Across the Florida Straits to Cuba—A Living History of the Buildings Left Behind

Cuba is a historical laboratory of buildings, streets, and artifacts that have been mostly untouched since 1960—allowing visitors to transport themselves into a time and space that has not evolved into modern times. In this historical presentation, Mario Cartaya retraces and recalls six decades of friendly and cooperative Cuban-American relations and history.

Mario Cartaya was born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. as a political refugee in 1960. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Architecture from the University of Florida in 1975, founded Cartaya and Associates Architects in 1979, and became an American architect of note. His award-winning designs were read into U.S. Congress in 2019 and a U.S. flag flew over the Capitol in 2022 honoring his retirement. He currently is enjoying his new career as an author and lecturer.

This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the Clewiston Museum. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the aforementioned entities.