The Rosa M. Abella Collection contains clippings, other archival materials and a bibliography, co-authored with Dolores Rovirosa, describing the shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996.

The collection also contains photographs and clippings related to Lyceum and Lawn Tennis.

The Magali O. Acosta Collection contains the handwritten parts and source piano scores for arrangements by the Cuban composer Rodrigo Prats aggregated over a three year period from 1957 to 1960.  Acosta and Prats collaborated on a series of dance performances called "Ballet Español", which included works of Ernesto Lecuona and Agustín Lara, among others, when they both worked for the Sylvia M. Goudie dance studio in Havana.

An important supplement to this collection is the 10-year retrospective of the Studio Sylvia M. Goudie, Memoria: 1949-1959, in which Acosta writes about her collaborations with Prats.

The Antonio Arias Collection consists of circular letters, proclamations, statements, press releases, and other correspondence sent to Antonio Arias during the 1960s and 1970s by Cuban exile organizations.  Some of these groups were paramilitary organizations engaged in subversive activities, such as Comandos Omega 7 and Joven Cuba Nacionalista.  The collection also includes a copy of "Acta final de los diálogos celebrados entre el gobierno de la República de Cuba y personalidades representativas de la comunidad cubana en el exterior - los días 20 y 21 de noviembre y 8 de diciembre de 1978."

These materials were received and collected by Antonio "Cuco" Arias while a radio journalist at WFAB La Fabulosa, a Spanish-language radio station in Miami, Florida.  Mr. Arias worked at various radio stations and went on to serve as an executive producer for television with Univisión, the Spanish-language media company.

The Natalia Aróstegui Bolognini Collection contains poems, articles, extracts and off-prints, and music scores of important Cuban musicians. Within the music scores are included autographed manuscript music scores by Gonzalo Roig, an important Cuban musician of the mid-twentieth century; autographed music scores by Ernesto Lecuona, the most important and internationally known Cuban musician of the 20th century; and sheet music by Jorge Anckermann, Eusebio Delfín, Gisela Hernández González, José Marin Varona, Jorge Mauri, and Ernestina Lecuona, sister of Ernesto Lecuona.

This collection also contains manuscript poems by Dulce María Loynaz del Castillo, renowned Cuban poet and the 1992 recipient of the Cervantes Award of Literature; and documentation about Dr. Gonzalo E. Aróstegui y del Castillo, Aróstegui's father.

The ASCE (Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy) Collection consists of twenty-two papers presented by panelists at the VI Annual Meeting of ASCE, held at the University of Miami from August 8th-10th, 1996.

These papers, as well as proceedings from the conference, have been published in a series of Cuba in Transition. Paper topics cover a wide range of subjects, from overviews of the general economic problems of  a transition to a market economy in Cuba to studies of specific economic sectors such as tourism, trade policy, banking, energy, agriculture and the sugar industry.

The ASOPAZCO (Asociación por la Paz Continental) Collection is comprised of the archives of the Asociación por la Paz Continental, which contain first-hand accounts from Cuban political prisoners and other information sources detailing the poor conditions of the Cuban prison system. The collection contains newspaper clippings showing global media coverage of the importance of the Cuban human rights issue.

In addition to videos, audio cassettes and photographs smuggled out of Cuban prisons, the collection also houses underground correspondence from Cuban prisoners; pamphlets; Spanish-language material from Amnesty International and primary source material from ASOPAZCO's presentations before the United Nations General Assembly.

The Audio Cassette Collection contains various audio cassette tapes of Cuban material.

Titles include a 1997 discussion by Jorge Mas Canosa on Julio Ninoska's program regarding President Clinton's transition plan for a post-Castro Cuba; six reel-to-reel audio tapes recorded in Cuba from 1959 to 1961; "El Portal del Mediodía" with Monsignor Agustín Román; "Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia," an oral history series by Carmen Agra Deedy circa 1995; and a two-volume cassette entitled "En el vientre del trópico" containing poetry by Alina Galliano narrated by Carmina Benguria.

The Eduardo Áviles Ramírez Collection consists of newspaper and magazine articles which pertain to his personal experiences with various cultures and with the lifestyles of many prominent individuals, such as Francis de Miomandre and Ruben Darío.

