Figure 1.--Baseball is very popular in Cuba as it is in several other Caribbean countries. These boys are well kitted out because the governmrnt support youth leage has provided uniforms and gloves. The team has not, however, provided baseball shoes. Cuba is one of the few countries in Latin Americ where sneakers are not widely worn by young people. These children have shoes for school, but probably do not wear them for baseball because they are not suitable and would damage them. This photo was taken in Remedios in January 2007. Notice the empty street. You would not think it was a city street e;lsewhere in Latin America.

We have developed a basic history of Cuba. We do not have much informstion on boys' clothing until the 20th century. We note many Cuban boys in the late 19th century wearing the kind of white shirt and pants common throughout the Spanish speaking Caribbean and Mexico. More afflient boys in the cities wore Spanish styled clothing. After independence, the United states was more of a fashion influence, we even see boys wearing knickers. Baseball was another American influence. Under Spain, Cuba was an economic and social backwater. After independence, Cuba made a great deal of economic progress, fueled in part through American investment and trade. Cuba developed one of the most prosperous middle classes in Latin America. Percapita income was very high by Latin American standards--something Cuban authorities do not like to mention. While high, income was unevely distributed. Rural agricultural labor, often of African discent, did not participate in Cuba's prosperity. As a result of the prosperity, we note images of quite well dressed Cuban children especially in the cities. This changed after Castro seized power (1959). The Revolution reduced the disparities in Cuban society, essentially by majing everyone poor. Percapita incomes today are among the lowest in Latin America. The poverty in Cuba since the Revolution has significantly affected fashion and clothing as a result of the very limited buying power of the average Cuban. Clothing is rationed. Cuba is the only contry in Latin America which rations clothing and food. While few Cubans can aford to dress fashionably, it is notable that you do not see Cuban children dressed in rags. Few Cuban parents can afford to dress themselves or their children well. The Government intoduced uniforms for Cuban schoolwear. The Government makes sure that every Cuban child receives school uniform items, including shoes. Sports are very popular in Cuba, especially baseball.

Geography

The Caribbean islands are the Greater and Lesser Antilles which ring the Caribbean Sea. Most of the islands ring the Caribbean rather than occur within it. The islands, most of which are volcanic are the result of plate tectomics. The Caribbean plate occupies a position in between two mayor plates, the North and South American plates. These two plates are dominated by continental masses and have controlled part of the evolution of the Caribbean plate and the Caribbean islands. Cuba is the largest country by land area in the Caribbean Greaer Antilles. It is aubstantial island een by, and the main island is the sixteenth largest island in the world. Several small island and islets surround Cub as well as the ibstantial island now named the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth) and one of the larger Caribean islands. The terraine of Cuba is relatively flat. This lent itself to the island's important sugar fields. The land scape flows gradually into hills, including a fewlimestone formations. The most mounaneous areas are locaed along the coast. The Sierra de los Organosare located in the far northwest. Here the the landscape is hilly with a few low mountains. The Sierra Maestra are located in the southweat. It is Cuba's most important mountain areaand whereFidel Castro launched hi guerrila war (1956). The nountains rise sharply from the coast. Pico Turquino at 6,650 ft (1,999 m), is the island's highest point. Other moutaneous areas are the Sierra Cristal (southeast), the Escambray Mountains (central) and the Sierra del Rosario in the northwest. Cuba has little inland water areas despite its substabtial size. The most important are the Laguna de Leche and the man-made Zaza Reservoir. Cuba has nearly rivers, but they are all small, largely due the island' narrow structure. There are also as many narrow streams. most of which run dry in summer. The country's longest river is the Cautoflowing out of the Sierra Maestra.

