4 Americans in Cuba
A Traveler on a Rope Guidebook
by
Larry Stein
Copyright 2017 Larry Stein,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-2792-8
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
FOREWORD
For Americans, Cuba has been the forbidden fruit—a skin of Detroit sheet metal covering a center of tasty rum, swirling cigar smoke and sandy beaches.
Until January of 2016, when the people to people exception opened independent travel to Americans, there was no role for this guidebook. Legal travel to Cuba was through planned tours ranging from 7 to 13 nights. Those tours, at QE II stateroom prices, enveloped travelers in an all-inclusive bubble. Backpackers defying the embargo, were travelers on a shoestring tightly holding Lonely Planet, while scrolling through backpacker social media.
My intended reader is neither unwashed (great or otherwise) nor anointed. Cost is an object, but so is comfort. She recognizes the danger of a luxury cocoon as well as the tedium of a shared bathroom.
Money is only one resource to marshal. Equally important are time and energy. Although I welcome youthful backpackers, I don’t assume my readers have the boundless energy of the young. I don’t. Travel should be a stroll, not a marathon.
Similarly, time should be savored, not wasted in endless lines, that can be part of life in Cuba. I have a few tips that will save you hours. I caught one error in Lonely Planet that may save you days.
This book has nearly two hundred pictures. Is a picture worth a thousand words? I have seen horrible pictures that were worth only a few expletives. But I’m advising you where to eat, sleep and sightsee. Pictures provide you with a tool to make your own decisions, piercing the hyperbole of the intrepid travel writer. I took most of the pictures. Those taken by Jan Sanders will be followed by a “JS”, those by Jacqueline Heskett a ”JH”, and those by my wife an “RS”.
I do have the big picture. Pictures are big. A picture contains more data than a thousand words. Be patient. Downloading will take a little extra time.
To fully enjoy this book, please read it with a computer, tablet, or color e-reader. Otherwise, the pictures will be in fifty shades of grey.
HISTORY FOR TOURISTS
Spanish Period
A dash of history provides context for the Cuban sights and culture. Cuba was discovered by Columbus in 1494, and colonized by Spain in the early 16th Century. The original seven cities established by Spain were, Baracoa, Bayamo, Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba and Havana.
The oldest structures in Cuba, primarily forts, date from the 16th Century, such as the Castillo de la Real Fuerza in Havana built in the 1560s.
Military structures are based on necessity. During the Anglo-Spanish War (1762-1763), which was part of the Seven Years’ War, Britain took Havana, and laid claim to Cuba. By treaty, in return for Florida and other considerations, Spain regained control of Cuba. Seeking to ward off future incursions, Havana was buttressed by extensive fortifications. The Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro built in 1599 below, after being captured by the British was supplemented by Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña.
Commercial, ecclesiastic and residential structures follow the money. The economy flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries because of the sugarcane industry, and unfortunately, the related slave trade. Sugarcane is labor intensive, and as was the case in the United States, was tended and harvested by slave labor. Cuba is an ethnic mix of Spanish, Afro-Cubans, and native Tainos.
Prominent structures in Havana Vieja, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, and Camaguey date from this period.
Late 18th Century Camaguey Church as seen from rooftop of the Gran Hotel
Revolutions
The heavy hand of Spanish colonization, as well as opposition to slavery, fueled two major revolutions. As stated in Wikipedia, “On 10 October 1868, the landowner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes declared Cuban independence and freedom for his slaves. This began the Ten Years' War, which lasted from 1868 to 1878, and eventually contributed to the abolition of slavery.”
Cubans have a love affair with martyred revolutionaries. Most Cuban cities have a Cespedes square. Even more honored is Jose Marti who helped to ignite the War of Independence, 1895-1898. He captured the Cuban spirit because he was not only a revolutionary, but also a poet. He died at the beginning of the revolution in May of 1895. His statutes are everywhere.
Jose Marti, poet, Revolution Square, Havana
The fight continued under the leadership of Maximo Gomez and Antonio Maceo. Streets are named after them in most cities. The struggle continued as a standoff until superseded by the Spanish-American War.
The American Period
With a hard shove from the yellow journalism of William Randolph Hearst, America went to war against Spain in April of 1898. Cuba was one of the focal points of the war.
With Cuban help, Americans established a beachhead in Santiago de Cuba and proceeded to rout the Spanish army. Spain sued for peace at the end of 1898.
Cubans were excluded from the peace negotiations in Paris. The Treaty of Paris gave the United States the authority to occupy Cuba. In 1901 America granted Cuba independence, conditioned on the Cuban constitution granting the US the right to militarily intervene in Cuban affairs, as well as the permanent right to maintain a naval base. This is the legal rationale for the US base at Guantanamo.
Trade with America flourished, resulting in prosperity for many. This is reflected in art deco architecture such as the Bacardi Building in Havana.
Edificio Bacardi completed in 1930
Lost in the 50s
Pristine Buick in Havana
The legions of Detroit beauties from the 1950s, is an unintended consequence of the Communist Revolution. In 1940 with wide spread support, including the backing of the Cuban Communist Party, Fulgencio Batista was elected as a reformer. His presidency lasted until 1944. After time in the US, he again stood for president in 1952, but was defeated.