Articles date from the early 1920s to the late 1980s. The bulk of the collection consists of periodicals and clippings written for Latin American publications in Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

The collection also contains numerous articles written about Ruben Darío, a notable Nicaraguan literary figure, for newspapers such as Información, Diario de la Marina, and El Universal. Many articles relating to Spain also appear in Latin American publications such as Puerto Rico Ilustrado and Diario de Yucatán. The collection also includes a substantial number of articles illustrated by Ricardo Marin, a famous Cuban illustrator. Marin illustrated articles for publications such as Información and Diario de la Marina from 1938 to 1940.

The Amalia Bacardí Collection contains documents regarding Sir Lambton Loraine, commander of the H.M.S. Niobe, whose negotiations stopped the execution of Cuban revolutionaries involved in the Ten Years' War between Cuba and Spain (1868-1878). The Cuban captives were taken by the Spaniards from the American vessel Virginius to Santiago de Cuba in November 1873.

The collection contains photostatic copies of reports received from Loraine relative to the action taken in connection with the protection of the Virginius captives; these documents were presented to Emilio Bacardí Moreau by the Lords Comissioners of the Admiralty. The collection also includes the following: a menu for a 1922 banquet inaugurating the bust of Commander Loraine; Emilio Bacardí Moreau's invitation to said banquet; and correspondence (and photographs) from Mr. Ernest P.V. Brice, British Consul, to Mrs. Elvira Cape Viuda de Bacardí.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence with Cuban government and military officials, some prior to 1959, and with prominent political and literary figures.

The collection also includes manuscripts of an unpublished autobiography and other books, as well as published books and pamphlets written by Batista. Other materials include periodicals and books collected by Batista, some inscribed by the authors, as well as photographs of both personal and official nature, memorabilia, and notes and statistics on social and economic conditions in Cuba during the Batista era.

The papers document activities of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista Zaldivar and his son Fulgencio Rubén Batista. Colonel Batista Zaldivar served as a Cuban leader from 1933 until 1959 when he fled the country as a result of the Cuban revolution. The papers include records and rosters of Batista Zaldivar's army, speeches given by president Batista, and letters of president Batista to his son and to different people. Colonel Batista Zaldivar founded the Institutos Cívico-Militares in Cuba and the collection includes many accounts of rural military school teachers and their experiences.

The records includes voting results from 1962 and speeches, programs, invitations, and photographs from the "10 de marzo" and the "4 de septiembre" annual celebrations. Included are also articles, poems, clippings, and publications about Batista Zaldivar's resignation, exile, death, and funeral. The materials also include Fulgencio Rubén Batista's funeral memorial programs and clippings and articles and letters of interest to F. Rubén Batista.

The Luis J. Botifoll Oral History Project collection includes videos, outlines, and selected transcripts of oral history interviews conducted principally with members of the first generations of Cubans exiled since the Cuban Revolution. Interviews with political prisoners, visual artists, community activists, and others help to capture Cuba's undocumented history, culture, and people, as well as the exile experience.

The Botifoll Oral History Project was launched in April 2008 with the support of the AMIGOS of the Cuban Heritage Collection. The Project aims to record and provide access to these testimonies in support of the Cuban Heritage Collection's efforts to document the Cuban experience on the island and in the diaspora.

The interviews are made available online as they are completed and can be accessed from the Univeristy of Miami Digital Collections.

The Burdsall Family papers contains correspondence between members of the Burdsall family of Connecticut and, later, Lexington, Kentucky. Of note, the collection contains correspondence between American-born dancer Lorna Burdsall to family and friends in the United States while she was living and dancing in Cuba.

This collection is divided into two series. Series 1 contains letters to and from Lorna Burdsall while she was living and working in Cuba. Series 2 contains letters to and from various members of the Burdsall family as well as friends of the Burdsall family.

The Lydia Cabrera papers document the life and career of writer and ethnographer Lydia Cabrera, one of the 20th century’s leading writers on Cuban folklore and an internationally known chronicler of Afro-Cuban culture and religion. The materials include correspondence, manuscripts of her works, field notes,interviews, photographs, illustrations, and memorabilia. This collection also contains documentation about the restoration of several colonial buildings in Cuba.

A highlight of the collection are the libretas, or notebooks, collected by Cabrera from Santeria priests and priestesses that document rituals and religious practices of the Afro-Cuban faith. These are found in Series 3 along with her manuscripts and field notes.

Part of this collection has been digitized and is available in the University of Miami Digital Collections online repository.

