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About Cuba

A page within Cuba Travel Tour with UW-La Crosse

Who should attend: 

  • Educators
  • Healthcare professionals
  • Health promotion professionals
  • Anyone interested in traveling to Cuba and learning more about the Cuban culture

Important Cancellation Information

The Cuba Travel Tour with UW-La Crosse has been cancelled per the direction of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Emergency Response Task Force. On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor informed the UW-La Crosse Office of Extended Learning that all university-related out-of-state travel is suspended until Monday, April 13, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We regret that you will be unable to travel as you had planned and hope you understand that this decision was made with great deliberation in the best interest of public health. You will be refunded the full registration fee that you paid for the Cuba Travel Tour with UW-La Crosse.

Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or concerns: 608.785.6500 or ex@uwlax.edu

Cuban History

The capital and largest city of the island nation of Cuba, Havana has a long and storied past. The city was chartered by King Phillip II of Spain in 1592, and was recognized by royal decree in 1634 as the “Key to the New World.” Due to its historic role as a trading port, Havana often fell prey to attacks by pirates and buccaneers, leading to the construction of a series of forts that can still be visited today—the most famous of these being “El Morro Fortress.”

The city expanded greatly during the 17th century, growing to be the third largest city in the Americas by the middle of the 18th century; indeed, it was larger than Boston and New York at the time! The 19th century saw the construction of the railroad (the fifth in the world) and of various cultural arenas (theaters, lyceum, etc.) that hosted influential exhibits and performances throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

The 20th century dawned with Cuba under U.S. occupation, after the close of the Spanish-American war. The first president of Cuba, Tomás Estrada Palma, took office in May of 1902. The “Republican Period”, which lasted from 1902 to 1959, included such political figures as: José Miguel Gómez, Mario García Menocal, Alfredo Zayas, Gerardo Machado, Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar, Ramón Grau San Martín, and Carlos Prío Socarrás.

The Republican Period ended with the Revolution in 1959. Fidel Castro took over with the support of the Communist Party. After the Revolution, the Cuban government committed to expand social services (housing, education, health, etc.), works to increase literacy rates, and nationalized privately-owned businesses. For a long time, subsidies from the Soviet Union helped maintain the economy in the face of the continuing U.S. embargo, but these ended with the collapse of the USSR in 1991. After that, Cuba's “Special Period” was marked by food rationing, limited supplies, and rougher economic times. In 2006 Fidel Castro stepped down and his brother Raúl, previously Commander of the Army, became Acting President. 2012 witnessed some historic events, including the visit of the Pope in March and the first American goods shipment (in over 50 years) in July.

Havana, Cuba

The city is divided into 15 “municipalities”, which are divided further into 105 “wards”. In less technical terms, the city can be divided into 3 major areas: Old Havana (Habana Vieja), Vedado (where the Universidad is located), and the suburban districts a bit further afield.

  1. Playa: Santa Fé, Siboney, Cubanacán, Ampliación Almendares, Miramar , Sierra, Ceiba, Buena Vista
  2. Plaza de la Revolución: El Carmelo, Vedado-Malecón, Rampa, Príncipe, Plaza, Nuevo Vedado-Puentes Grandes, Colón-Nuevo Vedado, Vedado
  3. Centro Habana: Cayo Hueso, Pueblo Nuevo, Los Sitios, Dragones, Colon.
  4. La Habana Vieja: Prado, Catedral, Plaza Vieja, Belén, San Isidro, Jesús Maria, Tallapiedra.
  5. Regla: Guacanimar, Loma Modelo, Casablanca
  6. La Habana del Este: Camilo Cienfuegos, Cojimar, Guiteras, Alturas de Alamar, Alamar-Este, Guanabo, Campo Florido, Alamar-Playa
  7. Guanabacoa: Mañana-Habana Nueva, Villa I, Villa II, Chivas-Roble, Debeche-Nalon, Hata-Naranjo, Peñalver-Bacuranao, Minas-Barreras
  8. San Miguel del Padrón: Rocafort, Luyanó Moderno, Diezmero, San Francisco de Paula, Dolores-Veracruz, Jacomino
  9. Diez de Octubre: Luyanó, Jesús del Monte, Lawton, Vista Alegre, Acosta, Sevillano, Vibora, Santos Suárez, Tamarindo
  10. Cerro: Latinoamericano, Pilar-Atares, Cerro, Las Cañas, El Canal, Palatino, Armada.
  11. Marianao: CAI-Los Ángeles, Pocito-Palmas, Zamora-Cocosolo, Libertad, Pogoloti-Belén-Finlay, Sta Felicia
  12. La Lisa: Alturas de La Lisa, Balcón Arimao, Cano-Bello26-Valle Grande, Punta Brava, Arroyo Arenas, San Agustín, Versalles Coronela
  13. Boyeros: Santiago de Las Vegas, Nuevo Santiago, Boyeros, Wajay, Calabazar, Altahabana-Capdevila, Armada-Aldabo
  14. Arroyo Naranjo: Los Pinos, Poey, Víbora Park, Mantilla, Párraga, Calvario-Fraternidad, Guinera, Eléctrico, Managua, Callejas
  15. El Cotorro: San Pedro-Centro Cotorro, Santa Maria del Rosario, Lotería, Cuatro Caminos, Magdalena-Torriente, Alberro

Architecture and the Cityscape

The Office of the Historian of Havana (Oficina del Historiador de la Habana) has been at the head of a multiyear, multi-million dollar restoration project throughout Old Havana (Habana Vieja), attempting to restore and preserve many of the Plazas and examples of colonial architecture located there. Since this process is still underway, and will be for some time to come, it is not uncommon to find a perfectly renovated colonial building standing next to a crumbling façade that has yet to be worked on.