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Havana’s Birthday Issue NOV

NOV 2016 INCLUDING GUIDE TO THE BEST PLACES TO EAT, DRINK, DANCE AND STAY IN HAVANA

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NOV 2016

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LA HABANA.COM is an independent platform, which seeks to showcase the best in Cuba arts & culture, life-style, sport, travel and much more... We seek to explore Cuba through the eyes of the best writers, photographers and filmmakers, both Cuban and international, who live work, travel and play in Cuba. Beautiful pictures, great videos, opinionated reviews, insightful articles and inside tips.

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HAVANA GUIDE The ultimate guide to Havana with detailed reviews of where to eat, drink, dance, shop, visit and play. Unique insights to the place that a gregarious, passionate and proud people call home.

HAVANA LISTINGS

MAY 2016

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E D I TO R I A L Despite the passage of time, Havana continues to lure its visitors—perhaps now even more. Our November issue is dedicated to Havana on its 497th anniversary, from its architecture, famous landmarks or curiosities down to the outgoing, unique habaneros who give the city its style and its character. Founded on November 16, 1519 by the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in the shade of a ceiba tree right across the bay, Havana impatiently awaits for its halfmillennium anniversary in 2019. But right now, if you’re are in Havana this month, we invite you to join the Habaneros who, on the strike of midnight, November 15, head down to El Templete and walk three times round the ceiba while throwing a coin on every turn and making a wish. The International Ballet Festival continues until November 6 and the International Contemporary Music Festival takes center stage from November 12 to 20. If you’re a salsa fan, don’t miss the 11th World Meeting of Casino and Salsa Dancers, November 20-26, from lessons for beginners and advanced learners, to nightly concerts at Salón Rosado de La Tropical where the best Cuban salsa bands will be performing.

The La Patria Grande Rock Festival, featuring heavy metal, contemporary fusion and alternative rock, will be held in several provinces including Havana, while the traditional dance and music Beny Moré and Cuba-Danzón festivals will take place in Cienfuegos and Santa Isabel de las Lajas, and the city of Matanzas, respectively. Noviembre Fotográfico is a month-long display of the best photography being made on the Island while Arte y Moda shows how art inspires Cuban fashion designers. Get your running shoes ready because you have little more than two weeks to get all set for the 2016 Marabana Marathon, which will be held on Sunday, November 20, 7am start. And if you want to know what the race is like, we suggest you read Run, Charlie, Run in this issue. From art to photography, music, fashion or dance, November really does have something for everyone and is a reminder of just what a cosmopolitan, cultured and simply great place Havana is. Abrazos! The LaHabana.com Team NOV 2016

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NOV 2016

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Cuba Travel Network: Definitely Different Come and experience Cuba with a company that’s passionate about the magical island. Our on the ground team in Cuba is the first to know about the country’s developments—from new hotels and tour possibilities to ever-changing travel regulations, and we love to show our beautiful home to the world. With Cuba Travel Network, experience Cuba as a traveler, not a tourist.

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CONTENTS NOV 2016

Havana’s Birthday Issue

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Dialogue in Cuban Art

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Run, Charlie, Run

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The New Habanero: gutsy and selfconfident November 27, 1871: The execution of eight medicine students

November 16, 1519: Havana’s birth

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How many Havanas make up Havana?

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When Havana becomes 500 years old

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HAVANA LISTINGS

Loving the Streets of Havana

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Eclectic Havana

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An architectural stew

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Old Havana’s Colonial Fortifications: World Heritage

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Colón Cemetery: A historical and architectural jewel of Havana

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The Art of Ironwork

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VISUAL ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY DANCE MUSIC THEATRE FOR KIDS EVENTS

HAVANA GUIDE FEATURES RESTAURANTS BARS & CLUBS LIVE MUSIC HOTELS PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION

NOV 2016

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November 16, 1519: Havana’s birth By Victoria Alcalá

The Templete is a small neo classical building constructed in the early 19th century to commemorate the first Mass and council held in the town of San Cristóbal de La Habana on November 16, 1519. Each year this event is celebrated by a series of commemorative events the most notable of which is the custom of walking three times around the ceiba tree that is planted at the entrance of the Templete. As Eusebio Leal has explained: “Someone asked me once to explain why we walk around the ceiba, as if poetry, which is the spice of life, could be explained.” The clock is ticking down to the 500th Anniversary on November 16, 2019. photo by Mene

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Havana, November 15, hundreds of people wait at the door of the former Palace of the Captains General, today Museum of the City, for a curious procession to begin. The motley crowd is composed of smiling youths and solemn elderly people, couples with their children and grandparents with their grandchildren, lovers and lonely hearts. Many are wearing their everyday clothes; others, their Sunday best and even new clothes for the occasion. It’s 6 o’clock and the chimes of the bells from the Castillo de La Real Fuerza announce that the ceremony is about to start. Preceded by children from nearby schools who carry the silver maces that once belonged to the Council of Havana, and accompanied by a group of his collaborators, Eusebio leal Spengler, Historian of the City of Havana, exits the Palace of the Captains General. Someone cries: “Here comes Leal!” and the people who have been waiting hours for this moment quickly join the procession and walk across the Plaza de Armas to the Templete. Although Leal’s words are always received with pleasure, the crowd is always impatient. The Historian, who for many years has headed the procession, senses this and is brief. He reminds his listeners that Havana will be commemorating its half millennium in a few years and until then, Habaneros rejoice in the celebration of the founding of the town called San Cristóbal de La Habana. On the custom of walking three times around the ceiba tree that is planted at the entrance of the Templete, Leal has said that “it is essential that we walk around the tree and, in that spiral, ask time to stretch out its hand…and know that the future can be only approached from the past.”

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At the mere mention of the ceiba, which recalls the tree that existed back in the 16th century and under whose shade the first Mass was held, a stir takes hold of the long line of people, sensing that the time is near for the procession round the tree to begin. The first person to walk to the ceiba is Leal himself, who walks three times round the tree throwing a coin on every turn. Then, the historian invites the public to follow suit and the ritual begins and continues all night and into the morning of the 16th. Although according to tradition, waiting in line must be done in absolute silence and what you are going to ask the tree for should be kept a secret, it is almost impossible for a Cuban to keep quiet so long, and pretty soon you can hear absolute strangers telling each other their reasons for coming this night to Old Havana: cures for illnesses, happy endings to unrequited loves, prosperity for newly started businesses, the solution to lengthy immigration procedures, success in infertility treatments, good results in university entrance examinations, finding prince charming… Those with a more pragmatic approach to life simply ask what the Spaniards sum up as “health and wealth.” The details of the ritual have never been really established. No one can say for sure if you only ask for one wish or a different one with every turn; if you throw a coin every time you go round the tree or only one coin or several at the end. The two currencies in Cuba also pose unprecedented concerns. What will be most effective, an offering in moneda nacional or in convertible pesos? Others are suspicious about the destination of the money left under the tree or inserted in the tree trunk and the well-known answer is that it is used for social works in Old Havana. So, amidst, conversations, questions and suspicions, the hours go by and with the break of day, the line begins to grow with workers before they head off to their jobs in schools, hospitals, banks, stores, offices…They too wish to dedicate some time and make a wish at the ceiba of good fortune.

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How many Havanas make up Havana? By Victoria Alcalá Over the years, Havana has been a changing capital. Of course it first started out as what we today call La Habana Vieja, Old Havana, with its imposing forts and government buildings, lordly mansions, churches and squares. But in the nineteenth century that quarter began to mix up all sorts of functions and became more popular, so whoever could do so moved elsewhere to gain back their sense of privacy. They drifted towards the splendid estates of El Cerro which very soon suffered a decline for exactly the same reasons which saw it grow: the invasion of the “masses”. Or maybe it was because the ancient area of the city walls became part of the urbanization process, occupied by luxurious small palaces.

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lahabana. com Nowadays, the Historical Center of Old Havana has once more taken on some of its ancient splendor thanks to the restoration program of the Office of the City Historian lead by Eusebio Leal. Not only is it a tourist magnet, it also constitutes one of the undeniable cultural centers of the city. Any one of its residents can become a spontaneous guide after having heard the Historian speak so many times. By the twentieth century, El Vedado was known as the chic part of town, preferred by the upper bourgeoisie for their residences surrounded by metal grillwork fences and gardens that isolated them from the roar of the traffic and the curiosity of the “plebs.” This select piece of real estate gradually started to fill up with tall buildings, offices, the best cinemas,

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nightclubs, restaurants, and small theaters that stamped it with a modern cosmopolitan air that it still possesses. In the present day, it is the heart of Havana nightlife. Some of the upper class families once more took up their exodus, moving even further west to what is now Playa Municipality, following the coastline towards Miramar, Alturas de Miramar and the neighborhoods known as Atabey, Siboney and Cubanacán, all aboriginal names that were adopted after 1959, having nothing in common with the residential enclaves around the Country Club Park or the Biltmore. Most of these exclusive areas didn’t even have any bus service. As soon as all the private beach clubs were opened to the general public and with the building of the Art School (1960-1963), the Convention

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Center (1979) and some hotels in the 1990s, accompanied by new restaurants, Playa Municipality, which is joined to El Vedado by a tunnel and the famous Steel Bridge (Puente de Hierro), took on a more lively profile, but it still maintains a lot of the exclusivity it acquired at the start of its existence. As for Centro Habana, it became the business center for the entire city after the 1930s. Movie theaters like the Payret, the Rex-Duplex, the National Theater (today the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana), a wide assortment of department stores such as El Encanto (the largest and most luxurious store, which was destroyed by a sabotage attack during the early years of the Revolution), Fin de Siglo, Flogar, La Época or La Filosofía. Shoe stores, jewelers, furniture and perfume shops…the variety was infinite, every kind of business imaginable. And there were dozens of stores in Chinatown, a must visit for anyone wanting to cook Chinese fried rice at home. People living in the outskirts often say: “I’m going to Havana” whenever they’re going downtown for any reason. Even if today the buildings are looking a bit run-down and nobody goes “window-shopping” anymore, Centro Habana still conserves that lively spirit of times gone by. The streets are always filled with people and refurbished Chinatown, even though you can no longer buy sausages, beans and other delicacies there, has dozens of Chinese restaurants that serve menus that have more to do with San Francisco than Beijing.

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photo by Mene

Nevertheless, far off the usual tourist trail, we have “other Havanas.” Regla, Casablanca and Guanabacoa, all on the far side of Havana Bay and the last of these with an interesting historical downtown area, are lovely places full of deeprooted traditions. If you should be having a streak of bad luck, someone will always recommend a trip to Guanabacoa because it’s famous for babalawos. Many go to Regla to ask the “Black Virgin” for something, or to fulfill a promise and at Casablanca people go to admire the monumental statue of The Christ. Still further east are La Habana del Este and the Villa Panamericana: they prove that it is possible to plan popular neighborhoods without the sparseness and ugliness of their neighbor. All three are known as “dormitory” towns whose residents conduct most of their social and cultural lives on the other side of the tunnel but in the summer take advantage of the excellent beaches nearby, such as the most popular two, Santa María del Mar and Boca Ciega. The fishing village of Cojímar, which lies between Habana del Este and Villa Panamericana, basks in the memory of Hemingway; it is both a town and a beach and this seems to have molded the personalities of the people who live there, always ready to welcome the curious who are on the trail of Papa and The Old Man and the Sea without altering their daily routines.

The municipality of Diez de Octubre, one of the most densely populated in Cuba (it is practically a city in itself with a population of well over 200,000) connects to downtown Havana by the avenue of the same name. This road used to be called Jesús del Monte and joined the city to the nearby rural areas. You can see amazing variety throughout this municipality. Luyanó has humble houses and rooming houses and is known to be rowdy, extroverted and often bellicose. The somewhat sleepy and laid-back Lawton and Santos Suárez have undergone a kind of renaissance in their old mansions thanks to a recent wave of real estate fever. The same has happened in La Víbora and even in treeshaded Sevillano whose inhabitants are known for being rather private even though extremely friendly amongst themselves, sharing news, gossip and homemade desserts. The novelty of well-appointed private restaurants springing up has resulted in seeing families who are all dressed up and going out to celebrate some special occasion at places that offer menus a little more “sophisticated” than the usual pizza or comida criolla. There are places in Havana that haven’t been able to shake off their rural pasts: Santa María del Rosario, Santiago de las Vegas, Calabazar and El Calvario. They are very much like any typical provincial town with their large central park presided over by the church. Santa María del Rosario, for example, is even in the heritage category. The people living there are a little warier than “big city” folk.

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Some parts of Marianao also remind you of a past that was more rural than urban, but others are bubbling with unique popular spirit, religious beliefs, music, tastes and smells, much like what happens in El Cerro whose main road, under the inevitable patina of time, retains the ancient splendor of large estates surrounded by humbler buildings, narrow streets and spontaneous folk always ready to cheer on the Industriales baseball team in the neighboring Latinoamericano Stadium. A little further in the Casino Deportivo, modern homes, well-looked after gardens and generally deserted streets remind you more of Nuevo Vedado than the bustle of El Cerro to which it officially belongs. And so those are the “Havanas,” different from each other and contrasting. Only those who are brave enough to penetrate the “hinterlands,” leaving behind the advertised tourism routes, can really get to know a city that can live and vibrate with the sea at its back.

photo by Lorena

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When Havana becomes 500 YEARS OLD By Victoria Alcalá

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Cities go through moments of splendor and moments of decadence. During its early centuries, Havana had far too many fortresses, churches, convents and monasteries. Its first great building boom occurred between 1834 and 1838 under the government of Miguel Tacón, a man who is not fondly remembered for other things, but who was the mastermind behind an intense period of transformation for Havana. For this reason, that first period of splendor has often been called “Tacón’s Havana”. During those years, the Government House was restored and was from then on called the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. The center of the city was defined, oddly situated outside of the city walls, by the promenade Paseo de Isabel II (today’s Prado), and the Campo Militar de Marte was beautified and subsequently named Avenida de Carlos III (currently known as Avenida Salvador Allende). Paving and street lighting were improved, parks and squares were opened and already existing ones, such as the Plaza de Armas and Plaza de San Francisco de Asís were revamped. The lavish Tacón Theater was built, becoming one of the largest and most modern theaters in the Americas at the time and putting the crowning touch on that spurt of growth. In the nineteenth century the city’s opulence was reflected in palaces such as the Aldama and the O’Farrill, the new Paseo del Prado gained popularity and the Christopher Columbus Cemetery was inaugurated, a veritable open-air funerary art museum. When the Republic was installed, another period of intensified building began. Monuments to José Martí, Antonio Maceo and Máximo Gómez were erected; new hospitals and churches were built; the Avenida del Puerto was extended to La Punta and work went on to build the Malecón right up to the site of today’s Maceo Park. The Asbert Bridge linked El Vedado with Marianao along 23rd Street and the so-called Pote bridge, a movable, steel structure. appeared across the Almendares River, close to where it flows into the sea.