The Roberto Cazorla Collection contains clippings, correspondence, manuscripts, photographs and audiotapes of poet and journalist Roberto Cazorla's work.

The collection contains correspondence between Cazorla and Carilda Oliver Labra and others, slides and photographs of Cuban artists such as the composer Ernesto Lecuona, singer Celia Cruz, and actress Blanquita Amaro, as well as galley proofs of books and article clippings authored by Cazorla for Libre.

The Juan Clark Collection contains research materials for two projects conducted by Juan Clark, a "sociological analysis of the Cuban exodus" and a study of living conditions in totalitarian Cuba, including newspaper clippings, magazine articles and other periodicals collected by Dr. Clark as part of his research activities since the 1960s.

The collection also contains draft manuscripts of the English translation of Clark's book Cuba: mito y realidad (1992) and La visita del Papa a Cuba y su repercusión (1999).

The Cordovés & Bolaños Families Collection contains letters, clippings, documents, and photographs from Cuba's Wars of Independence and the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

The collection contains materials from the Cuban Wars of Independence, including signed letters from famous Cuban statesmen of the period. A separate series contains articles and photographs relating to the Bay of Pigs invasion, as well as photos of Fidel Castro in a meeting with Pedro Tinoco, then-president of the Central Bank of Venezuela. The third series contains genealogical materials, namely photographs, family trees, and investigative research for the Bolaños, Cordovés and Mestre families.

The Armando Couto Collection contains photographs, correspondence, and typewritten scripts of radio programs written by Armando Couto broadcast in Miami, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.

The collection also contains "Revistas Semanales," illustrated reproductions of Couto's radio programs published by Editorial América in Venezuela.

The Graciela Cruz-Taura Collection contains audio cassette recordings of interviews with Cuban historian Dr. Herminio Portell Vila; Amalia Bacardí, wife of Bacardí founder Facundo Bacardí Massó; and artist Félix Beltrán.

The collection also contains an audio recording of a lecture, "La novela testimonial en el exilio," offered by Rafael Saumell at the University of Miami's Graduate School of International Studies in March 1989.

The Cuba Transition Project Collection contains pamphlets, reports, periodicals and other publications of the Cuba Transition Project, an undertaking of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami that "stud[ies] and "make[s] recommendations for the reconstruction of Cuba once the post-Castro transition begins in earnest."

Established in 2002, the project was supported by grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) until 2010.

The Cuban and Florida Inquisition Research Collection contains research materials, including photocopies of scholarly works, primary sources and research notes relating to the Spanish Inquisition in Cuba and Florida compiled by Eugenio A. Alonso López.

The collection also contains a copy of his award-winning paper "Mohinas de la Inquisición."

The Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture Records is a collection made up of institutional records and historial materials produced by and collected by the Cuban Museum of Arts in Culture during its operation in the late 20th century in Miami,

The institutional records series consists of the operational records of the business activities of the Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture.  Materials include financial records, official correspondence, board of directors meetings minutes, policies and procedures, exhibition planning documents, project proposals, artists' files, and resumes.

The historical materials series include paintings, lithographs, photographs, drawings by Cuban artists, original musical scores and songs, slides of art work, programs, clippings with reviews of exhibits, correspondence, posters, objects. The series also includes personal papers and photographs of Emilio Bacardí and other family members, which have been digitized on the University of Miami Digital Collections website. Other personal papers of note that have been arranged together include the personal papers of Carlos Hevia, Don Azpiazu, and Natalio Galán.

This collection is still in processing and updated container lists will be added as they are made available.

The papers document activities of Pepe Delgado, a Cuban exile musician and composer of popular music.  He left Cuba in 1960 and settled to the United States, dying in Miami in 1991.  He was well known as a composer in Miami, New York, and throughout Latin America.

The materials in this collection consist of manuscripts of music scores, as well as, published music scores composed by Pepe Delgado.  Among the compositions there are waltzes, boleros, salsas, and merengues.  The materials also include scrapbook, photographs, correspondence, clippings and awards.

The Lincoln Díaz-Balart Papers document the professional and personal activities of Lincoln Díaz-Balart in his capacity as U.S. Representative for Florida's 21^st congressional district and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. Materials in the collection include personal and legislative correspondence on issues such as education, the environment, federal and state budgets, human rights in Cuba, and immigration; and official documents on issues of immigration, international trade, Latin America and Cuba. The collection also contains press releases, audiovisual materials, photographs and clippings collected by Díaz-Balart.

