot of calls from people asking if I can do some work for them, but I have to keep saying no.”

Che, who’d been doing tattoos since 1994, said he had never had any problems with the government. This was despite the fact that tattoo artists in Cuba have always existed in something of a legal grey area.

“It’s not a grey area anymore,” Che said. “It’s illegal now.

Everybody’s shop is in danger of being closed, but a lot

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of people don’t know — there was no announcement on TV or in the papers saying there is a new law.”

Leo Canosa had been tattooing in Cuba for two decades before he opened Havana’s first tattoo parlor not run from a private home this past January. He believes the increasing popularity of tattoos in the country may be partly to blame for the recent wave of closures. While tattooing was previously a niche art form in the country, a recent explosion of interest in body art has turned tattooing into a more profitable venture. As a result, more and more people have opened shops, which may have attracted the attention of the government, hoping to generate revenue in the form of taxation and licenses.

Most Cuban tattoo artists operate studios from their homes. They can only be found by word of mouth, which allows them to keep a low profile, and working from home also allows many Cubans to begin tattooing with minimal startup costs. Some tattooists believe closing these unregulated parlors may be the government’s first step in seeking to raise revenue from the growing industry.

While certainly an inconvenience to tattooists, Che says he and many others would be perfectly willing to work within government parameters. But the Cuban government has yet to give any indication that it will follow up with licensing and taxation measures. In other words, tattooing as it exists now is being declared illegal, and the government is not providing any avenue to do it legally.

“Why shut down tattoo artists when you could make a license for it and then charge them?” Che said. “If it’s money you want, you can have money. Just tax it, regulate it, give it a license. All we want is a way to practice our art legally.”

That would seemingly be in accord with the government’s relatively recent change in policy allowing citizens to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Begun in 2010, it has been widely embraced by the Cuban population. The fact that tattooists aren’t being given an avenue to continue operating has caused speculation — some artists believe they’re the result of a government official’s personal vendetta — and as Canosa explains, the closures are being hastened by the fact that the

tattoo community is beginning to turn on itself.

“People who are getting shut down say, ‘Oh, why are you closing down me and not him?’ and the next thing you know, the other guy is getting shut down too,” he said. “If the government started doing licensing, we might be able to keep the good people in the community and the bad out, but right now, it’s impossible.”

Cuban tattoo artists have long had a difficult time procuring needles, sanitary equipment, and ink. This has forced many to innovate or cut corners, using acupuncture needles and sanitizing them with pressure cookers instead of autoclaves, clinical devices that use high-pressure steam to sterilize equipment. Artists who manage to obtain autoclaves typically do so via the black market; if caught with the machines — often lifted from Cuban hospitals — artists face three years in jail.

Many artists also forego basic sanitary protocols, such as wearing gloves or using alcohol swabs.

“Every time we hear about someone starting out to do tattoos, we walk over and try to explain the steps for proper sterilization,” Che said. “I help them even if they are assholes….. You can be a crappy tattoo artist, but you don’t have to go give a disease to someone.”

According to Che however, sanitation was not cited as a reason for the closure of his shop.

Canosa’s studio, La Marca Body Art, sits in the middle of one of the most heavily trafficked corridors of the touristy Vieja neighborhood. He says he spent almost $80,000 importing equipment and building out the shop — a small fortune in Cuba, which Canosa says he managed to raise by traveling around the world and working at tattoo conventions.

When I visited the shop, Leo had just received word from one of his friends that Cuban Vice Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas had expressed a desire to stop by the shop in support — a sentiment that seemed at odds with the recent closures. But Canosa explained the discrepancy.

“The people who shut down Che are the same who shut down restaurants or whatever [businesses] need licenses,” he said. “It’s not cultural people, its people concerned with business.”

