A local story suggests that the Cuban Revolution started in Tampa. In 1895, Jose Martí, a Cuban Revolutionary leader nicknamed the “George Washington of Cuba”, was said to have tasked Blas O’Halloran, a cigar maker, with an important job. Martí…

As the Cuban War of Independence ensued in 1895, the atmosphere in Ybor City rang with shouts of “Cuba Libre” and hope for a different future. Black and white Cubans abandoned their preconceptions about race and became united under the national…

The founder of La Gaceta, Victoriano Manteiga, migrated from Cuba to Tampa in 1913. After nine years as a cigar factory reader, Victoriano founded La Gaceta, which at the time was a Spanish daily newspaper. Eventually the newspaper was passed down…

When the Columbia first opened its doors in Ybor City, it began as a corner cafe known for its coffee and Cuban sandwiches. When prohibition threatened the future of the Columbia, Hernandez merged his restaurant with his neighbor, the La Fonda…

A tradition originating in Cuba, lectors would sit on a tribunal and read a variety of materials, such as novels, political publications and local, national and global news, to the cigar workers busy at their stations. Lectors were hired and paid by…

“The Apostle of Cuban Independence” José Martí was born in Havana to Spanish immigrants in 1853. From a young age, he dedicated himself to the Cuban struggle for independence. During his life he visited Tampa 20 times, a place with strong ties to…

Tampa’s proximity to Cuba gave cigar workers the opportunity to make frequent returns to support their countrymen and the increasing revolt against Spain. On May 7, 1885, The Tampa Board of Trade was created to attract businessmen to the city. It…