Original order was retained, with papers arranged in two series: Florida House and Senate and United States Congress.

The papers consist of two scrapbooks.  First scrapbook documents professional activities of Dulce Beatriz, a famous painter, and contains photographs from Spain and some documents.

The second scrapbook documents professional activities of Leonardo Beatriz, a renown Spanish Flamenco Guitar musician. Materials include programs, a patent for fabric stretching device, photograph and biography.

The papers document activities of Abelardo Estrada Hall, president of "La Comunidad Cubana en Jamaica" in 1982, as well as activities of other leaders of the group, aiming at gaining entrance into the United States. The papers include records about anti-communist Cuban refugees in Jamaica who fled Cuba to escape the communist regime and reunite with their families in the United States.

The materials in this collection include articles and accounts written by Abelardo Estrada Hall and lists of Cuban immigrants in Jamaica with personal information such as passport number, occupation, and residence. There are many letters from "La Comunidad Cubana en Jamaica" to many different individuals and institutions such as the Jamaican government, the United States government, and the United Nations. The materials also include newspaper clippings, photographs, memorabilia, and audio-cassettes.

The Tomás Estrada Palma Collection contains materials from a scrapbook donated by the great-grandson of TEP, Tomás Douglas Estrada Palma III. Items that were preserved in the scrapbook include photographs, letters, personal documents, and newspaper clippings. They document primarily the Tomás Andrés Estrada Palma II branch of the Estrada Palma family tree, including some materials related to his wife, Helen Douglas Browne, and her family.

Correspondence includes letters written by TEP, TEP II and other members of the Estrada Palma family. Clippings largely cover the 1906 resignation of TEP from the Cuban presidency and the consequent US military occupation, TEP's death in 1908, as well as events honoring TEP in the years after his death. Also amongst the clippings are articles relating to TEP II's marriage to Helen Douglas Browne in 1910. Other items include documents such as TEP II's report card, marriage certificate, and passport. There are also photographs of TEP, TEP II, and TEP III, as well as photos of other members of the family such as Genoveva Guardiola de Estrada Palma, Candelaria "Candita" Estrada Palma, and Helen (Douglas Browne) Estrada Palma. Of special interest is a photograph of the presidential convoy that traveled with TEP from Bayamo to Havana for his inauguration in 1902 and photographs of the Presidential Palace in Havana taken during TEP's presidency.

Included in this collection is the citizenship certificate of José Guimunde y Martínez, which was signed by TEP. This document was donated by Mirtha Alberto in August 2000 and added to the Tomás Estrada Palma Collection at that time.

The papers document professional activities of Carlos Felipe in a capacity of a playwright and of Rosa Felipe in a capacity of an actress.  The materials consist of manuscripts of Carlos Felipe's plays, in which he deals with human passions, giving his characters essential Cuban elements.  Some of the plays were published in Spain, while others were published in Cuba.  The manuscripts of the following plays are included in the papers: "Esta noche en el bosque," for which he received Premio Nacional de Teatro in 1939, "Tambores," and "De pelicula."  A copy of "El Chino," published by Repertorio Teatral Cubano and a published miniature of "Capricho en rojo" are also included in this collection.  The collection also contains academic essays by other authors about Carlos Felipe's plays, especially about "Réquiem por Yarini" in which Carlos Felipe utilizes structure of Greek tragedy.  Materials include clippings with interviews with Carlos Felipe, theatre programs, especially the programs of the several productions of "Réquiem por Yarini" and theatrical reviews.

The materials also document acting career of Rosa Felipe who worked in Cuba, Madrid, Latin America and Miami.  Rosa Felipe worked with other Cuban actors in exile in Miami for the theatre group Repertorio Español.  The bulk of the material documenting Rosa Felipe's career consists of photographs from Cuban TV, theatre and award receiving events.  Moreover, the collection contains Certificates of Recognition, membership cards, slides and theatre programs of productions featuring Rosa Felipe.

The Fort Chaffee Collection brings together two donations of materials relating to Cubans who arrived in the U.S. during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift and were detained at refugee camps at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

Barbara Lawson was director of the Cuban-Haitian Task Force from 1980 to 1981, and she donated reports, memoranda, artwork by Cuban refugees, and recordings of news interviews she gave during her tenure with the Task Force.