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Leo Canosa in his studio. (Photo by Daniel Oberhaus)

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Che in his now empty studio. (Photo by Daniel Oberhaus)

6 Cuban Artists You Need To know The visual arts have long been one of the strongest parts of Cuba’s amazing cultural output, but it is its contemporary art that became praised internationally as extremely powerful, especially after the emergence of Cuba’s strong generation of young creatives on Latin American art scene in the 1980s. Today, many of the contemporary Cuban artists can be found rostered by some of the world’s premium museums and art galleries, and now that Cuba and its greatest adversary, the United States, have opened a new chapter in their relations, we think that Cuban art might just be the next big thing in the art world. it’s history, though its treasures are rarely appreciated outside of the country.

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Armado Mariño Armando Mariño is a renowned painter, sculptor and installation artist, and one of the most popular Cuban contemporary artists. Born in Santiago de Cuba, living and working in the US, Mariño received his art education at the Pedagogical Institute of Arts from Havana, and the prestigious Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten from Amsterdam. He is widely praised for his mesmerizing works that offer unique and sarcastic approach to art as a space of power and exclusion, and reveals Mariño’s own take on the use of parody and pastiche in art. Known for tackling worrying issues of gender, race, sex, human trafficking and freedom, Mariño’s most recent work is focused on the representation and the visual consumption of violence and how it has been increasingly normalized in today’s world. Mariño has been exhibiting across the world since 1990, mostly in Europe, USA, Africa and his homeland, while his works are represented in major private and public collections.

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Alicia Leal Alicia Leal is one of the most important and highly influential Cuban artists, a graduate of the San Alejandro School of Fine Arts, the oldest art school in Cuba, who quickly came to prominence as a member of a young generation of Cuban artists in the 1980’s. Leal works from studio-gallery she shares with her husband, renowned painter Juan Moreira, which is located in El Vedado, central business district and urban neighborhood in Havana, but her mesmerizing murals and public installations can be found all around the city. Her works of flat perspectives, intricate scenes and narrative structures are centered around woman and her role in providing refuge, and they have a certain freshness to them which is reminiscent of folk art. Intensely subjective and symbolic, these extraordinary pieces explore the subconscious and dreams, successfully establishing an instant magnetic relationship with their viewers.

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Carlos Estevez Carlos Estévez is one of the most prominent Cuban artists of his generation, and no, we are not talking about the infamous American actor of Spanish decent who goes by the name of Charlie Sheen.

Carlos Estévez we are talking about is one of the most respected and well educated Cuban contemporary artists. Painter, sculptor and photographer, Estévez has been active for well over twenty years and has been exhibiting his artworks internationally, including cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Paris and Tokyo.

Estévez works with a wide array of mediums, through which he embodies various philosophical and artistic concepts that explore the relationship between man and the universe, and often reflect Cuban social and political realities. His most recognizable paintings and drawings often feature Estévez’s trademark marionette puppets he creates using star-like dots connected with lines, that create the mesmerizing effects of star constellations.

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Yoan Capote Yoan Capote is a Cuban sculptor of great talent, and one of his country’s most promising contemporary artists. Capote, who lives and works in Havana, received his education at the Superior Institute of Art where he specialized in painting, but later turned primarily to sculpture, still remaining highly active in a wide variety of different media including painting, photography and installation art. His non-conformist and often provocative pieces, that often rearrange human bodies and merge them with inanimate, everyday objects, reinvent their purpose while dealing with interactions between viewers and Capote’s own psychological experiences.

Since his first group show in Havana back in 2000, Yoan Capote has been steadily gaining worldwide attention with some major gallery appearances in recent years. There is no doubt that Capote and his awesome talents deserve your attention, and we are certain we will be seeing more of his extraordinary works in the near future.

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Los Carpinteros Los Carpinteros (The Carpenters) is a critically acclaimed Cuban art collective from Havana which is responsible for some of the most important work created in Cuba in the 21st century. The collective was initially formed in 1991 as a trio, consisting of multi-talented artists Marco Castillo, Dagoberto RodrĂ­guez, and, until 2003, Alexandre Arrechea. Los Carpinteros are widely praised for their astonishing installation art that merges together various elements of architecture, design, and sculpture in unexpected, often humorous, but always captivating ways. Their elegant and carefully crafted installations, sculptures and mock technical drawings, draw inspiration from furniture and design, cleverly negotiating the space between the practical and the useless, with the intelligent use of humor which emphasizes contradictions between different objects.