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Indeed the city grew so quickly that by the 1920s and early 1930s, a new important period was beginning with the start of the Plan Director de La Habana in 1925. In the aim of becoming the “Nice of the Americas,” Jean Forestier, a legend among the architects of the era, was hired. The road system was regulated and avenues such as Avenida del Puerto and Avenida de las Misiones, or the Paseo del Prado got facelifts as did the Malecón and a system of wide thoroughfares, the calzadas, all the way down to Miramar’s Quinta Avenida. Parque Central underwent changes and Parque de la Fraternidad was completed in record time. The Plan studied the creation of major monuments celebrating government symbols: the National Capitol Building, the University of Havana and the Plaza de la Loma project which was to become the physical center of the city in the near future. The creation of landscaped areas was given more value with gardens along wide avenues, the areas around the Capitolio and the Parque de la Fraternidad. Modern hotels, like the Presidente and the Nacional, were being opened with all the modern conveniences of the period. Projects to enlarge airports and urban infrastructure were also afoot. With Plan Forestier, Havana entered “adulthood.” The city kept up to date with styles such as Art Nouveau, generally relegated to unpretentious domestic architecture, and Art Deco, which produced a number of tall buildings such as the López Serrano, Bacardí,

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lahabana. com América and Solimar. During the 1940s and 50s, Havana succumbed to a wave of bold contemporaneity, chiefly seen in private residences, from the Eutimio Falla Bonet home as early as 1939, to the lovely Schulthess home in 1958, and buildings such as the Conjunto Radiocentro, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (home to the then new Museo Nacional), the Asclepios Clinic, the Retiro Odontológico and Seguro Médico buildings, the Tribunal de Cuentas, the duplex house on 23rd St. and 26th Ave., the emblematic Focsa Building, Tropicana, Ciudad Deportiva, and the Havana Riviera and Havana Hilton (today the Habana Libre) hotels. And finally there was the Plaza Cívica José Martí, today’s Plaza de la Revolución. Most of the main construction in the Revolutionary period was devoted to the provinces, especially to the abandoned Cuban hinterland, and the capital was somewhat ignored. Nevertheless, during the first years of the

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Revolution, Havana saw the construction of a number of landmarks: the residential neighborhood of La Habana del Este (1961), the exceptional National Art School (1962), the Ciudad Universitaria José Antonio Echeverría (1964, the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas (1965), the Pabellón Cuba, (1963) the Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor (1966), and eventually Lenin Park (1972). By the end of the 1980s Havana started to suffer a gradual deterioration because of the economic situation besetting the Island. When it got to the point that we thought our heritage would be lost, a tremendous impetus launched the restoration of the Historical Center of Havana, salvaging not only buildings, but much of the tangible and intangible heritage in the ancient part of our capital city. A number of years ago, that deteriorated area began to take on a whole new look. Hotels like the Telégrafo were rebuilt, others like the Saratoga were salvaged, and the Plaza, Inglaterra and Ambos Mundos hotels were revived. Hundreds of installations, including museums, concert halls, art galleries, schools, pharmacies, restaurants, taverns, shops, homes, commercial establishments, banks and more have gotten a new lease on life through patient and constant work.

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lahabana. com Recently the building process in the oldest part of town has intensified: the Gran Teatro de La Habana and the Martí theaters have been returned to their original glory. The Alameda de Paula is practically unrecognizable these days with its splendid view over Havana Bay, along with new shops and restaurants. The Plaza de Armas, Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza Vieja and Plaza de la Catedral offer many sightseeing opportunities. And the Paseo del Prado is being restored to its heyday standards. A few months ago, Havana was acknowledged as a Wonder City of the Modern World no doubt taking into consideration the friendliness of its inhabitants, the restored heritage sites and the promise of more improvements to come. Buoyed up by the prospect of celebrating the half millenium anniversaries of the founding cities of Cuba, I like to dream about how my Havana will look when it will be 500 years old. It seems that Eusebio Leal won’t be rushed into an early celebration of the founding of the capital’s first location; we’ll just have to wait until 2019, the date, which based on historic documents, the capital city will reach the half millennium of existence in its last site. By that time, work on the Capitolio and the Manzana de Gómez will have been finished and all the surrounding areas revamped in style. The Palacio Cueto, with its unique Baroque/Art Nouveau blend, will put the finishing touches on the Plaza Vieja area; the Customs Building will be seen in all its magnificence, Havana Bay will be less polluted and dozens of new restaurants, inns and other services will have opened their doors.

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I like to think that our zest to preserve the beauties of the city will have extended far beyond the limits of Old Colonial Havana. The legendary Packard Hotel will be reopened, and so will the Sofitel So La Habana on the intersection of Prado and Malecón, a corner which has inspired a number of non-realized plans; the Malecón will be more welcoming and it will protect the city more from the fury of the sea; the magnificent Yara Cinema (formerly the Radiocentro) will be functioning in a totally restored fashion; the Retiro Médico will have recovered its elegance; La Rampa will return to being a “state of mind” even though the mikis, reparteros and emos (or their heirs) will still be there, populating the Calle G nights. And we will see more trees, parks, flowers, theaters, cultural centers, buses…and less noise, potholes, leaks and peeling walls. Dreaming costs nothing and so I dream that the suburbs, which also belong to Havana, will also fall under the renovating spell and help the city celebrate its grand birthday. I’m not talking about a hotel in working-class neighborhoods like Cotorro or a real estate office in Luyanó, but as the King of filin, José Antonio Méndez, used to sing: “cement, brick, sand, / those are three good things / for my home in Los Pinos.” Right now I’m imagining the former town of San Cristóbal both new and the same, awaiting its children to come out on November 16, 2019 to sing our Happy Birthday song: “Felicidades, Habana, en tu día, / que lo pases con sana alegría, / muchos siglos de paz y armonía, / felicidad, felicidad, felicidad”. [Happy birthday, Havana, on your day; / may you spend it in wholesome joy; / many centuries of peace and harmony; / happiness, happiness, happiness!]

photo by Mene

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Loving the Streets of Havana

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photo by Mene

by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

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Havana residents live out a large part of their lives on the streets. It’s kind of a reality show out there all the time. Their exuberance animates the city and it translates their uncontrollable zest into a formula for coping with all sorts of difficulties. There is no end of opportunity on the street; you just have to go out and find it. Cubans are utterly social beings, and Havana residents are no exception. Their delight in spending hours in the street and in other public places starts during childhood. You discover your favorite games and make your first friends there and the street scene provides you with a special kind of freedom. Long after those childish days are over, it’s not unusual to hear an adult say with pride: “Nobody can pull anything over on me. I’ve been on the street ever since I was a kid.” The street is the setting for conversations, for exchanging ideas that can turn into veritable disputes at the drop of a hat, but generally they end up giving way to some useful situations and solutions. Part of the reason is that any dyed-in-the-wool Havana resident always considers himself /herself to be an expert on any topic, capable of having an opinion and providing a philosophical point of view on everything from baseball to outer space and taking detours through politics and history. The typical denizen of Havana will wake up in the morning, drink his first eye-opening cup of espresso coffee and immediately go out to look for somebody with whom he can comment on the news or merely the state

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lahabana. com of the weather. You won’t find him lounging around the house for long. The first business on the day’s agenda may be going to the agromercado (the local fruit and vegetable market), to work or to school. In the course of these activities, there is generally plenty of time to exchange ideas or comment on plans with anybody within earshot. Boulevards are the ideal milieu for a Havana resident: they make them feel like they’re lords and masters of the ample surrounding space. In fact, Havana residents can generally be seen placidly (and exasperatingly) strolling in the middle of any street, singly or in groups, as if it was a promenade specifically designed for the purpose, oblivious of the havoc they are creating for the flow of regular vehicular traffic. Humor plays a large part of street behavior. It is a way to maintain a human perspective on the everyday problems that keep cropping up. Life isn’t easy at the best of times, but with a sense of humor even the worst of situations can be managed, along with a generous dose of patience. It is interesting to observe that the residents of the city have taken over Havana to such a degree that there is a regular consultation process taking place between the urban population and the Office of the Historian of the City. In its official Master Plan for rebuilding and restoring the Historical Center of Havana, citizens are actually involved in the day to day work and decision-making that affects them and their surroundings.

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We shouldn’t overlook the fact that many Havana residents earn their livelihoods on the streets, selling those constantly needed household articles that often seem to vanish from the stores. Itinerant salesmen and women call out their wares often using some very creative chants to peddle everything from strings of onions to flowers to air fresheners and brooms. Cubans always seem to be snacking and they take advantage of hundreds of curbside sellers of cold drinks, pizza, ice cream and sandwiches. You will never be hungry for long on Havana’s streets. Lately, the urban landscape has become embellished with frequent artistic displays, all out in the open. Concert bands, living statues, theatrical groups, the stilt-walkers of Gigantería Habana and art shows provide a feast for the eyes and ears. A few days ago a friend commented she was seeing some Havana residents starting to get their hair done on the street in their desire to discover a new way of doing things. No aspect of life gets ignored on the streets of Havana and it’s well worth it to get out there and not just be a spectator: join in! photo by Lorena

Summer is definitely the ideal season to watch that sea of people who have exited their homes and mass together in the squares and parks, along the ancient walls, and especially along the Malecón. Partially because of the intense heat, people seek a breath of fresh air, and they take this time to also air their hopes and dreams. Sometimes it becomes an opportunity to set up a domino game in the first available space they find and the atmosphere will be filled with the distinctive clacking of tiles and the jubilation of the players. NOV 2016 23

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ECLECTIC HAVANA by Victoria Alcalá

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With the arrival of the twentieth century, the eclectic trend, which had timidly infiltrated the neoclassical codes that prevailed during most of the nineteenth century, and the Romantic revivals (variations on the Romanesque or the Gothic, for example), became a main feature in Havana buildings. The preference for the classical order became entrenched for public buildings, while the theatrical Louis XIV, XV and XVI styles, or imitations of the Florentine Renaissance, was advocated for large residences, making it possible for the owners to exhibit their economic status on the facades (and sometimes only on the façades). There was an explosion of banks and educational institutions that sought to portray financial soundness or academic rigor on their pediments and columns, and mansions or clubs that strived to inspire awe with clever or fanciful readings of a sort of “rebirth” that humorously the ordinary man baptized as “remorse” even though in most cases a more modest version of the codes being criticized got taken into their own homes. This is why several experts talk about a “major eclecticism” in the favorite neighborhoods of the upper classes and about “minor eclecticism” in the more humble districts. Only a few examples are needed to attest to that strong eclectic flavor of the capital and which is applicable to other cities on the Island. UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA (San Lázaro entre Jovellar y Ronda, El Vedado) Building on the Aula Magna, the main lecture hall designed by architect Emilio Heredia, began in 1906 and was completed in 1911; however, the construction of the different faculties and other buildings on the campus known as Colina Universitaria, or University Hill, went on for several decades, while it sought to maintain reasonable

Universidad de la Habana

photo by Yadira Montero

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lahabana. com LONJA DEL COMERCIO photo by Yadira Montero

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consistency among the eclectic style buildings tinged with a strong classical look, and others within the later monumental modernist trend. The dominant feature in the only higher education institution that existed then in Cuba was an eclectic historicism, lavish in columns, cornices, pediments and other classical elements, integrated into a mass of buildings that inwardly relate to each other in the central plaza, small squares and green areas. In turn they connect to the urban milieu via the grand 88-step stairway finished in 1927. Ever since, the stairway and the sculpture of Alma Mater symbolize Havana University. LONJA DEL COMERCIO (Amargura entre Baratillo and San Pedro, Old Havana; 1909; architects Tomás Mur and José Toraya) Built by the firm of Purdy and Henderson, omnipresent during that era in Havana. Initially it had five floors, steel framework skeleton, concrete walls and ceilings and poured concrete blocks for the exterior. In 1939, a sixth floor was added, trying not to alter the initial concept of the whole. The impression of solidity, which uses some Spanish Renaissance elements, is lightened by the numerous bays and the rhythm established by arches, columns and pilasters both on the facade and in the interior. Crowned by a dome and an elegant bronze reproduction of the god of commerce, Mercury, the building was restored in 1995 by the Office of the Historian of the City and offices were leased throughout. MANSION OF DIONISIO VELASCO (Capdevila 51 esquina a Zulueta, Old Havana; 1912; architects José Mato and Francisco Ramírez Ovando) This is an example of how modernism or Art Nouveau infiltrated eclecticism. The first floor held offices and the upper floors, apartments. The façades are lush with ornamentation while the rhythm set up by the bays and curvilinear balconies is evidently modernist. Today it is home to the Spanish Embassy in Cuba.

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Remington Rand Company offices (Galiano 208 entre Conde de Cañongo and Virtudes, Centro Habana; 1915) Although this is a modest example when compared to other buildings, it is outstanding for the ceramic decoration on its façade, the grand arch of the portal, the running balcony on the upper floor and the cornice, all of which imbue the building with theatricality, an inherent characteristic of the style. CENTRO GALLEGO DE LA HABANA (Prado entre San Rafael y San José, Centro Habana; 1915; architect Paul Beleau) This was the second home for the Galician Center of Havana since the first one which had been built at the end of the nineteenth century on the corner of Prado and Dragones. The new structure , which was built by Purdy and Henderson as the social center for the Galician community, with the premise of keeping the old Tacón Theater in the interior, is a typical example of the taste for eclecticism that reigned in the early twentieth century in Cuba. It demonstrated a pompous combination of elements coming from the French and Spanish Renaissance and from the Baroque, an abundance of marble sculpture and a grandiose staircase. Totally restored, it was recently reopened under the new name of Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso. CASA DE JOSÉ MIGUEL GÓMEZ (Prado 212 esquina a Trocadero, Centro Habana; 1915; architect Hilario del Castillo) Built as a residence for ex-President José Miguel Gómez, the first floor housed the offices of Gómez and his son; the main rooms were on the upper floor where the spacious terrace overlooks the Paseo del Prado, repeating the dimensions and arrangement of the typical entrance porch. The interior maintains the layout of rooms surrounding a central courtyard, a lovely marble staircase

Casa José Miguel Gómez photo by Yadira Montero

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and extravagantly decorated ceilings and columns. Its location on a corner and its distinctive watchtower draws attention to the building amongst all the others on Prado Street, which, along its entire length, is marked by eclecticism. Today it is the headquarters of the Alliance Française in Cuba. PRESIDENTIAL PALACE (city block bordered by the streets Refugio, Colón, Zulueta and Monserrate, Old Havana; 1920; architects Rodolfo Maruri and Paul Beleau) Purdy and Henderson began construction on the seat of government for Havana but the First Lady of the Republic at the time convinced her husband that it should be their residence instead. The style represents all the virtues and excesses of the Havana eclectic style, somewhat arbitrarily mixing a number of European models—quite removed from Spain in this case, perhaps due to the influence of the Belgian architect Beleau. The dome, one of the highest in the city, is covered by a layer of glazed ceramic tiles; the floors and stairways are made of Carrara marble and the interior decoration is Tiffany’s. Its exquisite landscape gardening was a precursor of the “city-garden style” that would become so popular in El Vedado. Today the building houses the Museum of the Revolution.

Residencia de José Gómez Mena

SAGRADO CORAZÓN CHURCH (Reina between Belascoaín y Gervasio, Centro Habana; 1914-1922; architects Luis Gogorza and Eugenio Dediot) Built along neo-Gothic lines by the Jesuit Order, it has three naves entered by three portals, beautiful French stained-glass windows made by the French firm by Maumejan; the impressive main altar built in Madrid and a spacious crossing. The façade, decorated with typical pointed arches, and its verticality accentuated by the soaring 77-meter filigreed stone tower, is a clear attempt to imitate the Gothic style, one that was also used in other religious buildings, such as the totally remodeled Santo

photo by Yadira Montero

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Ángel Custodio Church and the Pasionistas Church in the district of Víbora.

