Concept in Definition ABC

If a tourist is in the city of Havana or in any other point of the territory Cuban is very likely to see old United States vehicles circulating on the streets. In the language These popular cars are known as almendrones. It is a nickname that Cubans invented to refer to old cars, most of which were manufactured in the 1950s and owned by the brands Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Packard or Pontiac.

The true origin of this name is not known with certainty, but it is very likely due to the almond shape of these vegetables

On the roads of Cuba, almendrones are normally used as taxis for tourists and the taxi drivers who drive them are known as boteros. In this way, when the traveler gets on one of them, he performs a species traveling back in time, since these cars are now out of circulation and in other countries they are authentic museum pieces.

A symbol of Cuban culture

Thanks to the inventiveness of the Cubans, these cars of the past remain in circulation. Some of them only retain the bodywork and their engine is very different from the original. In order for them to be preserved, it is necessary to resort to mechanical ingenuity, since the original pieces of the almendrones can no longer be found. On the other hand, the owners of these old cars do not always have the money to put gas.

The almendrones are more than just old cars driving through the streets. In reality, these relics are part of the history of the Cuban people. Remember that before the Revolution By 1959, Cuba was known as the backyard of the gringos, who had occupied the island as tourists.

With their money and luxurious cars, the gringos of yesteryear fueled the anti-capitalist rejection of the Cuban revolutionaries

Seventy years later, the current almendrones are no longer a symbol capitalist from the northern neighbor to become a decorative element of the communist regime.

In recent years the boatmen who work as taxi drivers are not very satisfied with their government, since the prices of the races do not depend on the supply and the demand of capitalism but rather the decision of the Cuban authorities.

La Bodeguita del Medio and its mojitos, the Malecón, the chess games in the streets, the colonial buildings and the almendrones are some of the signs of identity from Havana.

Photo: Fotolia - Ariane Citron