History

Cuba's written history began with Columbus' discovery of the island on his first voyage (1492). The Native Americans the Spanish encountered on the island were enslaved and largely exterminated. Africans were imported as slaves to replace them as a work force. Cuba spent most of its national life as a Spanish colony. An extended struggle for independence in the 19th century finally resulted in the defeat of the Spanish when the United States intervened as part of the Spanish-American War (1898). Cuba after independence was a country influenced, but not controlled by the Unites States. It was a country because of the four centuries of Spanish rule and slavery, a country with a elite and middleclass of European ancestry and a poor rural work mafe up of recently freed slaves of African ancestry. The Platt Amendment, a constututional control, was repealed by the Roosevelt Administration (1934). Subsequent Cuban history has been politicized by Castro and the Communists, just as it is in every totalitarian country. Basically totalitarians fear truth. The Cuban Communists claim that the Cuban Governments before the Revolution, especially the dictatorial Batista regime was corupt and that there were terrible social inquities which attracted organized crime and tourism. This is essentially correct, especially the criticm of Barista. What they do not mention was that Cuba was also prosperous with a growing economy and a middleclass committed to democracy. Castro's Revolution committed Cuba to a Soviet-style planned economy and dictatorial totalitarianism with like the Soviet Union, the trappings of egaltarianism and social justice, including racial equality. The problem for Cuba is the danger of having a leader able to make decisions without limitations. If the leader is wrong he can do terrible damage. And Castro was terribly wrong. Rather than totalitarian Socialim, the future lay with democracy and free markets. Socialism while it has had a role in humanizing capitalist states has proven a basically inefficent economic sysyem. The result is that Castro's Socialist Revolutuin has turned Cuba from one of the most prosperous Latin American countries to one of the poorest. As a result, the reforms such as free health care have proven indffective because Cuba is to poor to fund health care. Castro has ended the inquities in Cuban basically by making everyone poor. Castro has remained popular in left-wing circles in large part because of confrontation with the United States. Interestingly he accomplished this in part by making Cuba a part of the Soviet bloc. The collapse of the Soviet Union was a shocking experience for Castro. He allowed minimal free market reforms, including tourism which Castro once described as national prostitution. The basic economic problems remain. Cuban Communists have found a new economic sponsor--President Hugo Chavez in oil rich Venezuela. The economic failure of Communist Cuba continues to require a foreign sponsor. Ironic because it is foreign involvement that is Castro's primary justification for the Revolution.

Economy

Cuba was one of the first Spanish colonies in the New World. Interest in the Spanish Main declined after the Spanish encountered wealthy Native American empires on the maiinlnd. Cortrz's campaign to conquer the Aztec Empire began on Cuba. Efforts to develop agriculture flondered when Native American populations who the settlers hoped to enslave colapsed. The Cuban economy instead developed on livestock. Meat hides, and produce could be sold to o\pssing ships. And rearing livestock had the advntage that little labor was needed. Cuba did not participare in a major way in the Caribbean Sugar Boom (18th century). Tiny islands generated great wealth. Neigboring Santo Domingo (westrn Haiti) became the most valuable colonial possession in the world. Difficulties with the Dutch and Portuguese were a factor in Spain's failure to devlop a Cuban sugar industry and an economy based primaily on slave labor. A focus on gold and silver may have been another factor. This situation changed dramatically with the French Revolution (1789) and the Faitain Slave Revolt (1791). Cuba after the Napoleonic Wars quickly developed a massive, highly profitable sugar industry based on slave labor. Cuba was the last Caribbean island to develop a slave economy. Cuba becamw one of the world's primary sugar producers and the economy was based on sugar. Cuba entered the sugar industry just as the Royal Navy had launched a campaign to end the Atlantic Slave Trade. Cuba would be the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery. The sugar planters had to adjust to operating with out slaves. And then the industry was devestated bt rgeSecond War for Independence (1895-99) obly enbded by the Spanish-American War (1898-99) and American invasion. The sugar industry recovered after the Warm but required ubstantial Ameican investment making the United a major factor in the Cubn econom. Cuba resumed massive exports. Fiedel Castro when he seized power saw sugar as a curse and demphasized the industry. He also pursued policies that gutted the rest of the economy. Business owners and moddle-class technicians fled. Nationalized industry instead of generating profits needed to be subsidized by the Government. Only Soviet assistance prevented a complete collapse of the Cuban economy. Much of the assistance was low-cost loans, loans that Cuba never repaid. Castro eventually realized that Cuba needed to earn foreign currency and it had natural advantages in the production of sugar. He rekluctantly switched policies, seeking to regenerate an industry he once hoped to significantly redice in size. And he even go the Soviets to subsidize the industry. With the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991), Cuban needed to generate export earnings even more. Denied Soviet subsidies such as low-price oil abnd subsidy payments, the sugar industry was unable to generate the needed export earings.