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Home of José Gómez Mena, later home of his sister María Luisa, Countess of Revilla de Camargo (Calle 17 esquina a E, El Vedado; 1927; architects P. Virad and M. Destugue) French neo-Rococo was chosen for this luxurious Vedado mansion, matching the nationality of its architects who drew up the plans under the guidance of Cuban architect Camacho, although the unexpected art-deco decoration in one of its bathrooms comes rather as a surprise. In accordance with the trend during the early twentieth century, the grand hall or vestibule and the triple monumental staircase worked to spotlight the privileged economic and social status of the home’s residents. The beautiful gardens, an element that distinguished the urban planning of El Vedado, feature the sculptures known as The Four Seasons. The Countess of Revilla de Camargo undertook to collect many valuable decorative art pieces, which today form the bulk of what is on view in the National Museum of Decorative Arts installed in her former residence since 1964. Centro Asturiano de La Habana (San Rafael entre Zulueta y Monserrate, Old Havana; 1927; architect Manuel del Busto) Yet another work by the ubiquitous firm of Purdy and Henderson, its severe exterior contrasts sharply with the exuberance of the nearby Galician Center and with the theatrical display of ornament in the interior—1,250 tons of marble from Italy, Spain and the US; Cuban hardwoods along with many other exclusive materials; 578 lamps cast in bronze, with incrusted Bohemian crystal, tiles decorated with motifs going from scenes from Don Quixote to a reproduction of Los borrachos by Velázquez; showcases under the skylight by the staircase of honor exhibiting recreations of Christopher Columbus discovering America; and countless versions of the coat of arms of Asturias all constitute a veritable overdose of eclecticism. In 1999, it underwent extensive repairs and became the Museum of Universal Art. Residencia de Orestes Ferrara photo by Yadira Montero

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Home of Orestes Ferrara (San Miguel y Ronda, Centro Habana; 1928; architects Evelio Govantes and Félix Cabarrocas) Baptized by its owner as “La Dolce Dimora” (Home Sweet Home), it stands out for its style of a Florentine Renaissance palazzo: textured walls, cornices indicating level changes, spacious loggias… The opulent interiors overflow with marble and hardwoods showing off a wide variety of styles in the best of Cuban Creole eclecticism. Today the residence of the Neapolitan Ferrara is home to the Napoleonic Museum. Home of the Hornedo Family (Salvador Allende 720 entre Castillejo y Soledad, Centro Habana; 1941; architect Enrique Gil) This elegant residence of the late eclectic style is an indication that within the eclectic codes, it could also resort to sobriety in the composition of volumes and in the rhythm of architectural elements in their “purest” state, thus distancing itself from the stereotypical “cake-house” one normally associates with the style. Currently it houses the Centro Habana House of Culture.

photo by Yadira Montero

One way or another, Havana eclecticism of the early twentieth century, a period which saw the city grow in size and height, grants unmistakable physiognomy to the districts of El Vedado, Santos Suárez or Miramar, it shared space and time with both Art Deco and the birth of modernism, and in spite of a great number of transformations and inclusions, it continues to distinguish these districts. Even today, when officialdom has approved the free buying and selling of real estate, the old style seems to have received a shot in the arm: pediments, columns, coats of arms, lions…they have all once again invaded the city, often haphazardly and not always meshing with the design of remodeled buildings, which, within the more elemental and simplified eclectic codes, seem to look for a ingenuous sign of lineage. NOV 2016 30

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An architectural stew by Victoria Alcalá

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Havana has always been a very cosmopolitan city, open to different influences. As a port city, it is constantly used to the comings and goings of fleets, of receiving people from every continent, some in transit and others arriving as conquerors or refugees from wars and conflicts; a few of these people succumb to the city’s charms and end up as “adopted” habaneros. The Spanish and African peoples have left the most visible marks, but Chinese, Arabs, Jews, French, Belgians, Americans, Russians…all have left their imprint on the spirituality, tastes and idiosyncrasies of the city’s inhabitants. Since spiritual heritage is extremely difficult to pinpoint and one could fall into the customary common perceptions of vociferous Africans, homesick Spaniards or pragmatic Yanks, I would instead like to talk about the solidity of stone, the tangible testimony of architecture, in order to show my city as a portion of that “ajiaco,” or stew, which, for Cuban ethnologist Don Fernando Ortiz, is the “Cuban essence” and in this case particularly, the “Havana essence.” That’s why it is better to leave behind the colonial era when the Spanish presence, rather than being assimilated, was imposed by blood and fire and whose architectural monuments, many of which are admirably preserved, are very well known.

photo by Yadira Montero

The twentieth century opened with the presence of the interventionist US Army, the dismantling of the Spanish colonial apparatus and the installation of the Republic. But the Spanish dominion having ceased over the Island did not mean that the Spaniards or their legacy disappeared. It will never be known exactly how many of them remained in Cuba with their families, customs and preferences while

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lahabana. com others arrived in the first years of the Republic with their dreams of making a fortune (and of escaping military service in Spain). And so the imprint of the Iberian Peninsula on Havana architecture would continue well into the century.

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photo by Yadira Montero

There was an element that made a perfect link with the eclecticism being imposed: the Mudéjar style. This in turn was HispanicArabic syncretism seen all over Spain for eight hundred years and very evident in our first colonial buildings. The Cuban Creole Neo-Mudéjar is very evident, for example, in the Sevilla Hotel (Trocadero St. on the corner of Zulueta St.; 1908; engineers José Toraya and Aurelio Sandoval), whose façade and interiors celebrate a connection with Granada’s Alhambra; in the Palacio de las Ursulinas (Egido and Sol streets, 1913, attributed to Toraya) and in its neighbor the Universal Cinema (1942); and lavishly visible in the splendid “castle” of the La Tropical Gardens (1912), whose interiors also make reference to the Alhambra. The use of Moorish arches in multiple and often surprising combinations, and tiles from Seville trimming the baseboards, façades and interiors was relatively commonplace. The explosion of modernism or Art Nouveau in the Island is also very much connected to Spain, to such a degree that it was sometimes referred to as “Catalan style.” Perhaps it was used in a pejorative sense because it departed so drastically from Academic canons, but it is well-known that since the nineteenth century, Catalans had been very active in building in the Capital. The name of Mario Rotllant from Barcelona stands out: he was the proprietor of the cement company bearing his name, NOV 2016 33

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dedicated not just to building but also to producing cement and plaster decorations for interiors. Rotllant was in charge of several of the best examples of Art Nouveau in Cuba, such as the stylistically unified group of homes on Cárdenas St. with their curvilinear forms, delicate grille-work and voluptuous plant forms, as well as other remarkable examples like the residence of Dámaso Gutiérrez in the neighborhood of Víbora (Patrocinio 103, between Saco and Heredia) and the Masía L’Ampurdá in Sevillano (Gertrudis St. on the corner of Revolución St). Later, something we could call “neoGaudinism” would permeate a number of avant-garde Cuban buildings. We can recognize it in the parabolic arches of the Tropicana Nightclub, just to mention one example. When in the 1960s the multiform structures of the National Arts School was built, architects used the tested economy and efficacy of Catalan vaults. But it was not just the Catalans who made use of these influences: Cuban architect Eugenio Dediot designed the building known as El Cetro de Oro (301 Reina St., between Campanario and Manrique, Centro Habana; ca. 1905) for a business that took up its ground floor. Today, despite its sad state of deterioration, we can still admire a profusion of delicate Art Nouveau resources. The Crusellas House, also on Reina, St., remodeled by Cuban architect Alberto de Castro, pulled together some attractive Art Nouveau elements in the original structure. The La Tropical Gardens (1904), at the beer and malt beverage factory belonging to the Blanco Herrera family originally from Catalonia, were supervised by Ramón Magriñá and they provide yet another demonstration of how Art Nouveau sensuality was inserted into the Creole milieu. Havana residents were partial to the exotic delights of Chinese porcelain, but there are few visible examples around of the Chinese presence in architecture. Nonetheless, the large Chinese community in the city managed to superimpose some of their identifying traits when they put up buildings in Chinatown, surprise us with Chinese features in places so far from downtown Havana as Párraga, and especially in the Chinese Cemetery (26th St. on the corner of Zapata Ave., Nuevo Vedado; ca. 1893; architect Isidro A. Rivas). NOV 2016 34

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The very closed circle of the Jewish community has hardly left any physical traces of their presence in Havana. Nevertheless, the Patronage of the Jewish Community (13th St. on the corner of I St., El Vedado; 1953; architect Aquiles Capablanca) intelligently chose the dynamism of the modern architectural movement combined with a detailed study of Hebrew traditions and the ideas being used to build synagogues at the time in the US to build their own Beth Shalom Synagogue. From a distance, it can be recognized by its giant reinforced concrete arch symbolizing the rainbow that announced the end of the Great Flood. These days the former Patronahe functions as the Bertolt Brecht Cultural Center, but the synagogue remains open for its congregation on the weekends. It is quite another picture when we examine the US influence on domestic, civil and even religious architecture. The imposing and inevitable National Capitol Building (the city block bordered by Prado, San José, Industria and Dragones streets, Centro Habana; 1929) was initially a project directed by architects Eugenio Rayneri Sorrentino and his son Eugenio Rayneri Piedra, but underwent numerous changes at various times under Félix Cabarrocas, Evelio Govantes, Raúl Otero and José M. Bens Arrarte. Built by the firm of Purdy and Henderson, it is one of those cases showing the preference for imitating “classical” styles as a demonstration of family or company power, magnified here by the fact that it was the representation of the government itself since the building housed the Senate and the House of Representatives. In its opulent interiors overloaded with bronze, Carrara marble and hardwoods, the Hall of Lost Steps (Salón de los Pasos Perdidos) amazes us with its monumental Statue of The Republic. On the exterior, the massive entrance staircase, the giant statues flanking the entrance, the dome (one meter higher than the dome of the Washington Capitol, as Cubans are fond of boasting) and the landscaping by Forestier provide the city with a magnificent landmark. Currently under major restoration, it is planned to become the home of the National Assembly of the People’s Power.

photo by Yadira Montero

Obviously the first Cuban skyscrapers were influenced by the North, just like bank buildings. A typical example is the Banco Nacional (Obispo and Cuba streets, Old Havana; 1907 and 1919; architect José Toraya), commissioned to (wonder of wonders!) the firm of Purdy and Henderson, who were in charge of designing a steel-frame building NOV 2016 35

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with foundations, roofs and floors of reinforced concrete, brick paneling and a marble facade decorated with carved stone. It had a Corinthian colonnaded portico that held up the giant pediment. Inside, the rooms were organized around a central courtyard, which, after the second floor, had no roof, and it made lavish use of marble, bronze and hardwoods. Today it is the headquarters of the Ministry of Finance. Neither religious architecture (which up to the beginning of the century was practically the sole domain of the Catholic Church) nor domestic architecture was unable to escape the influence of the United States. And so we saw the proliferation of a number of Protestant churches, California bungalows, homes and buildings inspired by Art Deco or the Modernist Movement as it appeared in the United States. Perhaps the most outstanding example would be the house of the Swiss banker Alfred Schulthess (19 A St. between 150 and 190 streets, Cubanacán; 1958; architect Richard Neutra, in collaboration with Cuban architects Raúl Álvarez and Enrique Gutiérrez). This was the only work in Cuba by the famous Austrian-born US architect Richard Neutra, who has a long list of celebrated houses, like the Kaufmann Dessert House, just to name one example. The compositional clarity, transparence and elegant sobriety of the design were complemented by the gardens by Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. These days the house is used as residence for the Swiss Ambassador in Cuba. The American influence is also substantial in hotel architecture as in the cases of the Nacional, Riviera and Habana Libre hotels (the latter, the ex-Havana Hilton Hotel). Furthermore, there is also a sometimes diffused European presence, with unexpected examples, like the Reformed Presbyterian Church (214-222 Salud St. between Lealtad and Campanario streets, Centro Habana; 1906 ―or 1907; architect Benjamin de la Vega ?), a project imported from

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lahabana. com the US but carrying a strong Scottish neoGothic influence that can be appreciated, for instance, in its striking campanile crowned by a weather vane with the shape of a rooster. Thanks to an interesting article by essayist Gina Picard, I learned a few facts about a house I had often noticed in Santos Suárez, at 109 Heredia St. between Estrada Palma and Luis Estévez streets, which was built in 1909 in a rather unusual European style. Picard tells us that there are two versions about its filiation. According to its present owners, it was built by a Jewish family whose son had studied in Holland and he conceived the design as something representing typical Dutch architecture. But this same house appears catalogued within the Arts and Crafts movement in the Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Art. Cuba Theme Issue (Japan, Wolsson Foundation, No. 22, 1996). When we recall that the Arts and Crafts Movement preceded Art Nouveau, then this is rather a rare example we have sitting on a street in Santos Suárez. Perhaps even more mysterious than the little house on Heredia St. is the small “castle” in the Lawton neighborhood of 10 de Octubre district. With its stone walls and red pitched roof, it looks like it materialized from some remote French or German town. I have not been able to dig up any information about it. At some point it was a restaurant, but I do not know its function today. Another building that escapes the traditional eclectic codes of the era is the modest Tudor style building which houses the Manuel Saumell Elementary School of Music (660 F St., El Vedado; 1925). When we look at the Alberto de Armas house (9, 2nd St., Miramar; 1926; architect Jorge Luis Echarte) we are treading on somewhat firmer ground: larger and more imposing than the previous examples we have cited, known popularly as the House of the Green-Tiled Roof

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(Casa de las Tejas Verdes), its steep pitched roof, tower and spire, and dormer windows immediately draw our attention to it as we exit the tunnel connecting El Vedado and Miramar. From the mid-1960s, the El Conejito Restaurant (M St. on the corner of 17th St., El Vedado; 1966; architect Gustavo Botet) brazenly refers to the traditional English world of hare hunting, both in its interior and the exterior. Finally, well into the twenty-first century, Our Lady of Kazan Holy Orthodox Cathedral went up on Avenida del Puerto in 2008. Its golden onion domes shining over the Historical Center of Havana contradict Eusebio Leal’s observation that the Soviets had not left even the name of a drink in Cuban culture. A tiny piece of Moscow inserted into the Cuban capital is just the dollop of sour cream missing in our Havana stew.

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OLD HAVANA’S Colonial Fortifications: World Heritage

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The inclusion of the Historical Center of Old Havana and its System of Colonial Fortifications on the List of World Heritage Sites was adopted at the Sixth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage held from December 13 to 17, 1982, at the UNESCO headquarters, Paris, France. This architectural ensemble achieved this international distinction because it “is an outstanding example of a type of structure which illustrates a significant stage in history, and is also an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement which is representative of a culture, vulnerable under the impact of alterations or irreversible changes.* Erected at the edges of a peculiarly-shaped bay, the town of San Cristobal de La Habana became a sheltered link between Europe and the New World. Over the centuries, bastions that were to protect the colonial city grew in number. This is the city that we have at present, dominated by the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro, the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, the Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta, and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza.

photo by Yadira Montero

Within the once walled city, there are other works of inestimable architectural value, such as the palaces, mansions and churches that surround Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de San Francisco and Plaza Vieja. Extremely populated and the center of various commercial, administrative and cultural establishments, this area of the Cuban capital is gaining an environmental identity that mixes tradition and future. The respectful restoration work is respectful of the original urban fabric and of other basic formal aspects of the ensemble. These features make Old Havana extraordinary core of the city, one of the most interesting historical centers in the Caribbean region.

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lahabana. com CASTILLO DE LOS TRES REYES DEL MORRO (NORTH-EASTERN SIDE OF THE HARBOR) Designed by Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli and built by slaves with rocks extracted from the moats in the last decades of the 16th century, the Morro Castle was to defend the town of San Cristobal de la Habana. However, due to economic problems and contradictions among Cuba’s governors and Antonelli, construction works took 30 years and were not completed until the 17th century. The floor is a polygon adapted to the elevated rock it was built on. It has two bastions, Tejada and Austria, and a semibastion on the elevation, facing the sea. Another interesting yet gruesome feature are the holes in the back walls through which prisoners were fed to the sharks. This fortress was the main defensive construction in the Havana harbor until La Cabaña was completed in 1774. It offers one of the finest views of the city, especially at sunset.

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CASTILLO DE LA REAL FUERZA (CUBA ENTRE O’REILLY Y OBISPO, OLD HAVANA) Considered an engineering marvel, this is one of the oldest European defensive structures in the Americas. Construction works for the Castillo de la Real Fuerza began on December 1, 1558 on the site of the old town square. It has a typical Renaissance ground plan manifestly influenced by those being built in Spain in the Medieval Ages. In 1632, a bell tower was erected and two years later it was crowned by La Giraldilla, by artist Jerónimo Martínez Pinzón, a weathervane in the form of a woman thought to be Doña Inés de Bobadilla, Governor of Cuba and wife of explorer Hernando de Soto.

