Havana
“In Cuba and specifically in Havana there’s a sort of energy that turns every situation into something unexpected” (Fernando Perez). The capital city of Cuba is full of vibrant culture, ancient history, and beautiful landscape. Once a booming tourist destination has now lost some of its attractiveness due to Socialist rule. However, the overall beauty has not dissipated and the culture is just as active as ever.
Havana is located on the northern coast, in Havana bay. Its coastal location made it a premier trading port in the early 17th century. So much so that a royal decree was made that said Havana was the “Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies” (Goodsell). Foreigners started to realized Havana’s importance, and “Spanish
The depths of its history and the diversity of its people allows for a very special blend of Cuban culture unlike anywhere else on the island. Old Havana is home to numerous institutions that devote themselves to keeping the culture alive. A prime example of this being “the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, with two separate buildings devoted to Cuban and universal art respectively; the Museo de Historia Natural; the Museo de la ciudad; and the Museo del Ron. All these and the rest of the museums are a must if you wish to enhance your knowledge about culture and history of Havana and Cuba” (Culture). The Museum of the City of Havana has many relics of Havana life in the earlier centuries such as pottery and jewelry, and this helps present residents understand their capital’s historic past. Music is very popular in the capital as well. In Old Havana, the Cathedral Square and amphitheater are popular places where concerts are celebrated. The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is a famed concert hall for the Camerata music group, which is one of the most esteemed feminine music groups on the island. Havana culture is nothing without it’s food, and the city has many famed restaurants that help enhance its popularity. The most popular restaurant is Bodeguita del Medio, which was once frequented by Ernest Hemingway, a famous novelist. One of the restaurants, La Flordita, “claims to be the ‘birthplace of the daiquiri’” (Goodsell). Before
There are few instances of violent crime, and “about the biggest crime you need to think about when asking is Havana safe is the matter of pickpockets and bag snatchers” (Stretton). The police crack down hard on drugs, and will likely go even harder if a foreigner is caught. Most of the theft that occurs are by scam artists or by those who portray themselves as victims and beg for money. For female travelers, it is safe to travel alone, but one may be exposed to cat calling. Havana overall is very safe as opposed to other Latin American countries like Brazil or Honduras whom make up 41 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world, not one city in Cuba even makes that list
Whether it 's for the music, people or food, Cuba is a popular and interesting place to visit. Cuba is located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. At 42,426 square miles, Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the 105th largest country in the world. Cuba has a population of 11.1 million. Out of that 11.1 million, Havana is home to 2.1 million (Nation Facts). The official language of Cuba is Spanish, but English and French are spoken throughout the country. The most practiced religion of Cuba is Roman Catholicism, but a large number of people follow the Afro-Cuban and Protestant religions. The president of Cuba is currently Raúl Castro, which is Fidel Castro 's brother. The currency of Cuba is the Cuban peso (Cuba).
I have been told of the conditions in the schools and their lack of proper facilities. These acquantenses tell me that Castro his controlling the boy’s father, monitoring his phone calls and making sure he tells everyone that he wants his boy to come home. They say he is not able to say what he really wants for fear of himself and family. For fear that Castro will take away the family’s food and shelter in Cuba. Over all, the general picture that has been painted is not pretty.
In fact, most of the women don’t last too long being jiniteras. In some cases, most women marry tourist who come from different countries just so they can get out of Cuba and away from all the suffering economically. In the article “Jiniteras Love, Marriage and Divorce” they state that most Cubans are considered to be “nice and attractive people” and most of them will act like everybody’s friend to get money out of tourists along with the possibility of marrying them. In the web article “Jiniteras Love, Marriage and Divorce”, they claim that “youngsters want to leave the country and try to escape poverty and better their family’s economic situation by marrying a tourist. Many of these romances are fake and only for the money, and this can be very frustrating” (“Jiniteras Love, Marriage and Divorce”). The article also describes how Cuban women can be very nice and attractive at first, but can later start demanding gifts, money, or trips and that’s where tourist need to be cautious because there has been a various situations where turorists have fall in love with Cuban
The Cuban style of cooking is simple in concept but complex in flavor. Much Cuban food owes its heritage and tradition from Africa and neighboring, Caribbean cultures. However, there are two distinctive styles of cooking: "the classic" whose techniques and ingredients have been in use for a long time across the island, and "the new," labeled nuevo Cubano, which adds a variety of herbs and spices from other cuisine and emphasizes presentation. For example, the province of Oriente, in eastern Cuba, is well known for its contribution of spicier and more robust dishes to the cuisine of the island due to the influx of Haitian and Jamaican immigrants to the island beginning in the 1790's. In the states, Cubans, too, have opted to choose hot peppers, like blazing scotchbonnets and serranos, to prepare recipes such as black bean salsa.