Chronology

We do not have much information on Cuban boys' clothing until the 20th century. We note references to Cuban boys not wearing any clothing, especially boys from low-income families. This was not uncommon in the Caribbean. It may have been especially true of Cuba because slavery was not ablolished until the late-19th century (1870s). A reader writes, "Not only slave children, but also lower class free children went often unclothed. In 1850 the new bishop of Santiago, the Spanish Antonio Claret, was disturned by this. He refused to give communion to a naked child. That meens that some of poorer children were attending church naked. Middle-class an urban childrem wore clothing. We know very little fashion trends in the 19th century. We note many Cuban boys in the late-19th century wearing the kind of white shirt and pants common throughout the Spanish speaking Caribbean and Mexico. More affluent boys in the cities wore Spanish-styled clothing. Knee pants were common and we also see long stockings even with Cub's warm tropical climate. After independence, the United States gradually became more of a fashion influence. We begin to see boys wearing knickers. Baseball was another American influence. Under Spain, Cuba was an economic and social backwater. After independence, Cuba made a great deal of economic progress, fueled in part through American investment and trade. Cuba developed one of the most prosperous middle classes in Latin America. Percapita income was very high by Latin American standards--something Cuban authorities do not like to mention. While high, income was unevely distributed. Rural agricultural labor, often of African discent, did not participate in Cuba's prosperity. As a result of the prosperity, we note images of quite well dressed Cuban children especially in the cities. This changed after Castro seized power (1959). The Revolution certainly reduced the disparities in Cuban society, essentially by making everyone but the Communist elite poor. Percapita incomes today are among the lowest in Latin America. The poverty in Cuba since the Revolution has significantly affected fashion and clothing as a result of the very limited buying power of the average Cuban. Clothing is rationed. Cuba is the only contry in Latin America which rations clothing and food. While few Cubans can aford to dress fashionably, it is notable that you do not see Cuban children dressed in rags. Few Cuban parents, however, can afford to dress themselves or their children fashionably.

Garments

Families

We do not yet have much information on Cuban families. We do note an unidentifuied Cienfuegos family in 1898. It was a large family, perhaps recently arrived from the countryside. They look very poor, but not unlike other Caribbean islands. We see another unidentifid rural family in the 1940s. They look in much better ecomomic condition. This probably reflects the substantial development of the urban economy. Much of the benefits of economic developmnt occurred in the cities, but some of th improvemnt also raised the standard of living in the countryside as well. We notice the Gonzlez de Mendoza family in 1950. The family was of some importance historically. Before the Revolution it was one of the richest families in Cuba--a bad time to be a rich family. The Mendoza family was in London during 1950 and in a portrait taken by obe od the most prestigous society photographerd dressed more like English children thatn Cuban children. The climate of course was a factor.

Activities

We have only limited information at this time on the activities in which Cuba children participate. Sports is of course a popular activity. The Caribbean including Cuba is different than the rest of Latin America. Throughout Latin America there was one dominant sport--futball (soccer). This is not the casse in the Caribbean, In the Caribbean, especially Cuba, the Dominican Rrpublic, and Puerto Rico), baseball was king. Interestingly, the popularity of baseball in Cuba began while Cuba was still a Spanish colony. We are not sure why this happened. Baseball began to be popular in Cuba during the late-19th century, not long after it began its meteoric rise in America after the Civil War (1860s). Nemesio Guillot was the father of Cuban baseball. He founded the first important baseball club on the island. Baseball was already the the most played sport in in Cuba (1870s). This was before the Spanish Anerican War and the United States intervention (1898). Baseball of course was created in America, but because of its immense popularity, baseball was adopted as Cuba's national game and as an independent nation in the early-20th century. Despite its American origin, baseball became strongly associated with Cuban nationalism. Spanish sports like bullfighting disappeared in Cuba. Baseball Is in many ways an unlikely sport to become popular in the Caribbean because equipment is needed and a field of some sort, although kids no doubt grew up playing stickball. Caribbean baseball was basically seoparate from American baseball. This changed after World War II after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. This added a new dimension to Caribbean baseball. It created a route to prosperity for Caribbean youth. This path was closed by Castro and his Communist Revolution (1959). Since then Caribbean stars came mostly from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It was somewhat restored under Presidebnt Obama, when the Cuban Goverment agencies got Obama to agree to give them some of the money when a Cuban player gained a major league contract. The league system in Cuba todasy is nominally amateur. The best players become part of the national team, where they can earn a little money for both training and playing in international events. The Government intoduced uniforms for Cuban schoolwear. The Government makes sure that every Cuban child receives school uniform items, including shoes. Sports are very popular in Cuba, especially baseball. We note child labor as a serious problem in Cuba, although it was probably not as severe as many Latin American countries because Cuba was relatively prosperous before the Revolution. Child labor has been substantially eliminated since the Revolution, although this has occurred along with a massive decline in the economy so many Cuban children are less well of than they were before the Revolution.