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CASTILLO DE SAN SALVADOR DE LA PUNTA (AVENIDA DEL PUERTO Y PRADO, OLD HAVANA) Given its strategic location on one side of the harbor mouth, this fortress was one of the two most important defensive constructions in Havana’s defense system in colonial times. Construction works took place from 1590 to 1630, approximately. Along with Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro and Castillo de la Real Fuerza, it is one of the three fortresses that appear on the coat of arms of Havana. It was designed by Giovanni Battista Antonelli, who also designed the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro on the opposite side of the harbor mouth. Every night for centuries a 250-meter chain boom used to be raised between the two castles to keep out marauding shipping. The chain’s terminal on the Punta side, three massive upended cannons, can still be seen. The British invasion in 1762 seriously damaged the fort. Despite the damage, it was still used for defense in the 19th century. When Havana’s Historic Center and its fortifications were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, extensive restoration work was undertaken in La Punta, reopening as a museum in 2002. This effort raised the fortress of San Salvador de la Punta to its original height by clearing out its moat, unearthing relics spanning five centuries.

photo by Yadira Montero NOV 2016 40

lahabana. com MURALLA DE LA HABANA (EGIDO Y DESAMPARADOS, OLD HAVANA)

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photo by Yadira Montero

Building on the city walls began in January 1671 and was completed almost a century later. The part that opened on to land was finished in 1698, but the part that faced the bay had to wait 137 years to be compleed. The walls, which cost three million pesos, was 4,892 meters (3 miles), encircled Old Havana in an egg shape along the bay to the east. By 1863, the old town had become so overcrowded that the demolition of the walls was ordered to open up land on the bordering areas. Remains of the city walls are visible at several sites, one is what was known as Angel Bastion, right in front of the Museo de la Revolución, and the largest piece is located at Egido y Desamparados, where the Tenaza Gate is till visible.

TORREÓN DE SAN LÁZARO (MALECÓN Y JOVELLAR, CENTRO HABANA) Notable due to its cylindrical shape and small dimensions, this tower was part of the city’s defense system. It is located in the former cove of San Lázaro, a once frequent landing site for pirates. TORREÓN DE COJÍMAR (MALECÓN Y VICTORIA, COJÍMAR) Recently restored, El Torreón, or as locals call it Castillito (literally, small castle), built in 1649 with blocks from the San Lázaro Quarry (where José Martí was sentenced to forced labor), was part of the city’s defensive complex. This tower is best known for having neutralized the reportedly last pirate attack in history and to have prevented the English to land on the beaches of Cojímar. Local students have requested that El Torreón, which has already been given the status of National Monument, be transformed into a museum.

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FORTALEZA DE SAN CARLOS DE LA CABAÑA (NORTH-EASTERN SIDE OF THE HARBOR) Built after the capture of Havana by British forces and named San Carlos de la Cabaña in honor of King Carlos III, this 700-meter long fortress is the largest in the Americas. It was designed by army engineer Silvestre Abarca and features the most advanced military defensive concepts of the 18th century. It cost so much that King Charles III requested a spyglass to see it, claiming that such an expensive project—approximately 14 million gold pesos—could surely be seen from Madrid. Restoration works were made by the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Office of the City Historian to create the Complejo Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña. After its completion in 1992, different museums were opened within the complex, including a hall depicting the history of the fortress. Additionally, it hosts several cultural events, including the Visual Arts Biennial and Havana’s International Book Fair.

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COLÓN CEMETERY: A historical and architectural jewel of Havana by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

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The majestic triple-arched portal at the point where 12th Street meets Zapata Avenue signals the principal entrance to Havana’s Colón Cemetery. This Romanesque-inspired portico, 34 meters long by 21.66 meters high, is crowned by a monumental Carrara marble sculpture group representing the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity and was created by Cuban artist José Vilalta de Saavedra. The cemetery has been an important landmark in the city ever since its construction concluded in 1886 and today, besides its obvious function, it is a destination on tourist maps, rivaled only by Père La Chaise Cemetery in Paris. The necropolis’ first claim to fame is that it is the only one to have been named after Christopher Columbus. It was designed by Spanish architect Calixto Aureliano de Loira y Cardos who directed the construction which took about fifteen years to complete. Ironically Loira died at a young age and was buried in one of the recently opened underground galleries. The growing capital city was in need of larger burial grounds and after its inauguration expansion processes ending in 1934 brought it to its present dimensions.

photo by Yadira Montero

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photo by Yadira Montero

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Indeed, the Colón is no ordinary cemetery. Covering a rectangle of 57 hectares, with an octagonal neo-Romanesque chapel in the center, it is by no means a somber or austere place. As you walk through the grid of tree-lined avenues you are immediately struck by the sumptuous architecture, with its profusion of styles, and the artistic funerary sculpture all around you: it has been referred to as an enormous marble quarry because of the amount of marble deposited there. All possible artistic styles, with an emphasis on figurative art, create a veritable al fresco museum. If you have the time and the patience, you can read some of the inscriptions and begin to get a sense of the cultural and historical value of this location. It is like taking a walk through the pages of Cuban history. Not only do Cubans consider this to be the last resting place for their dear departed but it is also a site where they return often, flowers in hand, or merely to enjoy being in a place where they can meditate or have conversations with friends or lovers. All along Zapata Avenue, a decorative masonry wall both encloses the area and allows us to glance through the openings as we walk or drive past. The portico on the north is not the only entrance; in fact, there are gates at the south, east and west, not to mention a number of secret ones that contribute an additional air of adventure and mystery as we enter this realm of the spirits. No matter how you choose to enter, you will be surrounded by an impressive gallery of personages, each with some interesting story to tell about the past. Artists, politicians, heroes, the clergy…they are all together for eternity. It is the resting place of figures like the Generalin-Chief of the Cuban Army during the War of Independence against Spain Máximo Gómez Báez, chess champion José Raúl Capablanca, musician Amadeo Roldán, eminent scientist Dr. Carlos J. Finlay and writers José Lezama Lima, Cirilo Villaverde and Alejo Carpentier, just to name a few. Several mausoleums also commemorate specific patriotic or cultural groups, for instance, former residents of Galicia, Asturias and Catalonia; railroad workers; the expeditionary forces who had traveled in the Corynthia; the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Cuban Association of Film, Radio and Circus Artists; and Veterans of the Wars of Independence. And you will also be able to see at least two neo-Egyptian pyramids within the complex.

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In particular, some tombs and monuments have accumulated their share of picturesque and often surprising stories. For example, the so-called Domino Tomb holds the mortal remains of a woman who loved to play dominoes and died in the middle of one losing match, victim of a heart attack. Her fellow players collected money to pay her tribute and so today, over her tomb, there is a marble “double-three” commemorating that intense last game. Another sculptural masterpiece, one that is based on more tragic events, is the Firefighters’ Mausoleum, which was erected by the City in 1897 to pay homage to the brave men who perished because of the negligence and egoism of the owner of a hardware store who set fire to his business in order to collect the insurance. Unfortunately, the man had explosive material stored in the back and there were two explosions which reduced the building to rubble. Thirty-eight people, 25 of whom were firemen, perished in the fire. The monument shows four very large figures that symbolize Abnegation, Pain, Courage and Martyrdom. The central column is crowned by a sculpture that represented the Angel of Faith leading a fireman to immortality.

photo by Yadira Montero

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The Tomb of the Dog enshrines the story of a woman who was very attached to her dog. When the woman died, the dog would visit her every afternoon, lying at the foot of the tomb. One day the dog died there and the woman’s relatives had an image of the dog sculpted and placed just where he would lie in life. The engraved message says: Faithful even after death. On a final note, we pause before the monument to Amelia Goyri de la Hoz, a high society lady who has come to be known as “La Milagrosa” and has inspired a real cult. The woman had died of eclampsia but legend has it that she and her unborn child had been buried together. The story goes on to say that in 1901, the deceased were exhumed and the baby was found in the arms of its mother, and not at her feet as it had been originally placed in the coffin. The legend spread and the site has become a special place of pilgrimage for women unable to have children, who have difficult pregnancies or children who are ill. A visit to the Christopher Columbus Cemetery of Havana is far from being a sad or gruesome visit. It is well worth it to spend an hour or two learning more about a fascinating city and its people.

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The Art of IRONWORK By Victoria Alcalá

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By Victoria Alcalá

When people intrigued by architecture make their way through any city, they run the risk that the sheer number of certain buildings prevents them from noticing those details which often turn edifices into real works of art. The relationship of these details relate to the whole, their stylistic consistency or lack thereof with the style of the building tend to be determining factors in the final evaluation that a building will receive from connoisseurs. As we wander through Havana, pausing to look at columns, cornices, parapets, moldings, fanlights, knockers, corner stones, keyholes…, we get involved in a fascinating exercise that comes with an unexpected esthetic pleasure. Among such discovered treasures I have a special place in my heart for all those objects that were produced in the blacksmith’s forge. While it is true that we can find many marvelous examples of iron artwork in many parts of the city, I recommend that we start at the beginning, and in the beginning there was Old Havana, whose Historical Center is filled with grilles, guardavecinos (grillwork separating neighbors’ balconies), streetlamps or railings with motifs that originated in Spain, and Europe, generally. These motifs are repeated in infinite variations, with contributions of master blacksmiths, practically all over the Island. photo by Yadira Montero

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photo by Yadira Montero

The useful book called Herrería colonial del Centro Histórico de La Habana [Colonial Ironwork in Havana’s Historical Center] published by Ediciones Boloña in 2012 points to various factors in the ironwork boom of the 19th century: economic growth permitting the Cuban bourgeoisie to indulge in the European ideals of beauty of the time; the need to substitute the relatively limited wood with another more durable material; building regulations that supported the use of iron; and the European industrial development that made it possible to buy there prefabricated elements ready to be assembled on the Island. A cursory glance will reveal basic patterns such as geometric shapes, fretwork and volutes and the recurring S, C and cane shapes applied both to more or less “pure” styles, such as the Louis XV, XVI and Empire styles, and to arbitrary combinations the result of artisan imagination and skills. The home of the Cárdenas sisters in Plaza Vieja and the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales in Plaza de Armas, for example, are cited as faithful examples of the Empire style. In the former, a railing decorated with rhomboids creates a very neat and modern effect, while the balconies of the home of the Marquis de Arcos in Plaza de Armas, are an example of the highly elaborate Louis XV style, replete with volutes and fanpalm, S and C shapes. The arrival of Art Nouveau brought with it a fiesta of ironwork: voluptuous undulating lines, plant motifs, flowers fashioned from

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lahabana. com metal plate and curved “dove’s-breast” or “basket” balconies. For those preferring a compendium of the resources the style contributed to ironworking, visiting Cárdenas St., very near the train station, is an absolute must. The houses bearing numbers 70, 79, 101-103, 107, 154, 210-203 show beautiful examples of both traditional motifs and those more in line with Art Nouveau, combined tastefully and elegantly. A bit further, at 352 Reina St. between Lealtad and Escobar, Centro Habana, the emblematic Crusellas House also shows us grilles with exquisite undulating plant designs. Should you wish to see a deteriorated but almost perfect example of Art Nouveau, ironwork included, you must visit the Víbora district’s Dámaso Gutiérrez House, on Patrocinio between Heredia and Saco streets. If possible go on the weekend because this now is the site of offices of the Ministry of Education and it is difficult to enter during business hours. When I have gone at any other time, the guards have always let me walk around the house, peek inside and take photos.

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Art Deco also provided fertile ground for ironwork but it added a touch of sanity to the unbridled Art Nouveau inspiration, symmetry and a certain geometrical rigor. The Bacardí Building (Monserrate St. corner of San Juan de Dios, Old Havana) brings together a great number of Art Deco principles applied in grilles, doors, balustrades, lampposts, lamps and keyholes, maintaining superb stylistic consistency. We can also find, rather unexpectedly, charming details in Art Deco buildings, such as bars in the shape of ropes with knots at each end on the windows of the Navy building at 102 San Pedro St (Avenida del Puerto), right across the bay in Old Havana. As I mentioned earlier, you can discover impressive grillwork that reminds you of eclecticism or Art Nouveau in any Havana neighborhood. I have often been left speechless by some filigree iron on very simple homes in Santos Suárez, Centro Habana or Luyanó neighborhoods.

photo by Yadira Montero

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The expansion of the city, first towards El Cerro with its estate houses, and then towards El Vedado, where gardens were practically de rigueur in homes, brought an architectural element into private spaces that until then had been exclusive to public areas: variously decorated railing and gates which marked property boundaries and set up barriers to the street. They provide transparency, something that walls do not. If you walk along Prado or Monte St, it is like entering into the world of porticos and columns; but when you walk along 17th St. or Calzada Ave., you are inside the realm of Cuban railings in all their different varieties. Some Habaneros today have taken very seriously the definition of a railing as “a railed closure or fence to enclose, provide a barrier, defend or separate different spaces” and have “enclosed” the “un-enclosable.” They have invented all sorts of fences even at the cost of caging a clean product of Modernism with its simple forms, smooth walls and large windows by setting up a black iron fences crowned with gold spearheads. We can only hope that this fad will disappear in the near future.

photo by Yadira Montero

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DIALOGUE IN

CUBAN ART by Daniel G. Alfonso

Cuban art, from its beginnings, has been characterized by versatility. We are living in a cultural context in which the words different, novel and unique very well define our artists and their productions. The 1980s (or the renaissance of Cuban art) changed the visual landscape of the island. A decade later (the post-utopian generation) a group of art school graduates come to the fore. From their own particularities, each of these artist avail themselves of resources and conceptual strategies such as intertextuality, humor, parody, metaphor, irony, double entendre, ingenuity, etc. Nowadays, or if you will since 2000 to the present day, there is a new generation of artists who have made their presence felt and who we need to make way for. Their positions are sometimes radical. Their operating modes can become innovative to the point of becoming, from their personal praxis, a crop of artists with voices and actions of their own. New Cuban art production is under the astral influence—just like it has happened in the past— of the “aesthetic pluralism required by contemporaneity, a period in which everything exists: painting, object, drawing, installation...”, forms of expression that facilitate externalizing their new sensibility. They are also able to show that their aesthetic-conceptual paradigm has changed and they have fixed their eyes on the most iconic, commercial international artists in the history of art. They take and manipulate works by Damien Hirst, Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama or Takashi Murakami, among others. NOV 2016 53

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The history of universal art has always been present for them. This is why a group of artists from different generations—from the eighties to the most contemporary—have decided to get together under the curatorial concept of the influence that Japanese art has on their works. It is then that, Arigato, as a new, striking element for our context reflects on and analyzes the virtues and characteristics of Japanese thought. Therefore, the works establish a discourse that, according to the prestigious thinker Nakamura Hajime, advocates intuition and emotions, avoids complex ideas and expresses feelings in a simple and symbolic way. An element that needs also be mentioned is the synthesis that has marked Japanese ideology and that some of our artists have reflected in their pieces. Present in the art show were such artists as Eduardo Ponjuán and Lázaro Saavedra, both winners of the National Prize for Visual Arts 2013 and 2014, respectively. Also, creators like Eduardo Abela Torrás (continuator of the artistic work started by his great-grandfather Eduardo Abela) and Reynerio Tamayo use humor in their paintings. We are also fortunate to be able to enjoy works by Rocío García (one of Cuba’s best colorists), Normando Torres (an expert in silkscreen), Lancelot Alonso (strongly influenced by Fauvism), Roger Toledo (follower and renovator of landscape art), William Pérez (a creator who explores and exploits working with acrylic paint), Marlys Fuego (her aesthetics of eroticism is an element that characterizes her), Ariamna Flor Eléctrica, 2008 CARLOS QUINTANA

Contino (she has found a personal path in openwork), Adislén Reyes (self-reference in her work is her starting point), Osy Milian (who likes to research Japanese artists and then create his own style), Marco Arturo Herrera (discourses on topicality through his characters) Maikel Sotomayor (reading Japanese authors is a direct link to his pieces), Kmilo Morales (Zen is a key element in interpreting his canvases) and Carlos Quintana (a unique and unmistakable figure in our context). Our artists strike a dialogue among them and talk about their most intimate and urgent concerns. Arigato is simply an excuse to present their most recent work for the appraisal of the public who will also be able to view a culture that is alien and close to us at the same time. Lázaro Saavedra