Cuba has come an exceptional way economically, politically, and culturally since its discovery in 4200 BC. According to a recent MDG Report Card by the Overseas Development Institute, Cuba is among the top twenty performing countries in the world. As a former colony of Spain, Cuba was under their domination for 388 years before gaining independence. One cannot predict the future of the country, but by looking at the history of Cuba from its pre-colonial era to the present, it is clear that it will be written by charismatic Cuban leaders.
The culture of Miami has various influences, but for the majority it is Latin. People from Latin America including places like Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and many others have inhabited Miami for many of years now. While over half of the population were born in a foreign country it is common that people speak English just as much as Spanish. A key part to the Cuban community is called Little Havana, which gets its name from the Cuba’s capital city. This is a place fu...
The era of Spanish colonial rule in Cuba can be characterized by many institutions, such as slavery and the plantation system, which presupposed a notion of ra...
... the majority of which sought refuge in the United States. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba now stands at a crossroads. The battle cry has changed from “ Socialism or death to Resist, struggle and win” (Castro’s Cuba II). Hopefully, Castro and/or Cuba will not be forced into a market-based economy and all the materialistic commodities that go along with capitalism. In my opinion, Castro should hold out for as long as possible griping to the former battle cry “Socialism or death”. Only time will tell what the fate of Castro’s Cuba will be. Trade might once again flourish the economy, tourism might open up new economic opportunities and foreign investments from Italy, France and Spain could possibly dig Cuba out the current economic hole it’s in. Until then however, the battle against capitalism must not lose any of its vigor.
Cuba is an island located in the Caribbean Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida. Before the revolution, Cuba was stepping foot into democratic territory, allowing the people more freedom and respect for human rights. Fidel Castro, the future leader of Cuba, had other plans, soon to be assuming leadership of Cuba. He revolted against the current Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Though it was not successful the first time around, Castro took power of the government from Fulgencio. Soon after, Cuba became communist country under Castro’s rule, thus severing ties with the United States. The majority of Cubans did not want communism yet, it brought more order and less civilian crimes. Despite the U.S government’s wishes, Cuba’s leaders chose to become a communist country versus a democratic one, however it was more beneficial for the people of Cuba.
To many Cuban-Americans living in Miami, La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, is one of the only ties remaining that unifies them with their homeland. The Virgin is a renowned and integral part of Cuban culture and plays an important role in the Catholic heritage of Cubans exiled inside and outside of North America. The church, La Ermita de la Caridad del Cobre, is a memorial that was constructed in honor of her and is a monument to the religious and political history of the island. Since there are many different versions circulating about the sighting of the Virgin, one must discuss the most popular and the most commonly accepted.
Majority of the the island’s geographical location is mountainous, which consist of Guaniguanco chain, the largest system Sierra Maestra, Pinar del Rio, and the Escambrey (everyculture.com). Havana is the capital of Cuba which is located at the island’s western third of the northern coast. It used to be one of the world’s busiest cities in the past, its architecture and extraordinary infrastructural designs are evidences of its grand. Today, Havana is still regarded as one of the world’s favored venue for rendering special events. (cubaheritage.com)
Music, food, dancing, and smiling faces are some of the many attractions you may find at this festival. Performers such as Willy Chirino, Oscar de Leon, El Gran Combo, Celia Cruz, The Barrio Boys, and Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, among others, have performed during the past twenty years. Salsa, merengue, cumbia, and guaguancó dancers fill the streets of Little Havana every year.
To begin with, the Cuban culture is one of much loudness and joyous music. Growing up, there was never a day that I did not wake up to the sound of loud salsa music blaring. Or to the loud voices of my mother or grandmother talking. To anyone else this “talking” would surely be mistaken for an argument or fight. Cuba is where salsa music and the conga drum originated so we tend to be very prideful of this. One of the greatest salsa singer/writer was the late Celia Cruz. She was somewhat of a hero
So the question to ask is was life better under Castro? The answer is yes, it was an improvement, but there are remaining problems in Cuba waiting to be fixed. The health and general well-being of the population was vastly improved, but the people lived in fear and oppression. Castro didn’t change Cuba as much as he thinks.
Once in Havana, Córdova sent a report to Governor Velásquez word of their return. In addition to reporting about the warring natives, Córdova described the discovery of heavily populated lands where the people lived in masonry houses, wore cotton garments,...