Regions

Cuba consists of the main island, the Isla de Pinos (Isla de Junentus), and various islets and reefs. The main island is 1,250 km long, but relatively narrow. It is the single largest island in the Caribbean. The main island has a varied topography, ranging from flat wetlands and undulating valleys to pristine beaches and rugged mountain ranges. Rivers, lakes and natural bays. The economic failures of the Recolution have had one undorseen bebefit. Cuba's coast is relsatively pristeen. The main island is normally divided into three regions (west, central, and east). The provinces include: Camagüey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Granma, Guantánamo, Havana (the capital and most important urban center), Holguín, Isle of Youth, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Río, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, and Villa Clara. Other important cities include Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguín, Santa Clara, Guantánamo and Matanzas. The country's lsrgest offshore island is the Isla de Pinos, south of the western coast. Some Americans lived there in the early 20th century. One such family was the Lattin family.

Etnnicity

Cuba is composed of two basic ethnic groups (whites and blacks) and the mulatto mix of blacks and white. . The indignous populations was two Native American grouos, Caribs and Arawaks. They were virtually destroyed by the Spanish early in the colonial era. The primary factor was European diseases, but mistreatment an slavry were also a factor. The same process occurred throughout the Caribbean. Some Native American DNA may survive in the gene pool, but there is no significnt surviving Native Americam population. The largest group is European whites, primarily Spanish. Until relatively modern times, the Spanish restricted the immigration of Protestants nd other Europeans. And Spain retained control of Cuba ecen fter the indeoendence revolutions which swept through South and Central America. They are the majority and constitute some 65 of the population. Americans tend to classify Cubans as Hispanic. Many of the Hispanics emigrating to the United States have mixed Spanish-Native American ancestry, but Cuban whites are mostly of European ancestry. About 10 percent of the Cuban population emogratd to the Uited States as a result of Communist oppression. Most were middle-class whites. This reduced the white percentge in the Cuban ethnic mix. Blacks constitute nearly 10 percent of the population. They are the ancestors of the captive Africans brought to Cuba as slaves to work on the sugar plantations in eastern Cuba. With the death of Native Americans, the Spanish needed workers and thus purchased captive Africans. The Cuba history is different than most of the Caribbean. The Spanish lost much of the Caribbean to other Europeans. And unlike the other Europeans, the Spanish were late to adoptthe highly lucrarive sugar cultivation. Sugar plantations did not appear in Cuba until the 19th century. This is when large numbers of captive Africans were imported. They worked under apauling conditions. They and Puerto Rican slaves were the last slaves in the America to be emancipated (1886). After independemce (1903) they became a poverty sricken underclass, work on sugar plantations. Cuban sources report Afro-Cubans returning to Africa (Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea) during the colonia era and African emigrating to Cuba after the Revolution (1959). We have no ingormation on this and do nit know if these movemnts are of any importance. Mulattos are an ethnic mix of whites and blacks. They constitute about 25 percent of the population. They are primaroily decended from African slave women who enpregnated by white masters. They experienced better treatment and living condition and as a result they and their children had a much better chance of surviving than the planration field worker slaves. They are the largest mulatto group in the Caribbean and are relatively well integrated into Cuban society. Racism exists in the country, but it has been significantly diluted by both the flight of the white middle class and the social ideology of the Revolution. The Communist Party strictly prohibits the open public discussion of race issues. Any expression of racial hatred or black nationalism is sunject to severe repression. Reducing racial inequities is one of the few success of the Revolution. That said, Cuba is not a color-blind utopia. Blacks in Cuba are routinely denied access to top decesion making positions and have generally lower income levels than whites. The highest levels blacks we have noted are in the military. Blacks tend to be among the mostfervent supporters of the Revolution because of the efforts to integrate them into Cuban society.

Created: 9:50 AM 5/7/2008
Last updated: 2:53 AM 7/19/2023