US Lagos-Besteiro Family Visit to Cuba, January
2010
1: Background and Start
Emilito
2: January 4 - January 6
3: January 7 - January 8
4: January 9 - January
12
December 20, 1909. Almost
exactly
100 years ago, Antonio LAGOS TOLEDO and Josefa BESTEIRO GRACIANI,
Emilito’s grandparents, were married at the Church of
Monserrate in Havana, Cuba.
December 20,
1909. Havana: Pepita BESTEIRO GRACIANI and Antonio LAGOS
TOLEDO
1909-2009. Six
surviving children – Carmen,
Manuel, Victorina, Dolores, Carlos and Josephine – would be
born of this marriage between 1910 and 1920, in Havana, Madrid, and
New York City. All of the grandchildren
– Emilito is one – were born in the US between 1937 and
1961, the fourth generation was completed in 2000, and the fifth
generation, begun more than 20 years ago,
continues.
Seated, Pepita
BESTEIRO GRACIANI ("Maina")
Standing, L to R: Dolores,
Carlos, Victorina, Carmen, Josephine and Manuel LAGOS
BESTEIRO
Approximately
1965
Summer 2009. Descendants
of
4
of
the 6 Lagos children
– along with family matriarch Josephine – gathered in
Tybee Island, GA as part of the fifth grand family
reunion. Elsewhere, at about the same
time, a gathering of the descendants of Dolores Lagos took
place.
When
Emilito lamented the split gatherings, cousin Chippie suggested
that there could be a secondary gathering to commemorate the
100th anniversary of the wedding of their
grandparents. Yes, Emilito agreed, and
they decided that the location of that wedding – Havana
– would be a good place.
Given all the difficulties and expenses associated
with Cuba travels, this was never going to be a well-attended trip,
but in the end descendants of three of the Lagos children decided
to make the trip.
It was amazing.
Being his first person, I write on behalf of Emilito.
Cuba-US relations. Ever since the
Cuban revolution succeeded on 1/1/1959 the US and Cuba have gone
their own separate ways. In 1960 the US imposed an embargo
on trade and severe restrictions on travel to Cuba. In 1996 the Helms-Burton
Act imposed even more Draconian measures on international trade
with Cuba. Just one provision of this act is that sanctions may be
applied to non-US companies that trade with Cuba;
that company's leadership can be barred from entry into the United
States. The intent is to force internationally operating
companies to choose between trading with Cuba and trading with the
US. In 1999, Bill
Clinton expanded the trade embargo even further banning foreign
subsidiaries of U.S. companies from trade with Cuba.
The
effectiveness of these acts may be implied by the fact that Cuba
has the longest one-man (well, one man and his bro) rule of any
country on earth.
Fidel Castro and
his younger brother Raul (left in both pictures) in the 1950s and
recently.
Between them they have ruled Cuba
for more than 51 years, from 1/1/1959.
These turns of events have also caused Emilito's
family members in the US and Cuba, who once were as close as if
they lived next-door, drift apart over the last 50+ years, not by
desire but by their governments' actions that have caused harm not
just to "the enemy" but also to their own citizens.
Travel by Americans to Cuba: Status, 2010. In March of
2009, the Obama administration loosened travel restrictions to Cuba
by family members. Specifically, people
with 2nd cousins or closer are now allowed to travel to
Cuba with no frequency, duration, or spending
restrictions. This was a blessing for
us, as we have several second cousins in Havana.
Tour Dates & Tour
Party.
During the planning phase, more than 10 people
threw their names into the hat as potential tourists.
In addition, the dates that suited most people did
not exactly coincide with the 12/20 date, and early January was
chosen. In the end, seven family
members made the week-long trip beginning on January 4:
Carmen’s children Emil & Richard and wives Heide and
Taylor; Manny’s son Buzz and granddaughter Toni, and
Dolores’ daughter Chippie.
I have tried to get everyone's perspective on this
trip; I have either paraphrased their thoughts or, in the case of
Richard, added a few comments verbatim from his write-up.
Photographs from all cameras are to be found here.
Sunday, January 3.
Everyone but Toni got into Florida on the
3rd. Chippie came from her
home in the Keys to join Heide and me for the evening, and Richard
and Taylor flew in from Boston. Buzz
had been in Orlando and finished the trip early AM of the
4th.
Contents:
Background
December 20,
1909
Antonio Lagos marries Pepita Besteiro
1909-2009
The Lagos-Besteiro descendants
Cuba-US
Relations
Nations
Family
January 4 to January
6
Monday, January 4
We fly to Cuba
We spend some time in customs
At the Hotel Sevilla and checking email
Dinner in the Barrio Chino (Chinatown)
Tuesday, January 5
Research at the Iglesia de Monserrate
Wandering about Centro Habana
Dinner with Diana, Simón, Fernando
Wednesday, January 6
Baseball - the Metropolitanos
Visiting Isabelita and Dinner at Los Curros
January 7 and January
8
Thursday, January 7
Monserrate again; the short life of Paquito
Lagos
Dinner with Alicia and Roxana
Friday, January 8
Wandering family members
Iglesia de la Caridad
Carmen's baptismal
certificate
Iglesia del Carmen
Victorina's death
certificate
Callejón de Hamel
Chukin: hotel and field
Hostal Valencia
La Mina
January 9 to January
12
Saturday, January
9
Capitolio
Mercy and family come to hotel
El Gato Tuerto
Sunday, January
10
Micky visits
Diana, Simón, Arturo visit
Richard's travels
Monday, January
11
We leave
Visit Raquelita, Rodolfito, Vivian
Tuesday, January
12
Home at Last
Cubans on Cuba and the USA