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Run, Charlie, Run

By Mene and Ana Lorena

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It is dark outside, 5:30am. Wishful thinking that I could simply sleep in and let the Havana marathon wait another year. I have, after, all been signed in various times over the years and never quite made it. Unfortunately, I have a pick-up arranged and the phone wakes me from my slumber to let me know that the car is waiting outside—around the corner, to be precise. We pick up a couple more people (Elena, Rob). I only ever see them drinking so how serious can this be after all? The start of the race (is a marathon really a race for a middle-aged plodder?) is at the Capitolio. It is an impressive building that gives some legitimacy to the typical Cuban casualness outside. Numbers are pinned onto shirts. The more enthusiastic push forward to get in the front of the pack. I am in no rush: my training schedule fell off a cliff some months ago, replaced by an acceleration of drinking and late nights. Even my associates are now looking professional, limbering up, stretching, rubbing oils and potions, drinking energy drinks. I guess that a pre-race cigarette would not be de rigueur. We are into the countdown: 10, 9, 8… and the race begins. As I say to my kids, ‘Hup 2, 3, 4’. It is a gentle start down the wide Prado Avenue (hints of Barcelona’s Prado but only the faintest hint) down onto the Malecón. There is sufficient space now to accelerate past people. We rush past a family with two six-year-olds in tow, cruise past the man with one leg on crutches and then are locked into a bitter battle to get past some members of the female Cuban walking team. Onwards along the gorgeous ocean boulevard. There is a loud cheer for an Italian’s call of nature into the sea and another one for the same Cuban walking team—“Oye, linda, ¿qué vas a hacer más tarde?”—from the Cuban lads. Stepping up the pace now, the fading colonial facades rush by. Well, crawl by would be a better description. The first water break, cheap plastic bags of water and squash, the 5 km mark. So far, so good. Bystanders start asking for the squash bags. This must be the only marathon in the world where the runners give refreshments to the spectators. The sun is starting to come up; it is going to be a long morning. NOV 2016 56

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At the end of the Malecón, we go around the 1830 Restaurant and I see my running partner, Michaela, accelerate away into the blue yonder. We tack back into the city and up one of the few (and pretty moderate) climbs up 10th Street heading to the Charles Chaplin cinema. Around me are a motley collection of runners. It is difficult not to be depressed with my own running abilities when I am running alongside people who seem more like they are running for a bus than finely honed athletes. It is Cuba, so perhaps I should not be too surprised that running gear is a little basic. At the 10 km mark, a flush of satisfaction rushes through me as many people wrap up their participation with a 20-meter sprint. I am in for the long haul(ish). We are running down 26th Avenue. This is a much less attractive part of the city. Vedado into Nuevo Vedado past the seriously downbeat city zoo. Little old ladies shout out for agua/jugo. Bags go flying in their direction—I don’t look. I am still annoyed that the guy with holes in his shoes who keeps stopping, always manages to get back ahead of me. He looks like he might be a rubbish collector on a regular round. Down to the Ciudad Deportiva (a sports complex with a large indoor stadium which hosts volleyball, basketball, boxing events, etc.) situated alongside a busy roundabout. The traffic has not really been stopped as much as temporarily paused as we go by. It makes me feel guilty as the line of cars waits for us to struggle across. And around the associated sports fields of the sports complex. This now feels like the back of beyond. A distinct lack of glamour. I am cheered up though as I pass a friend who justifies his crawl by a requirement to keep his girlfriend company who is walking now. The 15 km mark goes by; I wonder how far it is that we really have to go. I am committed to a half marathon, which means there can’t be so much more left. I still haven’t collapsed and that must be a good sign although my shirt has come off much to the outrage of Cuban officials. We are coming up a slow climb NOV 2016 57

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to Plaza de la Revolución—that great barren expanse in the heart of the city that hosts the annual Labour Day parade into which a million people regularly pack. Not now, I am with a steady stream of runners, nothing more. And now it is the home stretch through the rundown commercial district of Central Havana. Past the downbeat Carlos III shopping mall and back towards the Capitolio, which is present in the distance. A somewhat surprising burst of speed now has me passing people left and right. The other runners appear a little bemused now by the charging, puffing elephant roaring up behind them into the final 2 kilometers. This is feeling better. Shirt back on to cross the finish line, down to the last 100 meters and ultimate triumph is mine as I thunder past Michaela, my original running partner. She is devastated. A forlorn scream of “No!” is left behind as the finish line approaches. I guess that I was her one-legged guy. After all, if the middle-aged fat bloke beats me, what is left?

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I look anxiously for my kids to cheer me onto the line. Nothing. Still, 2 hours and 12 minutes have passed and I have finished for the day. Funneled into a cold building, we are awarded gold medals and a little gift bag. Out into the bright sunshine to see the finish of the marathon proper. These guys are serious runners who have been around the course twice in only a few minutes more than it took me to go around once. And the tall lithe Cuban runner crosses the finish line easily with a bounce in his step. Other runners start round for their second lap—I do not envy them. Traffic has now resumed and a second lap looks like a lesson in masochism as the sun beats down. I have a few missed calls from my wife—I guess she was not so convinced I would finish and was waiting to rescue me on a breakdown call. I am out of here, straight to my physio to inspect the damage. Contact Information for the Havana Marathon Race Director: Carlos R. Gattorno Correa Address: Ciudad Deportiva Vía Blanca y Boyeros, Apartado 5130 La Habana, Cuba Phone: (53) 7641-0911 / (53) 76410953 Email: [email protected], gattorno. [email protected] Official Race Website: www.inder.cu/marabana

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THE NEW HABANERO: gutsy and self-confident by Ricardo Alberto Pérez

I have heard that people who have studied the subject are of the opinion that Havana is a provincial town when it comes to its spiritual life. In spite of this, many Habaneros have managed to write their personal histories with guts and self-confidence. The city is actually being ruled by a spiritual/material dichotomy where the spiritual part has European roots and the material aspect has been greatly influenced by our proximity to the United States. The twentieth century was famous for characters that became legendary due to their adventurous and enterprising spirit. We just need to mention Arturo Comas Pons, pioneer of aviation in Cuba and the famous María Calvo Nodarse. La Macorina, as she was popularly called, was the first Cuban woman to obtain a license to drive a motor vehicle in 1917. She created a veritable scandal in her day as she would drive down the Prado and along the Malecón in her conspicuous red convertible. She cut her hair into the fashionable flapper bob and could be seen at the wheel with her long scarf flying in the breeze and a cigar clenched in her teeth, the picture of feminism. By the 1950s, Havana awoke to the ambitious dream of pretending to be a city that was in the “center of the universe” even aspiring to provide competition for The Big Apple itself. photo by Mene and Ana Lorena NOV 2016 60

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From those days, Habaneros have inherited an army of almendrones, those relics of 1940s and 1950s US automobiles. They still work and they fill our streets as living proof of Cuban enterprising and creative talents. All you have to do is look under the hood to marvel at some of the transformations and hybrid solutions that local mechanics have invented to keep these machines eternally mobile. Something extraordinary has happened: even though Havana has been inundated by massive waves of people from all over the Island in the last forty years, the historical attitude of Habaneros has remained intact in the city. In fact, it has been transferred to those who are not Havanaborn. These days when we are experiencing some changes in our society, talk about the New Habanero is a very fitting and current topic of conversation. As new technologies creep in and the government has provided openings for private businesses, the inhabitants of the city have begun to reawaken a dynamic that had been practically dormant for several decades. This 21st-century version of the adventurous Habanero spirit of yore is accompanied by recovered self-esteem: people feel that they can move their projects forward without constant sponsorship by the government and its different institutions. Under these circumstances, the virtues of innovation allow them to deal with the fear of the unknown more optimistically. This is not to say that the changed mentality of this new generation of entrepreneurs will not keep them safe from committing mistakes. At any rate, this is an important learning process that will propel them into the future. This private enterprise initiative will undoubtedly play a much more important part in society and in the economy in the years to come. NOV 2016 61

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When we visit some of those brand new bars, cafés or restaurants in Havana, we discover a common trend: the desire to break with traditional concepts. It is visible in the design of the establishments and in their interior decoration, as well as in the presentation and preparation of their products. And Habaneros today are going crazy about something called “fusion.” It is all the rage in everything from music to cuisine. As you walk through Havana, it is easy to see evidence of this new wave of behavior and thinking in almost every block. For example, the La Marca Tattoo Studio, which has hitched its wagon to the world-wide trend of glorifying and popularizing the art of body decoration; the many excellent pastry shops that cropped up all over town; car washes, a very new enterprise in Cuba; or cell phone and computer clinics, just to mention a few. Obviously habits are being modified as new opportunities crop up.

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NOVEMBER 27: A yearly student march by Lucía Lamadrid

photos By Mene and Ana Lorena

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Whether you are going down Paseo del Prado or the Malecón Drive, you will see a monument that stands on a sort of island on the intersection of those two roads: a shrine to eight medical students who were executed by firing squad on November 27, 1871, after being falsely accused of desecrating the tomb of a Spanish journalist. Built in Greek style, the monument surrounds the wall where were they were executed— the impact of the bullets are still visible. Every November 27, medical students and youth in general gather here to pay homage to their memory. November 27 marks a dark event in Cuban history. Back in 1871, in colonial Cuba, six first-year medicine students were falsely accused of having desecrated the tomb of a Spanish journalist and subsequently were unjustly charged and convicted of a crime they never committed. On November 24, seeing that their Anatomy professor was late to class, the eight students decided to visit the nearby Espada Cemetery. There, they walked down its streets, picked a flower in front of the offices and rode on the wagon in which they took corpses to their anatomy class—innocent pranks of these boys whose ages ranged from 16 to 21. The vexed Spanish guard on duty that day decided to make a false denunciation saying that the boys had scratched the glass on the tomb of Spanish journalist Gonzalo Castañón. They and the rest of their class (although the latter were never even near the cemetery) were arrested and processed. Barely three days later, on November 27, at 1:00 pm, the Council signed the sentence which stated the names of the students who were to die, and around 4:00 pm, they entered the chapel, each holding a crucifix in their tied hands. They were taken to the esplanade at La Punta where the execution would take place. On their knees and with their backs to their executioners, the innocent students were executed in pairs by firing squad. To add insult to injury, the bodies were taken to a place outside the city walls and thrown in a common grave. Their families were not allowed to claim their dead and give them a Christian burial, and their death certificates were never recorded in any church. NOV 2016 64

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The other students of their class also received unjust punishments: 11 were sentenced to six years in prison, 20 to four years, and four to six months, plus their possessions were all subject to civil liability as determined by law. This fateful event, which took place three years after the beginning of the Ten Years War for independence, was actually an exemplary lesson by Spain in face of the strength the rebels had obtained during those years. The Spanish Crown wanted to make clear how far an agonizing system was prepared to go to retain its power. Both the crime as well as the subsequent proceedings only contributed to reinforce the spirit of independence among the Cuban people. This is why every year, medicine students and youth in general gather at the steps of the University of Havana and march down to the memorial that surrounds the wall where the eight medicine students were executed in 1871.

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HAVANA LISTINGS VISUAL ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY DANCE MUSIC THEATRE FOR KIDS EVENTS

HAVANA GUIDE FEATURES RESTAURANTS BARS & CLUBS LIVE MUSIC HOTELS PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION

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VISUAL ARTS

FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO

NOVEMBER- DECEMBER

Living Spaces Today is a collection of housing works and projects by German, Austrian and Swiss architects. Filigrana hoy, show of contemporary Portuguese jewelry. Expedición 8 + brings together artists with similar approaches to art: William Acosta, Michal Černušák, Viktor Frešo, Ašot Haas, Katarína Jančeková Walshe, Tomáš Klepoch, Antoine Mena, Osmeivy Ortega, Vladimír Ossif, Lisandra Ramírez, V.A.E, Ján Vasilko and Erik Vinder.

MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO

THROUGH JANUARY 16, 2017

Las cosas como son, solo show by Glexis Novoa, specially conceived for the institution, exhibits large-scale paintings recently made in Havana, and graphite drawings of wall fragments, presented under a novel sculptural perspective.

GALERÍA VILLENA

THROUGH NOVEMBER 14

CASA JUAN GUALBERTO GÓMEZ

OPENS NOVEMBER 14

La Piedra y la luz II includes twenty pen drawings by Conde Roberto Herrera, based on Havana’s architectural heritage.

CASA OSWALDO GUAYASAMÍN

THROUGH NOVEMBER 6

Paranoia de un tutorial, by painters Frank David Valdés Hernández, Dorian Daniel Agüero Anaya, Miguel Alejandro Machado Suárez and Leonardo Luis Roque, focuses on false appearances and the multiple interpretation of things.

FACTORÍA HABANA

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER

El silencio de Duchamp includes performance art, installations, video art and sculptures by important Cuban artists, such as Iván and Yoan Capote, Ariamna Contino, Humberto Díaz and Sandra Ramos, who focus on silence in history.

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Sabor metálico, by artists Susana P. Delahante Matienzo, Adonis Flores, Diana Fonseca, Antonio Gómez Margolles, Lorena Gutiérrez, Yamir Izquierdo, Roldán Lauzán, Kadir López, Marianela Orozco, Gustavo Pérez Monzón, Ernesto Quintana, Daniel Rodríguez Collazo, The-Merger and José A. Vincench, consists of sculptures, paintings, photographs, videos, installations and objects, which from the “metallic” question the behavior of society and its vices.

GALERÍA LOS OFICIOS

THROUGH NOVEMBER 13

Musas y majas des-Nussa, works by Zaida del Río, Nélida López, Flora Fong, Isavel Gimeno and Leonel López-Nussa.

CASA 26

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER

Frecuencia y tiempo, by Yonlay Cabrera, is based essentially on the use of continuous phenomena whose state vary at time intervals.

photos by Alex Mene Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Edificio de Arte Cubano

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CENTRO DE ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO WIFREDO LAM

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CENTRO DE DESARROLLO DE LAS ARTES VISUALES

THROUGH NOVEMBER 10

Historia irracional de un conjunto de medida nula, analyzes from the perspective of art the value and influence of massive data analysis through the works of Cristina Garrido (Spain), Lev Manovich, Nadav Hochman, Jay Chow (US), Yucef Merhi (Venezuela/US), and Pavel Méndez, Yusnier Mentado, Rodolfo Peraza, Milton Raggi and Héctor Remedios (Cuba)

CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA

THROUGH NOVEMBER 28

La vivencia oblicua, retrospective show by Nelson Villalobos of sculptures and paintings made from the 1980s to the present. Villalobos aspire to “discover the mysteries and reflexes of the occult, the plurality of the senses” because for him “painting is to make poetry. I see no differences between painting and poetry.”

CENTRO PROVINCIAL DE ARTES PLÁSTICAS Y DISEÑO DE LA HABANA

THROUGH NOVEMBER 11

Símbolos y creencias del Artista, printed drawings and silk screen prints by artist Ricardo Silveira Miró

FUNDACIÓN ANTONIO NÚÑEZ JIMÉNEZ DE LA NATURALEZA Y EL HOMBRE

THROUGH NOVEMBER 23

InterCambio climático will allow the public to enjoy thoughtful humor by cartoonist Arístides Esteban Hernández Guerrero (Ares).

GALERÍA ABELARDO ESTORINO

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER

Felinos con solfa, show by Diana Balboa and Ela RabascoBio, proposes an unexpected combination of cats and music.

GALERÍA ARDEA

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER

Vivir en puntas, an exhibition of canvases and decorated dance slippers by Félix Rodríguez, teacher and character dancer of the National Ballet of Cuba.

GALERÍA EL REINO DE ESTE MUNDO

THROUGH NOVEMBER 23

Inercia, works by Yunior Acosta, Alina Águila, Arianna Arronte, Abel Barreto, Orestes Hernández, Dennis Izquierdo, Jorge y Larry, Yornel Martínez and Lisandra Ramírez.