Gastón A. Fernández donated the research materials he collected and used for his book The Mariel Exodus Twenty Years Later: A Study on the Politics of Stigma and a Research Bibliography (Miami: Ediciones Universal, 2002).  These materials consists primarily of photocopies of reports and interagency correspondence of the various U.S. government agencies responsible for the processing and settlement of Mariel refugees and for administering Fort Chaffee and other camps.  In the Fernández donation are also photographs by the U.S. Army and snapshots of refugee activities at Fort Chaffee.  The photocopied documents seem to have been obtained by Fernández primarily from the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, although they are not clearly identified as such.

Issues of La Vida Nueva, a newsletter published by the Cuban refugees detained at Fort Chaffee with the support of the 1st Psychologica Operations Battalion of the U.S. Army; and of Crossroads, a newspaper published for Fort Chaffee personnel included in these donations were transferred to the CHC Exile Journals collection.

The papers document professional activities of Norberto Fuentes, a writer and journalist born in Havana who was a close friend of Fidel Castro, and consequently had privileged knowledge of the Cuban secret service during some of the most difficult years of the Cuban Revolution.  After spending many years alongside Castro, Fuentes tried to escape the island, was detained and eventually released.  He now lives in the United States.  Bulk of the materials in this collection display the knowledge Fuentes has about Castro, especially it is evident in the manuscript of  The Autobiography of Fidel Castro.  The materials also have wealth of information on drug, money laundering, and robberies perpetrated by  Cuban agents or coordinated by Cuba.

The papers consist of floppy disks with family photographs, with material about condemned, material about narcotráfico and revolutionary forces.  The papers also include cassettes, VHS tapes, CD-ROMs, a manuscript of a book "En la boca del diablo," manuscripts and typescripts of anti-Castro essays, correspondence, notes for "Dulces Guerreros Cubanos," a manuscript and research notes for "El ultimo tren blindado," typescript and research for "Narcotráfico y Tareas Revolucionarias," a manuscript of "La Autobiografía de Fidel Castro,"  clippings and print-outs of Roberto Fuentes' official web page.

The Gabriel García Galán Collection contains correspondence, clippings, photographs, manuscripts, musical scores, awards and other documents related to Dr. Gabriel García Galán.

Most notably the collection contains a 1929 letter to Dr. García Galán from Enrique José Varona and three manuscripts of Gobierno Superior Civil de la Isla de Cuba from 1869.

The María Cristina García Audiotape Collection contains eight casssette tapes of lectures recorded at "A Quarter Century of Cuban Exile Culture" symposium held at Florida International University in September 1986.

Recordings are not available from the final day of the conference, held at the Historical Museum of South Florida.

The papers document professional activities of Carolina Garzon.  She taught mathematics in Elementary School and Social Studies in High School in Cuba since 1926.  In her capacity as a teacher, she collaborated on a book discussing the development of new programs in the Cuban Schools.  Garzon also worked as a Social Worker in Cuba in the 1950s, Miami and Tallahassee and as a supervisor of Pedro Pan program. 

The materials consist of those documenting Garzon's work as a teacher, and those reflecting her work as a social worker. They include correspondence, manuscripts of scholarly essays, social histories of Garzon's clients, a typescript of an essay "A Psychoanalyst's Observation During A Totalitarian Take-Over" by Dr. Gabriel Casuso Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical School of the University of Miami, which discusses Fidel Castro's revolution from Psychoanalytic perspective, bibliography of materials for Florida State University School of Social Work, a pamphlet on the destruction of private school system in Cuba, a published thesis titled "A Study of the Adjustment of Thirty Four Boys in Exile," photographs, a student card from Florida State University, clippings, miniatures of religious paintings and memorabilia.

Andrew Giel visited Cuba as a tourist 10 times between September 1955 and December 1959.  Fifty years later, Mr. Giel printed 8 x 10 enlargements from the original slide transparencies.  Those prints are found in this collection.  They include views from across the island, including Havana, Trinidad, and Santiago de Cuba.

The 1955 slides were made with an Argus C4 camera and the later slides with a Leica IIIF.

The Mario Girbau Collection contains official documents such as statutes and financial reports of Brigade 2506 activities, as well as correspondence, clippings and photographs related to the organization.

