Looking southwest on Calle Real with the once proud "La Dominica" Hotel on the street corner in the foreground. Carts, bikes and carriages are about all you see on the main street these days. Photo: Silvia de Dios, 1991;
La Parroquia and Statue of Christopher Columbus, Photo: Silvia de Dios, 1991;
When Cárdenas was a normal place, this was the grand old Hotel Europa, with beautiful mosaic tile walls and floors. Photo: Silvia de Dios, 1991;
The author's Spanish Grandfather must be turning in his grave with the present condition of the Casino Español, the social clubhouse of Cárdenas' Spanish community ("La Colonia Española"). The wrecked structure that is visible here used to house a beautiful staircase leading to the ballroom, library, meeting rooms, and offices of this prestigious society. The building is next door to the Hotel Europa, above. Photo: Silvia de Dios, 1991;
Catholic Knights Hall (Caballeros Católicos) Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
Fire Station, Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
The Cárdenas Train Station, Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
This abandoned husk of a building once housed the "Sanatorio de la Colonia Española" the Spanish Community Clinic, where the author was born. Any family could belong to this forerunner of today's HMO's for a monthly premium of $2.85. (I'm sure that, at this sight, my dead grandfather has turned at least a few more times.) Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
City Hall, Photos: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
The Spanish colonial fort at the south end of the city. This fort and a nearby Texaco station always caught my attention on my way to and from nearby San Miguel de los Baños with my parents. Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
Looking northeast from the fort on Calle Real. The once busy four-lane road bides its time, awaiting better days when Cuba is once again free and Cárdenas returns to normalcy from surrealism. Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
The "Madres Escolapias" Catholic Girls' School, Photos: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
The present look of the courtyard at Arechabala Industries with the old clock tower in the middle. Photo: Silvia de Dios;, 1991, See what it looked like in 1953 when Arachabala was cared for by its legitimate owners;
Another view of the current state of the Arechabala grounds, Photo: Silvia de Dios, 1991;
Looking northeast on Saez Avenue from Pinillos Street along the side of Arechabala's buildings, Photo: Silvia de Dios, 1991;
The old Cárdenas Market Plaza Photo: Alicia E. Vadillo, 1990's;
The former clubhouse for employees of Arechabala Industries; A bunch of rubble on the road; and thick black smoke spewing out of the former Arechabala stacks. Isn't it a TASTEFUL paint job? ; ) Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
Today's trade "traffic" on the Espigón: one measly ship. Compare this image to the 1953 picture taken from roughly the same direction. The author's uncle was a Cárdenas harbor pilot in the 1950's and he has said that they frequently had to leave 3 or 4 ships out in the bay awaiting dock space at the Espigón. Also, note the pollution at the bayshore. Is this a surprise? Incredibly, the Castro regime succesfully projects an image to the outside world that it cares about and protects the Cuban environment. Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993;
Finally, another sad metaphor for Cuba. The Monument to the Cuban Flag stands bare, without the Cuban flag. As the sad exile song says: "El son se fue de Cuba, llorando de tristeza..." ("The song departed Cuba, in tears of sadness..."). Photo: Lourdes M. de la Fé, 1993.