March 1959

Signage on site of La Bodeguita del Medio, Cuba’s most famous restaurant-bar.

La Bodeguita del Medio is Cuba’s most famous restaurant-bar and claims to have originated the equally famous Mojito cocktail.

A tom collins glass of a mojito cocktail with ice, lime slices, fresh mint leaves and a lime wedge garnish against a white background.

A close-up image showing only the hands of three people playing dominoes around a wooden table, reaching toward the black-and-white tiles during the game.

But there were bodeguitas in every neighborhood, generically called “la bodega del barrio.” These were not famous, some were simple and others fancy, but they all served an important social function as the friendly local gathering place, where day and night, food, drink gossip, music, and games of chance could be enjoyed.

The interior hallway of a typical Havana solar housing painted in bright pink with skylights overhead and a few people gathered in the distance.

Every neighborhood has at least one solar, created by subdividing large houses, often old mansions called “casonas,” to create small units for those of modest means. Communal living meant shared bathrooms and limited cooking facilities.

From a Cuban Chinese dream interpretation book, a black-and-white illustration of a man covered with symbolic animals and objects.

La Charada China is a Cuban system for picking lottery numbers based on dreams. A chart lists the mystical relationship between objects and their corresponding numbers. It has possible origins in the I Ching. Chinese culture is an important component of Cuban culture.

Events in January 1959

Events in February 1959