Cuban History in Tampa
Tour Description
Tampa is rich in Cuban background and history, particularly in Ybor City and West Tampa, largely due to the booming cigar industry and the many immigrants who flocked to Tampa to staff its factories.
Locations for Tour
José Martí
“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…
El Círculo Cubano
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…
La Gaceta
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…
La Gaceta: Hallway of Presidents
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 to…
The Columbia Restaurant
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…
Ybor's Criminal Past
Before Ybor City became a hub for artists, musicians, and clubs to claim the streets, it was filled with crime, bribes, and corruption. In the 1920's Charlie Wall, son of a former governor and born into a wealthy white family, spearheaded organized…