HAVANA BEFORE THE REVOLUTION

[Cuban Tourist Commission]

PANORAMA AND MONUMENTAL MAP OF HAVANA [Artist Rogelio L. Mirabal] [Pre-Revolution Tourist Map]

Havana, Cuba: Cuban Tourist Commission, 1949.
WHEN HAVANA WAS THE CARIBBEAN'S CAPITAL
Issued during Havana's postwar tourism boom, this large pictorial map presents the Cuban capital at the height of its international prominence.

Created by artist Rogelio L. Mirabal for the Cuban Tourist Commission, the map combines a detailed city plan with bird's-eye views, architectural profiles, and an extensive index of attractions, offering visitors a richly visual introduction to one of the Western Hemisphere's most cosmopolitan destinations.

Produced a decade before the Cuban Revolution transformed the island's political and economic landscape, the map captures a vanished Havana of grand hotels, nightclubs, racetracks, parks, government buildings, and seaside boulevards. It serves both as a practical guide for travelers and as a visual record of the city during one of the most prosperous periods in its modern history.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Large folding pictorial map printed in color. Measures approximately 4.5 x 7.5 inches folded and opens to approximately 27.5 x 22 inches. Features a detailed street map of Havana surrounded by numerous bird's-eye views and architectural profiles of prominent landmarks. Includes an extensive index of hotels, clubs, public buildings, hospitals, parks, transportation facilities, and tourist attractions.

CONDITION: No flaws or blemishes beyond uniform age-toning and a small spot on the title panel. Folds remain sound and supple. Colors remain bright and attractive. A well-preserved example of a fragile tourist publication.

SCARCITY NOTE: No institutional holdings located through OCLC/WorldCat at the time of cataloging. Ephemeral tourist maps of this type were intended for short-term use and frequently discarded, making intact examples increasingly difficult to locate.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Issued in 1949 by the Cuban Tourist Commission, this map presents Havana at the height of its international tourism era, when the city stood among the most glamorous destinations in the Americas. 

Reflecting Cuba's close economic and cultural ties with the United States, it showcases the hotels, nightclubs, parks, beaches, transportation networks, and civic landmarks that defined Havana's mid-century prosperity, while preserving a vivid record of the city just a decade before the Cuban Revolution transformed its political and cultural landscape.

Mirabal's design balances cartographic utility with promotional artistry. Landmarks are highlighted through profile illustrations that lend visual character to the city, while the detailed street plan allows visitors to navigate among hotels, clubs, government buildings, transportation centers, and recreational venues. Among the featured locations are the famed Tropicana nightclub and the Hotel Nacional, one of the most recognizable symbols of Havana's international reputation.

Today the map serves as a compelling historical document of pre-Revolution Cuba. It preserves not only the physical layout of Havana but also the aspirations and public image that Cuban tourism officials sought to project to international travelers during the years immediately preceding the political transformations of the 1950s.

SUBJECTS: Havana Cuba, Pre-Revolution Cuba, Cuban Tourism, Rogelio L. Mirabal, Pictorial Maps, Havana Hotels, Hotel Nacional, Tropicana, Cartography, Travel Ephemera, Pictorial Maps, Cuban History Nightclub, Caribbean Travel, Cuban Ephemera, Urban Cartography, Mid-Century Tourism, Havana Architecture, Cuban Cultural History.

Item #22042

Price: $85.00