What motivates a guy, born in Maryland of mixed German, Irish, Russian, Norwegian (no Latin)-descent to write a passionate tour on the Cuban heritage of Miami?  I can accurately pinpoint the kernel of this idea to a specific source in a specific year.  In July of 1973, National Geographic published an article entitled “Cuba’s Exiles Bring New Life to Miami” about how the Cuban migration was changing the face of Miami.  It was probably a back-issue of National Geographic because the timing would have meant that I was only 9 years old when it was published and I don’t want to encourage the idea that I was any kind of child prodigy.  My mother would take us to a used book store in downtown Fort Myers, Florida and I would pour through old editions of National Geographic and pick out the ones that interested me.  This article didn’t interest me, it fascinated me.  ( I still have this issue of National Geographic today and for any of you writers or journalists reading this, please note what a tremendous impact the written word can have on an individual or on the world at large).   Anyway, back to our story.

What fascinated me was the continued influence of the idea of the United States of America as a refuge; a nation built of immigrants and how profoundly those immigrants can change a specific geographic part of our country.  This is a story that echoes back to our pilgrim forefathers.  It is a refrain from the verses of Emma Lazarus etched into the Statue of Liberty.  It will compel someone to seek the safety of America tomorrow.

Cuba is a chapter in the immigration saga of America.  There was a certain tangible romance about pre-Castro Cuba.  Cubans had a recognizable style, a certain confident élan somewhat akin to that of the Parisians or Argentines.  Then, their world came crashing down on them.  The tragedy of tyranny and the imposition of an orthodox communist ideology destroyed the dreams of millions of Cubans.  When they sought emergency shelter, it was close-by and vaguely familiar.  It was Miami.

The history of Florida and Cuba is like that of two siblings separated in childhood.  Before the Europeans ever arrived in the new world, the Indians of Cuba and the Indians of Florida traded with each other using outrigger canoes to cross the Straits of Florida.  Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was briefly married to the sister of King Carlos of the Calusa Nation in West Florida (see the previous story on our Mound Key Expedition).  From Havana, the Spanish empire explored and settled La Florida.  It was Pedro Menéndez de Avilés who planted a colony in St. Augustine (discovered by Juan Ponce de León).  For 306 years, through several temporary flag changes, Spain held onto her Florida colony.  In one of those temporary transfers, when Spain turned Florida over to England (for a period of 20 years), Spain took all the remaining native Indians of Southern Florida back to Cuba to live.  So, in an irony which is unique to the love of history and sociology, if Florida were to ever see a blood trace of its vanished native peoples, that could potentially only occur in the form of a Cuban rafter or refugee seeking Florida’s shoreline.  This would truly be an example of history coming full circle.

In more modern history, the Cuban patriot José Martí raised funds and lived for long periods of time in Florida trying to fight for Cuba’s independence from Spain.  Vicente Martinez Ybor founded Tampa’s cigar industry.  Various Cuban presidents lived on Miami Beach during times of exile after being deposed in political coups in Cuba.  And finally, in the 1940’s and 1950’s, Americans traveled extensively to Cuba for fun, for honeymoons, for gambling and for business.

Why this long historical ramble?  Because I am trying to stress that Cubans are “family” to Florida.  They have always been a part of our state and of us.  To our credit, with some hiccups and resentments, we have treated them like family, flinging open the door and placing a welcome mat to them in a time of need. They have returned this generosity many times over.  Through the Cuban migration, Miami has evolved into an international gateway city with bustling opportunities and cultural innovation.  We are the “new” New York; capital of the Americas; one of the world’s most celebrated playgrounds.  The sense of flair and color that the Cubans brought here, their raw entrepreneurial energy, has transformed our city.  Their foods, expressions, humor and warmth have given us a new distinctive Miami culture.  How it happened and where it happened is the story told and traveled on our Cuban Heritage Tour.

Our second most popular tour, the Cuban Heritage Tour has been a stunning success.  The tour is specifically about the Cuban migration into Miami; New Year’s Eve 1958, Operation Peter Pan, the Freedom Flights, the Mariel Boatlift, the Balseros, Elián González, Wet Foot-Dry Foot.  It is about Cuban places in Miami; Palacio de los Jugos, Casa de las Guayaberas, Maxoly, Cuba Tobacco Trading, Exquisito, Calle Ocho, Domino Park, the Boulevard of Monuments and a dramatic, unidentified last stop.  The tour informs, it surprises, it corrects misperceptions, it has frequently enough provoked emotion and best of all; it is great fun.  To me it is an “American story,” played out in our lifetime, infused for better or worse in our popular culture (Ricky Ricardo, Gloria Estefan, Meyer Lansky, Celia Cruz, and Scarface); the Cubans are now us.  If you have not experienced our tour already, I invite you to journey into this passionate narrative and discover it for yourself.

We will have a hot thimble of Café Cubano ready for you!