The collection also contains personal materials of Mario Girbau, including a portrait, photographs, invitations and letters pertaining to his involvement in administrative decisions about funds for the Bay of Pigs operation.

The Gustavo Godoy y Agostini Papers contain correspondence to Gustavo Godoy y Agostini, along with poems and clippings collected by him.

Notable correspondents include Agustín Acosta, José María Chacón y Calvo, Juan Fonseca, Eduardo Áviles Ramírez and Arturo Doreste.

The Luis Marcelino Gómez Collection contains original manuscripts of published and unpublished works of poetry, essays, short stories and a novel authored by Luis Marcelino Gómez.

The collection also contains blueprints of published works of poetry and correspondence.

The González de Mendoza Family Collection contains a copy of a genealogical chart of the González de Mendoza family, Certificación de genealogía, nobleza y armas del apellido González de Mendoza, the original housed at Spain's Archivo Heráldico in Madrid.

The collection also includes documents from the Ministerio de Justicia, Subsecretaría "Asuntos de Gracia," relating to the heirs of the title Marqués de Pelayo; correspondence from Enrique Conill y Rafecas and Esperanza Conill y Rafecas de Zanetti; and a clipping from El Nuevo Herald discussing a reunion of the González de Mendoza family.

Ofelia González was an actress performing in theatre, mostly in Havana's Palacio de Bellas Artes and New York's Repertorio Español.  She also acted in film and TV. The materials document her acting career especially her portrayals of Bernarda in The House of Bernarda Alba in New York, Nurse in Romeo and Juliet in New York, Serafina in The Rose Tattoo in Havana, Medea in Medea in New York, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie in New York, Celestina in Celestina in New York, Clara in The Visit in New York and Mother in The Guns of Mother Carrar in Havana. 

The bulk of the material consists of photographs from performances and newspaper clippings with reviews of performances.  The papers also include correspondence and memorabilia.

The Peter González Collection contains typescripts, manuscripts, photographs, audio and video tapes and memorabilia from Cuban exile events promoting democracy and human rights on the island, including "The Chain for Democracy," "Flotilla of Brotherhood" and "The Worldwide Day of Prayer for Freedom and Democracy in Cuba."

The Chain for Democracy was a symbolic gathering of Cuban exiles and their supporters on February 24th, 1990, creating a human chain between Miami and Key West to protest human rights abuses of the Castro regime. Additional protests took place in areas with large Cuban populations including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Canada, among others.

Cuban exiles again joined together that same year on May 20th for the Flotilla of Brotherhood, a gathering of boats 20 miles outside Havana Harbor in remembrance of Cubans who drowned seeking their freedom. The Worldwide Day of Prayer for Freedom and Democracy in Cuba took place on July 15th, 1990, in locations all over the world.

The Grandes Leyendas Musicales Cubanas Recordings Collection contains recorded sessions of presentations given by Cuban musical artists. The presentations are part of a series sponsored by the Institute of Cuban and Cuban American Studies that showcase Cuban well known musicians and recording artists.

This is an ongoing program and recordings will continue to be added to the collection as more presentations are made.

The Polita Grau de Agüero Papers document two aspects of Polita Grau’s life and family. The correspondence, writings, and memorabilia primarily document Polita’s time as a political prisoner in Cuba as well as her activities in exile on behalf of political prisoners. There are many clippings related to Polita’s experiences in prison, her life in exile, and Operation Pedro Pan. The photographs in this collection document Polita’s family from her parents to her own grandchildren, as well as the life of her uncle, Cuban president Ramón Grau San Martín.

Of special note in this collection is Series II where can be found biographies of Cuban women political prisoners. These biographies detail the experiences of these women in Cuban prisons. Series IV contains handicrafts created by Polita Grau and other political prisoners while serving their sentences.

The papers document professional activities of Luisa María Guell in capacity of an actress, singer and composer.  She started her artistic career in Cuba at the age of five working in TV commercials.  Later she worked as an actress for TV and Theatre.  She recorded 24 disks many of which went "Gold."  She is a celebrated singer with an international career, full of awards and recognitions from Europe through the Hispanic world.  In Paris, she received "Edith Piaf" golden medal, an award received for the first time by a non-French singer.

The bulk of material consists of clippings.  The materials also include photographs from concerts and films, covers of Guell's musical disks, Theatre programs, scrapbooks with photographs and clippings, awards, videotapes with "Homage to Edith Piaf" and "Papa Porque no Vuelves" and correspondence.