Los Carpinteros have been increasingly popular during the last decade, and they have exhibited their amusing artworks in Cuba, and across Europe and North America.

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Tania Bruguera Tania Bruguera is the (in)famous installation and performance artist from Cuba, whose groundbreaking work is focused on the issues of power and control. Bruguera’s most famous performance piece is her 1998 work titled The Burden of Guilt (El peso de la culpa), artist’s harrowing take on a true story when indigenous Cuban people vowed to eat nothing but dirt, rather than be the captives of the Spanish conquistadors. In this extraordinary and extremely engaging performance, Bruguera stood naked for 45 minutes, as she consumed tears (soil mixed with water and salt), while a butchered lamb hanged from her neck, creating both a physical and symbolic burden. Apart from being a highly influential artist, Tania Bruguera is also an art teacher and a founder and director of Arte de Conducta (behavior art), the first performance studies program in Latin America, which is hosted by the renowned Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana.

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OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

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Las Terrazas & Soroa Las Terrazas and Soroa are two small “eco-communities” set in the cool, forested hills of western Cuba. Located about an hour west of Havana, these two communities are easily accessible from the city and offer up a fine place to relax for a day or two.

The air here is fresh, the mountains are lovely, and there aren’t crowds of tourists around.

French Haitians originally settled the area around Las Terrazas in the 1790s. They planted coffee but were unsuccessful in maintaining larger operations, and eventually turned to felling trees for charcoal. Not surprisingly, the hillsides were quickly deforested and destroyed. After the revolution, Fidel’s government created a large, 2,000-acre (5,000-ha) reforestation project here, employing the local campesinos and providing housing in a “model village.”

Today, the village stands in stark contrast to the beautiful, mountainous area that surrounds it. The houses are made from whitewashed concrete, and are now somewhat dilapidated. They spread out in terraces along the hillsides above Lago San Juan. Locals still live and work here—you’ll see them walking the hills and drying laundry on their small balconies. The village is a fascinating juncture between the communist projects of post-revolution Cuba and the eco-tourism movement that is beginning to take hold in Las Terrazas.

The area is undoubtedly beautiful and nature lovers will find it appealing. The lake and mountainous backdrop are photogenic, and there are ample ways to get outside and have fun. In fact, Las Terrazas is home to Cuba’s only zip-line canopy tour. Built by Costa Ricans, the canopy tour extends over the surrounding hillsides and includes a total of 6 zip lines. It starts at the hotel and zigzags its way over the village, eventually crossing the lake twice. It’s a fun activity and is popular with both foreigners and nationals alike.

While here, travelers can also visit the ruins of several French coffee plantations. The best is at the Cafetal Buenavista—this coffee plantation that was built in 1801 and now houses the remains of

drying terraces, former slave quarters, and an ox-powered coffee grinder. You can enjoy wonderful views from here, and there’s an on site restaurant as well.

There are a number of ways to enjoy the outdoors in Las Terrazas.

The Baños del Rio San Juan hosts several swimming holes formed by a small river. Picnic tables and cabanas overlook the pools, providing nice places to relax when you’re not swimming. A handful of hiking trails wind through the mountains that surround Las Terrazas.

Some trails provide wonderful views of the valley and are good for birding—be on the lookout for the Cuban tody, woodpeckers, and the Cuban trogon. Furthermore, horse rides, mountain bike rentals, and kayak excursions can all be arranged.

There is only one hotel in Las Terrazas, but it’s a nice one, with contemporary Spanish-colonial architecture and handsome accommodations. A few good restaurants are scattered around the village, and there are some artisan studios showcasing sculptures, pottery, and paintings.

