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Little Havana Me Importa: The Places and Faces That Define a Neighborhood
Always moving to its own rhythm, Little Havana is the beating heart of Miami and a cherished symbol of the American melting pot. From its role as a haven for Cuban Americans to its more recent incarnation as a home for immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean, these streets have been shaped by generations of people seeking community and making new lives for themselves. And along the way, they’ve created a place so beautiful and so complex that Little Havana has become one of the most iconic neighborhoods in the country.
In honor of the vibrant people and places that make this neighborhood special, the National Trust worked with Heineken USA and the Little Havana Me Importa Coalition to create an interactive museum exhibit inside Little Havana itself.
The exhibit invites audiences to step into the daily lives of ten local residents whose passion, creativity, and penchant for history is ensuring that future generations will experience the Little Havana we know today. Their stories are different and their backgrounds are diverse, but they all share a common love: the place they call home.
Below is just a taste of the full exhibit, previously on display at Little Havana's Calle Ocho in Spring 2018. Click here to read exhibit author Lia Seirotti's reflection on her experiences with Little Havana Me Importa.
photo by: Cyn Lagos
Guillermina Hernandez is the matriarch of Los Pinarenos, the only open-air fruit market on Southwest 8th Street. For Guillermina, Little Havana has proven that immigrants can prosper from nothing. She hopes that doesn’t change. “To change Little Havana is to displace an entire tradition.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
As an intern for the National Trust, Gabriela Rosado surveyed and interviewed the owners of local mom-and-pop shops. Gabriela says Little Havana is a space where dichotomous ethnic and social groups can coexist perfectly. “You can’t pin Little Havana down to a single, monolithic group.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
One of Miami’s most prolific experts in dance, Marisol Blanco teaches Afro-Latin folkloric dance and supports women in need through prayer and traditional female warrior dances. She describes Little Havana as a welcoming family. “In Little Havana, we don’t need much because we offer [others] what we abound with in human warmth and closeness. There is hope for Little Havana, if we do not allow necessity to overshadow our expectations.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
Santos Mendez’s art is a permanent feature in Little Havana. He was commissioned to complete a floor mosaic inspired by Miami, and the colorful, 730-square-foot mural sits across from the same spot where Santos sat with friends every night as a teen. His experiences have taught Santos that art often comes second to commercialism. But he still believes that artists will create a legacy for future generations in Little Havana. “I expect that Little Havana will always be on the map.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
A New York transplant, Brigid Baker is a contemporary choreographer who creates a unique environment inside her 6th Street Dance Studio to house her work. Brigid describes Little Havana as a place where inspiration comes daily. “In Little Havana, everything is put in an order closer to nature.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
It’s because of his father that David Garcia now calls Little Havana home. He and his cousin have taken over and remodeled his family’s seafood joint, La Camaronera. For David, the uniqueness of Little Havana lies in its cultural diversity. “These are my roots. Little Havana is where I’m from.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
To walk into Suzanne Batlle’s ice cream shop, Azucar, is to be transported to a traditional living room from her grandmother’s native country of Cuba. Suzy describes Little Havana as an authentic and culturally sound community where people can take a stroll in a plaza, have coffee, smoke a cigar, and listen to a band, all in a matter of a few blocks. “Little Havana is not just a Cuban neighborhood—it’s a cultural Mecca.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
Dr. Paul George, HistoryMiami Museum’s resident historian, has become a celebrity among Miami historians over the years. In his opinion, Little Havana needs sensitive investors who can take this ideally positioned neighborhood and bring back its vibrant pedestrian life, turning it into a center-city destination that would continue to attract domestic and international press and tourism. He describes Little Havana as completely unexpected. “It truly is the anti-suburbia.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
Francisco Cazanas is known affectionately throughout Little Havana as El Manisero, the Peanut Vendor. He’s worked as the only authorized traveling food vendor in the neighborhood for the past seven years. When asked what makes Little Havana unique, Francisco opens his arms toward the street and says, “This. This is beautiful.”
photo by: Cyn Lagos
Corinna Moebius is an anti-stereotype, pro-activism cultural anthropologist, invested in highlighting and maintaining the fabric of the place where she’s lived and worked in for years. She describes Little Havana as a conversation over coffee—an encounter that restores hope, a community that is sustainable, a place that is regenerative. “Little Havana isn’t a product, something that can be merchandised.”