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MUSEO DE LA REVOLUCIÓN

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GALERÍA HABANA

THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER

50 Veces, solo show by Carlos Quintana, who drawing from expressionism, art informel and surrealism, ironically, and sometimes irreverently, explores the surrounding reality, his dreams, fears and obsessions.

GALERÍA ORÍGENES

THROUGH DECEMBER 18

Levitación, solo show by Moisés Finalé, one of the outstanding figures of the generation of the Cuban 1980s, which brings colossal fabrics, acrylics, sequins, metals, and an explosion of red, yellow, black and white.

GALERÍA VÍCTOR MANUEL

THROUGH NOVEMBER 15

Espirales, dedicated to a less known aspect in the work of sculptor José Villa Soberón, is made up of metallic pieces, true works of metalsmithing that do not renounce to their sculptural nature, and which, animated by the concept of geometric abstraction, display expertise and beauty, characteristics that are intrinsic to this artist’s entire oeuvre.

GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO (SALÓN DEL TERCER PISO)

THROUGH DECEMBER 31

Fuerza y sangre. Imaginarios de la bandera en el arte cubano exhibits 160 pieces on various mediums and different trends, esthetics and manifestations (painting, sculpture, installation, printmaking, drawing, photography…), by 124 Cuban artists who have repeatedly or occasionally used the Cuban flag in their work. Artists like Raúl Martínez, Nelson Domínguez, Roberto Fabelo, Manuel Mendive, René Francisco, Raúl Corrales and Osvaldo Salas are joined by the younger representatives of the national artistic vanguard in this singular tribute to our flag.

MUSEO DE LA REVOLUCIÓN

THROUGH NOVEMBER 6

Pas de ballet. The art of Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso and the universality of the technique of ballet has been the pretext for the painter Miguel Ángel Quintana to make a series of paintings on the topic on occasion of the 25th International Ballet Festival of Havana.

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FOTOTECA DE CUBA THROUGH NOVEMBER 7

Punciones, by Khadis de la Rosa, takes a critical look at the formative experience received in a household made up of military men and women, and how such formation influenced his personality and his way of perceiving reality.

SALA DE LA DIVERSIDAD DE LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL PATRIMONIO, COMUNIDAD Y MEDIO AMBIENTE THROUGH NOVEMBER 14

Siete miradas, by Arianna Domínguez, documents significant musical instances and performances at the Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana since it opened eight years ago.

THROUGH NOVEMBER 25

Intersecciones, by Joan Alvado, goes through realities and human stories from Turkey and Catalonia, linked together by common bonds.

GALERÍA L THROUGH NOVEMBER 10

Entre giros y luces displays pictures related to ballet taken by María Zaima Alfonso Kijek, Anabel Álvarez Rey, Ángel Yuset Gazquez Toirac, Frank Gil Igarza Machado, Lourdes Guerra Mesa and Dariel Monroy.

TEATRO NACIONAL DE CUBA THROUGH En el olimpo de lo cubano, by Nancy Reyes, includes NOVEMBER 9

works inspired by the Yoruba pantheon and her work as photographer with the National Ballet of Cuba.

photos by Huberto Valera Jr.

PHOTO GRAPHY

Tras bambalinas, by Leysis Quesada Vera, is a documentary series about the ballet Les Sylphides. Habana sensual shows the spectacular work of Gabriel Dávalos with Cuban dancers in the streets of Havana.

TEATRO KARL MARX THROUGH NOVEMBER 13

Habana-New York-Havana exhibits photos taken in Cuba and the US by Colombian-American photographer Eduardo Patino, who specializes in the world of dance and show business. OCT 2016 70

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DANCE KOKORO DANCE

NOVEMBER 5, 7PM SALA LAS CAROLINAS

THE CANADIAN KOKORO DANCE COMPANY, LED BY BARBARA BOURGET AND JAY HIRABAYASHI, WILL PERFORM A ONE-ACT PIECE WHICH ADDRESSES DICHOTOMIES LIKE LIFE/DEATH, DEPARTURE/LOSS AND LOVE/RESURRECTION. THE COMPANY HAS ORGANIZED A WORKSHOP FOR PROFESSIONALS ON BUTOH, A JAPANESE DANCE TECHNIQUE THAT THEY APPLY IN THEIR CHOREOGRAPHIES.

DE LA RAÍZ A LOS BAILES POPULARES DE CUBA NOVEMBER 11 Y 12, 8:30PM; NOVEMBER 12, 5PM SALA COVARRUBIAS. TEATRO NACIONAL

SHOW BY THE COMPAÑÍA DE DANZAS TRADICIONALES JJ.

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lahabana. com The contemporary fusion and electronic music scene has expanded recently as new bars and clubs have opened party promoters have organized events in parks and public spaces. Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht (Wednesdays: Interactivo, El Sauce (check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la Melancolía) and Fábrica de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu smaller performances inside. In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the always popular Don Cangrejo featuring good live music with artists of the likes of Kelvis Ochoa, David Torrens, Interactivo, Diana Fuentes, Descemer Bueno, David Blanco, just to name a few, Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and El Palio and Melem bar— both featuring different singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues. BALNEARIO UNIVERSITARIO EL CORAL

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS / 1PM-1AM Electronic music with rapping, DJing, Vjing, Dj-producers, breakdancing and graffiti writing, among other urban art expressions. CAFÉ CONCERT EL SAUCE

EN GUAYABERA

SUNDAYS / 5PM Discotemba BARBARM PEPITO’S BAR

SATURDAYS / 6PM Milada Milet

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MUSIC CONTEMPORARY FUSION

HAVANA HARD ROCK

EVERY OTHER FRIDAY / 6PM Soul Train, a show of soul music SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS / 6PM Rock cover bands

SUNDAYS / 5PM La Máquina de la Melancolía, with Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto García CASA DE LA AMISTAD

SUNDAYS / 9PM Rock ’n’ Roll with Vieja Escuela. DIABLO TUN TUN

SATURDAYS / 11PM Gens BAR RESTAURANTE FABIO

SATURDAYS / 10:30PM Tesis de Menta CAFÉ CANTANTE. TEATRO NACIONAL

WEDNESDAYS / 5PM Qva Libre OCT 2016 72

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CASA DE LA MÚSICA DE MIRAMAR

CASA DE LA MÚSICA HABANA

ALL DAYS Popular dance music 5 PM, 11 PM

ALL DAYS 5 PM, 11 PM

Popular dance music

MONDAYS 11 PM

Sur Caribe

TUESDAYS 5 PM

Casino

FRIDAYS 11 PM

NG La Banda

WEDNESDAYS 11 PM

NG La Banda

SATURDAYS Lazarito Valdés y 5 PM

Bamboleo

CABARET PICO BLANCO. HOTEL SAINT JOHN’S

WEDNESDAYS / 10PM Popular dance music (Vacilón) CAFÉ CANTANTE. TEATRO NACIONAL

MONDAYS / 11PM Popular dance music THURSDAYS / 5PM Popular dance music CASA DE 18

FRIDAYS / 8:30PM Iván y Fiebre Latina SATURDAYS / 8PM Ahí Namá

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SALSA TIMBA TERCERA Y 8

WEDNESDAYS / 11PM Alain Daniel DIABLO TUNTÚN

THURSDAYS / 11PM Popular dance music (NG La Banda) SATURDAYS / 9PM Popular dance music (Manana Club) JARDINES DEL 1830

FRIDAYS / 10PM Azúcar Negra SUNDAYS / 10PM Grupo Moncada OCT 2016 73

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MUSIC

Jazz Café

Café Jazz Miramar

Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz musicians, but the open-plan design also provides for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat. Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.

SHOWS: 11 PM - 2AM

UNEAC NOVEMBER 16 La Esquina del Jazz, hosted by 5 PM

showman Bobby Carcassés

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This new jazz club has quickly established itself as one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside. While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in any case expect a high level of improvisation when it is good it is very good. A full house is something of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel like holding up your own silence please sign! Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.

CAFÉ MIRAMAR MONDAYS 4 PM

Lunes de la Juventud

WEDNESDAYS 10 PM

Reinier Mariño

SATURDAYS 10:30 PM

César López (saxophonist) and Havana Ensemble FÁBRICA DE ARTE CUBANO

CASA DEL ALBA CULTURAL NOVEMBER 12 Ruy López-Nussa y La 8 PM

Academia

JAZZ

ASOCIACIÓN CUBANA DE DERECHOS DE AUTOR MUSICAL NOVEMBER 16 Alexis Bosch (pianist) and 6PM

Proyecto Jazz Cubano

NOVEMBER 10 Oscar Peñas (guitarist) 10PM

TEATRO MARTÍ NOVEMBER 13 Spanish guitarist and composer 6PM

Oscar Peñas Finnish jazz pianist Frank Carlberg, will play the suite Almadraba with accompaniment of Solistas de La Habana Orchestra. OCT 2016 74

MUSIC BOLERO,

FOLKLORE, SON AND TROVA

CASA DE 18

WEDNESDAYS / 8PM

Héctor Téllez

THURSDAYS / 8PM

José Valladares

FRIDAYS / 8PM

Leidis Díaz

SUN / 4PM

Georgeana

CAFÉ CANTANTE, TEATRO NACIONAL

MONDAYS / 5PM

CABARET EL TURQUINO. HOTEL HABANA LIBRE

FRIDAYS / 11PM

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EL JELENGUE DE AREÍTO

TUESDAYS / 5PM Conjunto Chappottín WEDNESDAYS / 5PM

Trova

THURSDAYS / 5PM

Conjunto Arsenio Rodríguez

FRIDAYS / 5PM

Rumberos de Cuba

SUNDAYS / 5PM

Rumba

GATO TUERTO

FRIDAYS / 5PM

La Hora Infiel, with music, visual arts, literature and more.

FRIDAYS / 9PM

Osdalgia

CENTRO CULTURAL FRESA Y CHOCOLATE

Mónica Mesa

THURSDAYS / 4PM

Trova with Frank Martínez

SUNDAYS / 6PM

Singer Leidis Díaz

HOTEL TELÉGRAFO

FRIDAYS / 9:30PMPM Ivette Cepeda

CLUB AMANECER

ASOCIACIÓN YORUBA DE CUBA

FRIDAYS / 5PM

FRIDAYS / 8:30PM

Conjunto de Arsenio Rodríguez

Obbiní Batá (folkloric group)

BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL JOSÉ MARTÍ

FRIDAYS / 4PM Trova

Proyecto Lírico DELIRIO HABANERO CASA MEMORIAL SALVADOR ALLENDE

NOVEMBER 25 / 6PM Ángel Quintero and guests CASONA DE LÍNEA

SUNDAYS / 8PM Trova DOS GARDENIAS

WEDNESDAYS / 10PM

FRIDAYS / 10PM

CABARET EL TURQUINO. HOTEL HABANA LIBRE PABELLÓN CUBA

Son en Klab

DIABLO TUN TUN

FRIDAYS / 11PM Mónica Mesa

THURSDAYS / 5PM

TUESDAYS / 4PM

Trova with Fidel Díaz and Ihosvani Bernal

FRIDAYS / 4PM

Tres Tazas with trovador Silvio Alejandro

Trova with Ray Fernández HURÓN AZUL, UNEAC

SATURDAYS / 9PM Bolero Night

LE SELECT

FRIDAYS / Grupo Moncada 9:30PM

CASA DE ÁFRICA

NOVEMBER 5 / 4PM Grupo Síntesis

Haila María Mompié OCT 2016 75

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CLASSICAL MUSIC BASÍLICA MENOR DE SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS NOVEMBER 5 6PM

Concert by the Vocal Leo choir with the Solistas de La Habana Orchestra.

NOVEMBER 12-19 , 6PM

Concerts, 29th Contemporary Music Festival of Havana.

NOVEMBER 21, 6PM

Vivaldi ed altre Follie. Visioni fuggitive fra classica e jazz, with the performance of Maurizio D’Alessandro (violin) and Caporale (piano) along with the Camerata Romeu.

CASA DEL ALBA NOVEMBER 6 5PM

En Confluencia, dedicated to guitar.

NOVEMBER 13 5PM

Young Composers.

NOVEMBER 20 5PM

De Nuestra América.

NOVEMBER 207 5PM

Seis por Derecho, with guitarist Bárbara Milián and guests

MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS. ARTES EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO NOVEMBER 24 7PM

Concert by guitarist and composer Alejandro Valdés, with guest musicians Vicente Feliú, César López, Iván Valiente and Frank Fernández.

SALA COVARRUBIAS. TEATRO NACIONAL SUNDAYS Concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra. 11AM

IGLESIA DE PAULA NOVEMBER 24 7PM

The Ventus Habana Quintet will play sonatas da chiesa for organ and wind quintet. Guest musicians include Wind Quintet of the National Symphony Orchestra, soloist Karen Hernández and David Pérez and Gabriela Mulen musicians from the Ars Longa Early Music Ensemble.

NOVEMBER 25 7PM

Gabriela Mulen and guest musicians will play fantasias, sonatas and dances in different instrumental formats in honor of Saint Cecilia, patroness of musicians.

NOVEMBER 26 7PM

Concert dedicated to the evolution and development of the European organ repertoire of the 16th-18th centuries, by organist David Pérez.

SALA GONZALO ROIG. PALACIO DEL TEATRO LÍRICO JULY 31 5PM

Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.

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THEATRE

Tu risa me suena

El diccionario

TEATRO KARL MARX

ESPACIO IRREVERENTE

Espacios Ibsen. Jornadas de teatro cubano-noruego

GRUPO ETCÉTERA, JORGE DÍAZ, EL BACÁN AND MENTEPOLLO NOVEMBER 11-13 & 18-29, FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, 9PM; SUNDAYS, 5PM

PRODUCTION: EVA GONZÁLEZ NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS, 7PM

BERTOLT BRECHT (SALA TITO JUNCO), ATENEO DE LA HABANA

Comedy show by these very popular comedians.

El maletín azul CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA GRUPO TÉ-ATRO / PUESTA EN ESCENA DE ELIO FIDEL LÓPEZ NOVEMBER 10, 17 & 24, 6PM

Monologue by Liset Borges Vázquez, on the frustrations, dreams and uncertainties of a woman who defends her right to love at all costs.

The piece by Spanish playwright Manuel Calzada addresses the vital conflicts of the philologist and lexicographer María Moliner, author of the Diccionario de uso del español, who at the age of 70, discovered the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and begins the definition of the concept of freedom, according to what it has meant in the different dilemmas of her life.

Ivona, Priincess of Burgundia SALA TEATRO TRIANÓN TEATRO EL PÚBLICO / PRODUCTION: CARLOS DÍAZ FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, 8:30PM; SUNDAYS, 5PM

Play by Polish dramatist Witold Gombrowicz, which, according to Carlos Díaz, director of El Público, “No adaptation is needed because it deals with Man, with the world today, although it was written many, many years ago. It also speaks of how we are and the mistakes that are made on a daily basis with injustices, which is what happens to Ivona, leading her almost to extermination.”

NOVEMBER 1-6 RAQUEL REVUELTA THATER, CASONA DE LÍNEA, CENTRO CULTURAL

Espacios Ibsen is a joint cultural project between the Cuban Council of the Performing Arts and the Norwegian Embassy in Cuba, which aims to promote the artistic exchange between the two countries. This has become a platform for young and experimental theater, whose guests this year include Ingun Bjørnsgaard, Francesco Scavetta, William Ruiz Morales, Pedro Enrique Villarreal, Fabián Suárez, Rogelio Orizondo, José Ramón Hernández, Freddys Núñez Estenoz, among others, who will take part in practices, performances and other activities.

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FOR KIDS Bastián y Bastiana TEATRO DE TÍTERES EL ARCA OPENS OCTOBER 21, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 3PM

Adaptation for shadow puppets based on the singspiel composed by Mozart when he was only 12 years old.

Clowns MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES SUNDAYS, 11AM

Clowns, music and other attractions.