Soroa is another “eco-retreat” in this area. Named for a Frenchman who owned a coffee plantation here in the 19th century, Soroa is set in a beautiful valley and is about a 20-minute drive from Las Terrazas.

There’s also only one hotel here.

The most notable attraction in Soroa is the Soroa Orchid Garden, which was created by a Spaniard in 1943. The garden is fairly large and extends over a hillside with paths leading between large trees, ferns, and greenhouses. A nice variety of delicate, intricately colored orchids are on display in the greenhouses. The garden is home to over 20,000 plants and 700 species, 250 of which are native to Cuba. The Orquideario is best experienced with a guide.

Soroa is home to a 115-foot (35-m) waterfall. Trees surround the falls, and there’s a small natural pool that’s a fine place to swim.

While exploring Soroa, travelers can also visit the Mirador de Venus, a lookout that has spectacular views of the valley. Other activities in Soroa include horseback riding, birding, and hiking.

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Hidden Gems & Unusual things to do

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Tropical fruit from the trees

El Mejunje, Santa Clara

Café Literario

Food in Cuba can be disappointing – even hotel restaurants are unlikely to meet the expectations of a Western palate. But the fruit won't disappoint. Buy fruit from the local vendors, or pick it from the trees.

Much of it will be organic – by design or default – knobbly, misshapen and full of flavour, tastier than any you’ll get at home. Try mangoes sold in piles on street corners, the fleshy pink mamey, custard apples and almonds.

Santa Clara is a sleepy town that many tourists pass over. This is a shame because, apart from anything else, it’s home to one of Cuba’s most rocking gay clubs: El Mejunje – ‘The Mixture’. The club is held in a community centre that also hosts cultural activities all week long – but you should go there for fantastic disco and drag nights. The town’s main square, Parque Vidal, is lovely too.

It's thronging with people and has a literary café on one corner – catch a book reading before you leave.

This corner café hosts regular literary nights, with an open mic where everyone is welcome to read to the crowd – including tourists. A good place, perhaps, to try out your travel writing (writers will love the intense light, heat and sounds of the island and its near-constant musical beat, as well as the rhythmic sounds of Cuban Spanish).

Café Literario is a welcoming place where you can forge real relationships with Cubans, rather than falling prey to the jineteros who hover round the tourist sites.

Pinar del Río to La Bajada

See Havana from The Malecón

Matanzas

Dive deep into el campo – Cuba’s countryside. It’s best if you can rent a car, because transport tails off the further you are from the cities; use it to explore hamlets and little towns. My favourite route is the road from the town of Pinar del Río to the far Western tip of the island, speckled with pretty villages, lush vegetation and farmsteads.

If you stop anywhere, people will be keen to chat and show you round – you may even be invited in for a drink or something to eat.

Put down your camera and guidebook, and take time to talk to the curious and friendly Cubans you will meet off the tourist trail.

To appreciate the splendour of Havana and sense the presence of its powerful neighbour only 90 miles across the ocean, take a walk from one end of its sea wall – the Malecón – to the other, preferably in the early morning or on a cloudy day to avoid the piercing sun. You’ll meet fishermen and lovers, musicians and clowns – all manner of Cubans doing what they’re so good at: being here.

Look over the waves and wonder about the many who have risked their lives to cross to the USA on improvised vessels, or speedboats in the dead of night. Havana’s Malecón is where I first understood the immensity, ruin and beauty of this overwhelming and mysterious city.

It is astounding that the city is not more popular considering it is one of the most precious centres of irreplaceable Afro-Cuban culture. Founded in the early seventeenth century, this city's sugar industry led, over time, to a massive slave population massive enough that there developed a sizable free Afro-Cuban community! Very few places in the Americas have a better preserved African heritage. The famous music styles danzute;n and rumba were both founded here. The locals are very proud of this, and of the volumes of 19th century literature written here. There are few sights to see, but an incredible cultural heritage, still thriving today, to explore. Not for nothing is it called the Athens of Cuba.

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