20 años havaneando CARPA TROMPOLOCO SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, 4 PM & 7PM

Performance by the stars of the Compañía Havana with some of the greatest acts in Cuban circus.

Dormir en el desierto CENTRO HISPANO AMERICANO DE CULTURA NOVEMBER 5, 11AM

The Estudio Teatral Alba Project presents this play by Margarita Milián in which the supposed son of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is hiding in his home Jewish children fleeing from the holocaust, and he decides to stage a theatrical adaptation of The Little Prince. But a young spy, “The Fox”, comes into their lives, first as a menace and then as hope. photos by Huberto Valera Jr.

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EVENTS IN HAVANA

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XXV Festival Internacional de Ballet de La Habana GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA, TEATRO NACIONAL, TEATRO MELLA THROUGH NOVEMBER 6 Presided over since 1960 by the legendary Alicia Alonso, the International Havana Ballet Festival brings together outstanding international ballet stars, companies and celebrities of the ballet world, as well as critics and entrepreneurs alongside the Cuban National Ballet. More than 200 world premieres to its name and over a thousand guests attest to the significance of the Havana Ballet Festivals in the world of dance. Guest performers include Aurelie Du­pont and Hervé Moreau (Paris Opera), Ashley Bouder and Joaquín de Luz (New York City Ballet), Brooklyn Mack (Wa­shington Ba­ llet), Mary Carmen Catoya (Arts Ballet Theater of Florida), Melissa Fer­nández, Ma­rio Espinoza, Liván Verdecia (Ballet His­pánico from New York), Semyon Chudin (Bolshoi Ballet), Lucía Solari (Northern Ballet), María Ri­cetto and Gustavo Carvalho (Ballet Nacional de Uru­guay SODRE), Mi­chaela De Prince (Dutch National Ballet), Dugaraa Altan­khuyag (Mongol National Ballet), Hwang Hye Min, Lee Don­gtak, Kang Mi Sun and Konstantin No­voselov (Universal Ballet, South Korea), Da­niel Proietto (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet), Laura Valentín (Ba­lle­teatro Na­cional de Puerto Rico), Moisés Martín (Ballet Nacional de España). OCT 2016 79

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EVENTS IN HAVANA NOVEMBER 1

NOVEMBER 3

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA AVELLANEDA

8:30PM

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA COVARRUBIAS

5PM

Swan lake: Viengsay Valdés, Moisés Martín and BNC soloists and corps de ballet La llama de París: Michaela de Prince and Francois Llorente. La muerte de un cisne /Javier Torres. Raymonda, pas de deux: Sadaise Arencibia. Solera: Irene Rodríguez. Pas de deux: Ginett Moncho and Dugaraa Altan­khuyag. Black Milk: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO

TEATRO MELLA

GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO

8:30PM

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA COVARRUBIAS

5PM

Giselle: Anette Delgado, Dani Hernández, Ginett Moncho and BNC soloists and corps de ballet

Piazzolla en concierto: Laura Valentín y Patricio Revé. Souls in Mirror Are Closer than They Appear: Ana Lucía Prado. Cumbres Borrascosas: Lucía Solari and Javier Torres. Romeo y Julieta: Grettel Morejón and Javier Quenedit. Secreto (Zapateado): Compañía de Irene Rodríguez. Muñecos: Chanel Cabrera and Francois Llorente. Black Milk: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

NOVEMBER 5 8:30PM

Les Sylphides: Grettel Morejón, Javier Quenedit, Claudia García and Aymara Vasallo. Tchaikovsky pas de deux: María Kochetkova and Joaquín de Luz. Black Milk: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Paquita Grand pas classique: Viengsay Valdés, Patricio Revé and BNC corps de ballet 5PM

Suite generis: Mary Carmen Catoya, Javier Rojas y Enrique Corrales. Dueto: Ginett Moncho and Ariel Martínez. Réplica: Daniel Proietto. Little Monsters: Lucía Solari and Javier Torres. Línea recta: Melissa Fernández, Mario Espinoza and Lyvan Verdecia. Lo que no fue: Laura Valentín. Le Corsaire pas de deux: Ginett Moncho y Dugaraa Altan­khuyag. El último gaitero de La Habana: Compañía Irene Rodríguez

NOVEMBER 2

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GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA AVELLANEDA

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA COVARRUBIAS

TEATRO MELLA

8:30PM

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA COVARRUBIAS

5PM

Don Quixote: Anette Delgado, Dani Hernández, Rafael Quenedit, Ginett Moncho, and BNC soloists and corps de ballet Sueños en fado, Rapsodia, Orillera and Adios Nonino: Federico Fleitas and Mariela Morasut. A fuego lento and Bastones dorados: Compañía Buenos Aires Ballet

Línea recta: Melissa Fernández, Mario Espinoza and Lyvan Verdecia. Cigne: Daniela Gómez. Presto: Ballet West. Diana and Actaeon: Viengsay Valdés and Osiel Gounod. Dido abandonada /Sadaise Arencibia, Dani Hernández and Ariel Martínez 8:30PM

Don Quijote: María Kochetkova, Joel Carreño, Javier Torres, BNC soloists and corps de ballet 5PM

Sueños en fado, Rapsodia, Orillera y Adiós Nonino: Federico Fleitas and Mariela Morasut. A fuego lento and Bastones dorados: Compañía Buenos Aires Ballet 5PM

Suite generis: Mary Carmen Catoya, Javier Rojas and Enrique Corrales. Chim Shung: Hwang Hye Min and Lee Don­gtak. Pas de deux classique: Grettel Morejón and Rafael Quenedit. Piazzolla en concierto: Laura Valentín and Patricio Revé. Pas de deux: María Riceto and Gustavo Carvalho. Solera: Compañía Irene Rodríguez. Don Quixote (pas de deux): Kang Mi Sun and Konstantin Novoselov

NOVEMBER 4 TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA AVELLANEDA

8:30PM

NOVEMBER 6 GRAN TEATRO DE LA HABANA ALICIA ALONSO

TEATRO NACIONAL. SALA AVELLANEDA

8:30PM

Ballet West, Buenos Aires Ballet, Universal Ballet, pas de deux by Cuban and guest dancers 8:30PM

Don Quixote: Viengsay Valdés, Osiel Gounod, Ariel Martínez, Cynthia González, and BNC soloists and corps de ballet OCT 2016 80

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EVENTS IN HAVANA NOVEMBER 11-13

NOVEMBER 8 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO

10AM-1PM

Academic event and exhibition Trajes estáticos 10AM

“Expressions, trends and sensibilities of fashion in the web” by Julia Poteat, teacher at Parsons New School for Design, New York 10:30AM

Arte y Moda 2016. Colección Remixed NOVEMBER 8-13 MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO In each edition, the popular Art and Fashion event reveals the creative possibilities of fashion designers and art as a source of inspiration for their designs.

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Exhibition Trajes estáticos by Juan Carlos Morales, designer of the Parrandas of Remedios, Villa Clara, Cuba 11AM

Movida Massala. Moda emergente”, presented by French photographer and reporter Sarah Caron

MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO

8:30PM

Arte y Moda 2016 fashion show. Remixed Collection

NOVEMBER 12 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO

5PM

Fashion show of designs by international guest designers

NOVEMBER 13 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO

5PM

Children’s fashion show by designer Catherine Dorticós

DECEMBER 8-12 MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES. EDIFICIO DE ARTE CUBANO

Training for young models from the Tempus Project Tampa, Professor Juan Carlos Marrero

11:40AM “Obra en proceso, del arte al diseño

del traje”, by Chicago artist Lucy Slivinsky

Semana de Autor NOVEMBER 15-18 CASA DE LAS AMÉRICAS, HAVANA Continuing a tradition that began more than 40 years ago, Casa de las Américas organizes this annual meeting focusing on a prominent figure of Latin American letters, like Ricardo Piglia from Argentina, Ernesto Cardenal from Nicaragua, Rubem Fonseca from Brazil, Pedro Lemebel from Chile, Leonardo Padura from Cuba and Juan Villoro from Mexico, just to name a few. Book launchings, readings and discussions with the authors foster an enriching contact with their readers. This year the meeting is dedicated to Mexican author Paco Ignacio Taibo, who in addition to his well-known detective novels that have won the Hammett Prize on three occasions, has published Ernesto Guevara, también conocido como el Che (1996), Pancho Villa: una biografía narrativa (2006), El Álamo: una historia no apta para Hollywood (2011), among other books. OCT 2016 81

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Noviembre fotográfico THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN OLD HAVANA Since 2008, the Fototeca de Cuba, along with the National Visual Arts Council, has organized “Noviembre Fotográfico,” an entire month devoted to Cuban photography. The event aims to combine the efforts of all art institutions and galleries in the capital to promote Cuban photography and photographers. The exhibitions this year celebrate the anniversary of the city (November 16) and the Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales has announced three interesting shows, just to mention a few: La suspensión del deseo will exhibit contemporary pictures and videos by Cuban artists and other residents in the US, who use the body to structure physical and imaginary spaces. So Last Season is a collection of photographs taken by David Stork from 1990 to 1995, which evidently aiming to give transcendence to the everyday, is a personal testimony of the times. La insuficiencia en la escala y el iris, with photos by the most famous Cuban photographers of the 1990s, shows what life was in the Island during those difficult years.

XXIX Festival Internacional de Música Contemporánea de La Habana 2016 NOVEMBER 12-20 CONCERT HALLS IN HAVANA Founded in 1984 and presided by the composer and conductor Guido López Gavilán, the Havana Contemporary Music Festival has been honored with the participation of important musicians, including Luigi Nono, Krystof Penderecki, Hans Werner Henze, Luis de Pablo, Marlos Nobre, Alfredo del Mónaco and Xavier Montsalvatge, just to name a few. This a good opportunity to get up-todate with the latest trends in contemporary concert music. Although this year, the organizers have kept very quiet about the performing artists, we know that there will be a concert dedicated to Magaly Ruiz on November 17, 6pm, at Basílica de San Francisco de Asís, on the composer’s 50th anniversary of her artistic life, and Guido López-Gavilán will conduct for the first time his chamber music opera Caturla, la muerte y la vida on November 16, 4pm, at Sala Che Guevara, Casa de las Américas.

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Impulsos. XI Encuentro de Jóvenes Coreógrafos NOVEMBER 25-27 SALA LAS CAROLINAS, LA HABANA VIEJA A meeting that promotes the exchange of experiences and development space for the new generation of choreographers.

XI Encuentro Mundial de Bailadores y Academias de Baile de Casino y Salsa Baila en Cuba NOVEMBER 20-26 ESCUELA NACIONAL DE DANZA, CENTRO CULTURAL EL SAUCE, AND SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL, HAVANA This World Meeting of Casino and Salsa Dancers and Dance Academies will focus this year on the mambo, dance genre which revolutionized dance in the 1940s and 50s, and which continues to be an important part of the rhythmic base of Cuban popular music bands. The event also offers the chance to get acquainted with Cuban salsa and other rhythms through classes taught by teachers from the University of the Arts, through advanced, intermediate-advanced, intermediate and beginners casino workshops, and optional workshops focusing on danzón, mambo, cha-chacha, congas and comparsas, rumba, Afro-Cuban movements, French-Haitian dances, and Santeria and Abakuá dances. There will also be a program for teachers of academies . NOVEMBER 20 SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

NOVEMBER 23

Manolito Simonet y su Trabuco. Guests: Dimensión Latina and Jimmy León

NOVEMBER 21 SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

NOVEMBER 25

Maykel Blanco, Juan Guillermo, El Noro a Primera Clase, and Aissar y el Expreso de Cuba

NOVEMBER 24

Adalberto Álvarez y su Son

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

Elito Revé y su Charangón. Guests: Paulo FG, Haila Mompié and Mayito Rivera

NOVEMBER 26

Van Van and Havana D’Primera

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

(Baila en Cuba Plus Varadero): Anacaona. Guest: Tania Pantoja

NOVEMBER 22 SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL

Pupy y los que Son Son. Guests: NG La Banda and others NOV 2016 83

EVENTS AROUND CUBA

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III Festival Latinoamericano La Patria Grande NOVEMBER 18-26 HAVANA, PINAR DEL RÍO, VILLA CLARA AND SANCTI SPÍRITUS This rock festival fosters the meeting of Latin American rock musicians and fans in concerts in which heavy metal, contemporary fusion and alternative rock will play the leading role. Some international guest bands include Eruca Sativa (Argentina), Ana Tijoux (Chile), Aterciopelados (Colombia), Todos tus Muertos (Argentina) Endemia (Costa Rica) and Diafragma Panama. Rock bands from Cuba include, Tendencia, Sweet Lizzy Project, La Reyna y la Real, Stoner and Adictox. The opening concert will be held at the Tribuna Antiimperialista on November 19, 7pm and the closing concert will be held on November 25 at the Salón Rosado de La Tropical.

XXI Festival Beny Moré NOVEMBER 24-27 CIENFUEGOS AND SANTA ISABEL DE LAS LAJAS Founded in 1980, orchestras and soloists from Cuba and other countries get together to sing and dance in homage to Beny Moré, a legend of Cuban music, admired not only for his talent as singer, composer and bandleader, but also for his warmth, unpretentiousness and a touch of eccentricity. The festival includes a tour to Beny’s hometown, Santa Isabel de las Lajas. A colloquium on musicological studies will accompany live performances by Cuban popular music bands, as well as street theater and dance.

XIX Festival Cuba-Danzón Matanzas 2016 NOVEMBER 17-20 CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE CITY OF MATANZAS Cuban, Mexican and Venezuelan dance couples will participate in this year’s danzón festival. Each couple will show their skills in executing the Cuban national dance. As usual, Cuba-Danzón includes dance competitions, concerts, tours around heritage sites, dance lessons and lectures. The prizegiving ceremony will take place at Libertad Park where a dance will be held for the public at large.

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HAVANA’S

best places to eat Los Mercaderes EL ATELIER

BELLA CIAO

CAFÉ BOHEMIA

CAFÉ LAURENT

EXPERIMENTAL FUSION

HOMELY ITALIAN

CAFÉ

SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN

Interesting décor, interesting menu.

Great service, good prices. A real home from home.

Bohemian feel. Great sandwiches, salads & juices

Attractive penthouse restaurant with breezy terrace.

Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado (+53) 7-836-2025

Calle 19 y 72, Playa (+53) 7-206-1406

Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana Vieja

Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2090

CASA MIGLIS SWEDISH-CUBAN FUSION

Oasis of good food & taste in Centro Habana Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana (+53) 7-864-1486

MEDITERRÁNEO HAVANA INTERNATIONAL Interesting and diverse menu. Beautiful terrace. Calle 13 #406, e/ E y F, Vedado. (+53) 7-832 4894 http://www/medhavana.com

INTERNATIONAL

Beautiful colonial house.Polpular place whit great food and good service.

Beautiful modern decor. Interesting menu and good service.

Calle Mercaderes No. 207 altos e/ Lamparilla y Amargura. H.Vieja (+53) 7861 2437

Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa. (+53) 7-203-8315

CORTE PRÍNCIPE

RÍO MAR

D.EUTIMIA

INTERNACIONAL

ITALIAN

INTERNATIONAL

CUBAN/CREOLE

Industrial chic alfresco rooftop with a buzzing atmosphere

Sergio’s place. Simple décor, spectacular food.

Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado. (+53) 7-832-2355

Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar (+53) 5-255-9091

IVÁN CHEF

EL LITORAL

SANTY

INTERNACIONAL

SPANISH

INTERNATIONAL

SUSHI/ORIENTAL

Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra, Miramar (+53) 7-202-8337

OTRA MANERA

EL COCINERO

LA FONTANA Consistently good food, attentive service. Old school.

LOS MERCADERES

CUBAN-CREOLE

Brilliantly creative and rich food.

Watch the world go by at the Malecón’s best restaurant.

Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-863-9697

Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado (+53) 7-830-2201

Contemporary décor. Great seaview. Good food. Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla, Miramar (+53) 7-209-4838

NAZDAROVIE SOVIET

Authentic fisherman’s shack servicing world-class sushi.

Well designed Soviet décor excellent food & service.

Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C, Jaimanitas (+53) 5-286-7039

Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947

Absolutely charming. Excellent Cuban/creole food. Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja (+53) 7 861 1332

SAN CRISTÓBAL CUBAN/CREOLE

Deservedly popular.Consistently great food. Kitsch décor. San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-9109

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El Litoral

TOP PICK

magazine

Style of food: International Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)

Best for Quality décor, good service and great food. Best new place recently opened. Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset watching the world go by on the Malecón Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado. (+53) 7-830-2201

Style of food: Soviet Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private (Paladar)

TOP PICK

Nazdarovie

Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes in a classy locale. Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon. Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro Habana (+53) 7-860-2947

TOP PICK TOP PICK

Otra Manera

Style of food: International Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private (Paladar)

Best for Beautiful modern décor and good food. Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet & sour sauce and grilled pineapple Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa (+53) 7-203-8315 NOV 2016 86

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La Guarida

TOP PICK

magazine

Style of food: Contemporary fusion Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)

Best for Authentic, charming and intimate atmosphere in Cuba’s best known restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy. Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining next to you. Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro Habana. (+53) 7-866-9047

Style of food: Traditional Cost: Moderate Type of place: Private (Paladar)

TOP PICK

Café Bohemia

Best for taking a break from long walks and seeking shelter from the stifling Cuban.. Don’t miss location in the cool inner courtyard of the colonial building. Ground floor of the Palacio de la Casa del Conde de Lombillo, Calle San Ignacio #364 (+53) 5- 403-1 568, (+53) 7-836-6567 www. havanabohemia.com

TOP PICK

Iván Chef Justo

Style of food: Spanish Cost: Expensive Type of place: Private (Paladar)

Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light and airy place where it always seems to feel like Springtime. Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahi-mahi served with organic tomato relish. Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro leches. Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540 NOV 2016 87

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Los Mercaderes Style of food Cuban creole Cost Moderate Type of place Private (Paladar)

Best for Beautiful colonial house.Polpular place whit great food and good service.

Don’t miss Wonderfull balcony view to the clasic street.

Calle Mercaderes No. 207 altos e/ Lamparilla y Amargura. Habana Vieja (+53) 7861 2437 y (+53) 5290 1531

Casa Miglis

TOP PICK

Style of food Swedish-Cuban fusion Cost Expensive Type of place Private (Paladar)

Best for The beautifully designed interior, warm ambience and Miglis’s personality create the feeling of an oasis in Central Havana. Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis. The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and lingonberries. Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana www.casamiglis.com (+53) 7-864-1486

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HAVANA’S best Bars & Clubs

Corner Café TRADITIONAL BARS EL FLORIDITA Hemingway’s daiquiri bar. Touristy but always full of life. Great cocktails. Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1299

1950S TRADITIONALS Guest performers include BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERS Sociedad Rosalía de Castro, Egido 504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Old Havana (+53) 5-270-5271

SLOPPY JOE’S BAR Recently (beautifully) renovated. Full of history. Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’. Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-7157

CERVECERÍA ANTIGUO ALMACÉN DE LA MADERA Y EL TABACO

Microbrewery located overlooking the restored docks Simply brilliant. Avenida del Puerto y San Ignacio, La Habana Vieja

CONTEMPORARY BARS EL COCINERO

ESPACIOS

TABARISH

FAC

Fabulous rooftop setting, great service, cool vibe.

Laid back contemporary bar with a real buzz in the back beergarden.

A comfortable place to chat / hang out with your friends. Great service.

X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts, funky young scene.

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado

Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar

Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.

Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

(+53) 7-832-2355

(+53) 7-836-3031

(+53) 7-202-9188

(+53) 5-329-6325 www.facebook.com/fabrica.deartecubano

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CONTEMPORARY BARS/CLUBS

Sangri-La

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS

Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on the Havana Farundula in the most popular bar/ club.

BOLABANA

DON CANGREJO Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea. Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837

Packed night after night with a young dressed-up clientele wanting to party. Don’t go looking for Buena Vista Social Club! Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa (+53) 5 -294-3572

CORNER CAFÉ

SANGRI-LA For the cool kids. Basement bar/club which gets packed at weekends.

Great live music every day. very frequently by locals. Good tapas. Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7837 1220

Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343

Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 5-264-8343

GAY-FRIENDLY CABARET LAS VEGAS Can get dark and smoky but great drag show (11pm) from Divino—one of Cuba’s most accomplished drag acts. Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar (+53) 7-264-8343

FASHION BAR HAVANA

CAFÉ BAR MADRIGAL

A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.

Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and the staff’s supercilious attitude, this is a gathering spot for all types of folks.

San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676

Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado (+53) 7-831-2433

Corner Café

TOP PICK

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS

Best for Frequently by locals. Great tapas. Don’t Miss Live music every day. Calle B e/ 1ra y 3ra. Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 5-264-8343

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Espacios

TOP PICK

magazine

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in the garden area which often has live music. Good turnover of people. Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek Mazano playing live sets in the garden. Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar (+53) 7-202-2921

CONTEMPORARY

TOP PICK

Bolabana

Best for Trendy new location near Salón Rosado de la Tropica. Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana Farándula. Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa

TOP PICK

Sloppy Joe´s Bar

BAR / TRADITIONAL Best for Immense original bar lovingly restored. Good service, History. Worst for Not quite grimy. Too clean. Ánimas, esq. Zulueta La Habana Vieja, (07) 866-7157 NOV 2016 91

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Fábrica de Arte

TOP PICK

magazine

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural center has something for everyone Don’t Miss Artists who exhibit work should demonstrate ongoing creativity and a commitment for social transformation. Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

GAY FRIENDLY Best for A superb example of queer class meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic floor show.

TOP PICK

Fashion Bar Havana

Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1676

TOP PICK

Bertolt Brecht

CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS

Best for Hanging out with hip & funky Cubans who like their live music. Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a Wednesday evening. Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354 NOV 2016 92

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HAVANA’S

best live music venues

CONCERT VENUES KARL MARX THEATRE World class musicians perform prestigious concerts in Cuba’s best equipped venue. Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar (+53) 7-203-0801

BASÍLICA SAN FRANCISCO DE ASÍS A truly beautiful church, which regularly hosts fabulous classical music concerts. Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Habana Vieja

FÁBRICA DE ARTE X Alfonso’s new cultural center. Great concerts inside (small and funky) and outside (large and popular!). Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next to the Puente de Hierro)

SALA COVARRUBIAS TEATRO NACIONAL

Recently renovated, one of Cuba’s most prestigious venues for a multitude of events. Paseo y 39, Plaza de la Revolución.

SALSA/TIMBA CAFÉ CANTANTE MI HABANA Attracts the best Cuban musicians. Recently renovated with an excellent new sound system. Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la Revolución (+53) 7-878-4273

CASA DE LA MÚSICA

CASA DE LA MÚSICA

CENTRO HABANA

MIRAMAR

A little rough around the edges but spacious. For better or worse, this is ground zero for the best in Cuban salsa.

Smaller and more up-market than its newer twin in Centro Habana. An institution in the Havana salsa scene.

Galiano e/ Neptuno y Concordia, C. Habana (+53) 7-860-8296/4165

Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar (+53) 7-204-0447

SALÓN ROSADO DE LA TROPICAL The legendary beer garden where Arsenio tore it up. Look for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat night and a Sun matinee. Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa (+53) 7-203-5322

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CONTEMPORARY CAFÉ TATRO BERTOLT BRECHT

DON CANGREJO

EL SAUCE

Think MTV Unplugged when musicians play. Hip, funky and unique with an artsy Cuban crowd.

Love it/hate it—this is the oldest Friday night party place and is still going strong. Outdoor by the sea.

Great outdoor concert venue to hear the best in contemporary & Nueva Trova live in concert.

Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado (+53) 7-830-1354

Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3837

Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130, Playa (+53) 7-204-6428

TEATRO DE BELLAS ARTES Small intimate venue inside Cuba’s most prestigious arts museum. Modern. Trocadero e/ Zulueta y Monserrate, Habana Vieja.

TROVA & TRADITIONAL BARBARAM PEPITO´S BAR Some of the best Cuban Nueva Trova musicians perform in this small and intimate environment. Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado (+53) 7-881-1808

GATO TUERTO Late night place to hear fabulous bolero singers. Can get smoky. Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2224

TRADICIONALES DE LOS 50 The 1950s traditionals, a project created over 10 years ago, pays tribute to the Golden Era of Cuban music: the 1950s. Sociedad Rosalia de Castro, Egido #504 e/ Monte y Dragones, Havana Vieja (+53) 7-861-7761

SALÓN 1930

COMPAY SEGUNDO

Buena Vista Social Club style set in the grand Hotel Nacional. Hotel Nacional Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835-3896

JAZZ CAFÉ JAZZ MIRAMAR Clean, modern and atmospheric. Where Cuba’s best musicians jam and improvise. Cine Teatro Miramar 10:30pm – 2am Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar

JAZZ CAFÉ A staple of Havana’s jazz scene, the best jazz players perform here. Somewhat cold atmospherewise. Galerías de Paseo Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado

LA ZORRA Y EL CUERVO Intimate and atmospheric, which you enter through a red telephone box, is Cuba’s most famous. Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado (+53) 7-833-2402

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HAVANA’S

magazine

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Best Hotels

SIMPLY THE BEST… IBEROSTAR PARQUE CENTRAL

Luxury hotel overlooking Parque Central Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-6627

SANTA ISABEL

Luxurious historic mansion facing Plaza de Armas Narciso López, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201

SARATOGA

TERRAL

Stunning view from roof-top pool. Beautiful décor.

Wonderful ocean front location. Newly renovated.

Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a Dragones, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8201

Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro Habana (+53) 7-862-8061

BOUTIQUE HOTELS IN OLD HAVANA FLORIDA

Beautifully restored colonial house. Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-862-4127

PALACIO DEL MARQUÉS...

Cuban baroque meets modern minimalist Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura, Habana Vieja

HOSTAL VALENCIA

Immensely charming, great value. Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-867-1037

CONDE DE VILLANUEVA

Delightfully small and intimate. For cigar lovers. Mercaderes #202, Lamparilla (+53) 7-862-9293

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lahabana. com BUSINESS HOTELS MELIÁ COHÍBA

MELIÁ HABANA

Oasis of polished marble and professional calm.

Attractive design & extensive facilities.

Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado (+53) 7- 833-3636

Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar (+53) 5-204-8500

OCCIDENTAL MIRAMAR

magazine

H10 HABANA PANORAMA

Good value, large spacious modern rooms.

Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi. Modern.

Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar (+53) 7-204-3583

Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar (+53) 7 204-0100

FOR A SENSE OF HISTORY AMBOS MUNDOS

MERCURE SEVILLA

HOTEL NACIONAL

RIVIERA

A must for Hemingway aficionados

Stunning views from the roof garden restaurant.

Eclectic art-deco architecture. Gorgeous gardens.

Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón

Calle Obispo #153 esq. a Mercaderes, Habana Vieja (+53) 7- 860-9529

Trocadero #55 entre Prado y Zulueta, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-860-8560

Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado (+53) 7-835 3896

Paseo y Malecón, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4051

ECONOMICAL/BUDGET HOTELS BOSQUE

DEAUVILLE

SAINT JOHN’S

VEDADO

On the banks of the Río Almendares.

Lack of pretension, great location.

Lively disco, tiny quirky pool. Popular.

Good budget option with a bit of a buzz

Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B, Reparto Kohly, Playa (+53) 7-204-9232

Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y Malecón, Centro Habana (+53) 7-866-8812

Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-833-3740

Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado (+53) 7-836-4072

HAVANA’S Best Hotels

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HAVANA’S

best private places to stay La Reserva Vedado

MID RANGE - CASA PARTICULAR (B&B) 1932 MIRAMAR 301 LUXURY HOUSE Visually stunning, historically fascinating. Welcoming. 4 bedrooms private luxury villa Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro y Laguna, with swimming pool Centro Habana (+53) 7-863-6203

HABANA Beautiful colonial townhouse with great location.

JULIO Y ELSA Cluttered bohemian feel. Hospitable.

Calle Habana #209, e/ Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana Vieja. (+53) 7-861-0253

Consulado #162 e/ Colón y Trocadero, Centro Habana ( +53) 7-861-8027

UP-SCALE B&BS (BOUTIQUE HOSTALS) SUEÑO CUBANO

Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service. Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Inquisidor. Habana Vieja 53 78660109 39 339 1817730

LA RESERVA VEDADO

5 luxurious rooms in a renovated colonial mansion . The tropical garden in the courtyard, ideal to eat, drink and relax. Calle 2 entre 21 y 23 numero 508. Vedado, La Habana [email protected] (53) 7 8335244 http://lareservavedado.com/

VITRALES

Hospitable, attractive and reliable boutique B&B with 9 bedrooms. Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y Chacón, Habana Vieja (+53) 7-866-2607

CASA ESCORIAL

Attractive accomodations with a panoramic view of Plaza Vieja Mercaderes # 315 apt 3 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-268 6881; 5-278 6148

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APARTMENT RENTALS BOHEMIA BOUTIQUE APARTMENTS

Gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment beautifully decorated apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja (+53) 5- 403-1 568 (+53) 7-836-6567 www.havanabohemia.com

CASA CONCORDIA

Beautifully designed and spacious 3 bedroom apartment. Spanish colonial interiors with cheerful, arty accents. Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a San Nicolás, Centro Habana (+53) 5-254-5240 www.casaconcordia.net

TROPICANA PENTHOUSE

A luxurious penthouse with huge roof terrace and breath-taking 360 degree views of Havana and the ocean. Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10 e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero

SUITE HAVANA

Elegant 2-bedroom apartment in restored colonial building. Quality loft style décor. Lamparilla #62 altos e/ Mercaderes y San Ignacio, Habana Vieja (+53) 5-829-6524

(+53) 5-254-5240 www.tropicanapenthouse.com

LUXURY HOUSES VILLASOL

CASABLANCA

Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild garden and great pool.

Elegant well-equipped villa formerly owned by Fulgencio Batista. Beautiful wild garden.

Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado

Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29

(+34) 677525361 (+53) 7-832-1927 (+53) 5-360-0456

(+53) 5-294-5397 www.havanacasablanca.com

MICHAEL AND MARÍA ELENA

This leafy oasis in western Havana has an attractive mosaic tiled pool and three modern bedrooms. Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final, Playa (+53) 7-209-0084

RESIDENCIA MARIBY

A sprawling vanilla-hued mansion with 6 rooms decorated with colonial-era lamps, tiles and Louis XV furniture Vedado. (+53) 5-370-5559

Bohemia Boutique Apartments Red

TOP PICK

Best for 3 small balconies (facing the Patio of the Palace), 1 spacious bedroom with air conditioning Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567

www.havanabohemia.com

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Bohemia Boutique Apartments Blue

TOP PICK

Best for i1 internal balcony, 1 spacious bedroom on the mezzanine with air conditioning. Don’t Miss The apartment is fully furbished, plenty of light and very well ventilated. San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja [email protected] (+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567

Sueño Cubano

TOP PICK

Best for Old palace carefully restored, seven rooms, suites with bathrooms and featuring 24 hour service. Don’t Miss Relax at any of the four terraces, feel the mellow touch of antique and original Cuban furniture. Calle Santa Clara número 66 entre Oficios e Inquisidor. Habana Vieja 53 78660109 / 39 339 1817730 WWW.SUENOCUBANO.COM

TOP PICK

La Reserva Vedado Best for 5 luxurious rooms in a renovated colonial mansion recently Vedado. Don’t Miss The tropical garden in the courtyard, ideal to eat, drink and relax Calle 2 entre 21 y 23 numero 508. Vedado, La Habana [email protected] (53) 7 8335244 http://lareservavedado.com/ NOV 2016 100

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THANK YOU Wishes to thank all of the following entities for their support and involvement with La Habana.com

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