This collection contains working papers, publications, and reports pertaining to the Ethnography of Cuban Drug Use, a research project funded by U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.  The research team comprised of two University of Miami anthropologists, a sociologist and a demographer.  Kirby was one of the two anthropologists and the project's research assistant in charge of collecting information about Cuban women.

The 1978-1981 project was funded to study patterns of drug use among a sample of Cuban men and women living in Miami, Florida.  The research methods used by the research team included participant observation and the administration of structured and open-ended interview schedules.  Life and drug histories were recorded on tape, transcribed, and coded using the Human Relations Area Files Outline of Cultural Materials for ease of retrieval and data analysis.

The researchers focused on patterns of legal and illegal drug use among a sample of Cuban refugees who had been living in the United States since Castro's rise to power in 1959.  Kirby's contribution to the study was in conducting life history interviews with sixty women and in compiling statistical data on women's use of minor tranquilizers and herbal remedies.  Patterns of drug use and abuse were placed within the context of stressful life events such as the exile experience, acculturation, and downward socioeconomic status.

The Antonio Maceo y Mackle papers contain papers related to Cuban medical doctor and political activist Antonio Maceo y Mackle (b. 1920). Contents include personal correspondence; materials relating to the Consejo Revolucionario Cubano; items relating to Cuban exile radio programs in the 1960s; and a group of topical files collected by Dr. Maceo y Mackle.

The collection is divided into four series: Series 1 contains personal correspondence (1965-1967) and correspondence related to the Consejo Revolucionario Cubano (1960-1963), Cuban Refugee Emergency Center (1961-1963) and the YMCA (1967). Series 2 includes materials relating to the members and operations of the Consejo Revolucionario Cubano. Series 3 contains manuscripts, press releases and other program materials for the radio program, El Medico y Usted. Series 4 contains topical files on organizations of interest to Dr. Maceo y Mackle, including Brigada 2506, Colegio de Abogados de la Habana, Comandos Delta, Commision Interamericana de Paz, Confederación de Trabajadores en el exilio, Operación Alpha, Solidaridad Cubano Americano, Union Nacional Demócrata, and the YMCA. The files also contain papers on sugar legislation, Manita Castro, the United States State Department, and Dr. Manuel Antonio de Varona Laredo.

The Gerardo Machado y Morales Papers consist primarily of the correspondence, business and legal documents, and photographs of Machado and his family in their years of exile after 1933. The bulk of the materials in this collection make up Series I: Correspondence, 1923-1940 and Series IV: Financial Records, 1913-1939. Most of the correspondence in Series I is between Machado and his son-in-law Baldomero Grau, who was married to Machado’s daughter Laudelina (Nena), and deals with Machado’s business concerns in Cuba as well as matters pertaining to his family’s life in exile.

Of note is Series VIII: Photographs, n.d., ca. 1895-1994, which include several photographs of Machado throughout his life, photographs of his family in Cuba and in exile, as well as photographs of the Machado sugar estate, the Central Carmita. Also included in this collection is a manuscript of Machado’s autobiographical work, Ocho Años de Lucha, in Series II: Works, n.d., 1933 as well as research materials related to Gerardo Machado gathered from the US National Archives and Records Administration by the collection donor, Francisco X. Santeiro (Series V: Extradition and Amnesty, 1925-1938 and Series IX: Funeral, n.d., 1939-1952).

Series X contains materials pertaining to Machado’s son-in-law José Emilio Obregón, who was married to Angela Elvira Machado.

The Eduardo Machado Papers contain the works of Cuban-born playwright Eduardo Machado, including fundamentally his scripts and related materials such as photographs, notebooks and journals, clippings, programs, reviews, and playwriting exercises.

The first seven boxes of this collection include Machado's scripts and drafts, arranged in alphabetical order by the title of the play, and the eighth box contains materials related to his works, including correspondence, notebooks and journals, reviews, and programs. Box nine includes both photographs pertaining both to his personal and professional life.

The Jay Mallin Papers contain materials relating to journalist Jay Mallin's work on covering Cuban politics and news. Materials include papers related to Radio Martí and T.V. Martí; and files, clippings, and reports related to his reporting on Cuba.

The collection is divided into three series. Series 1, Topical Files, contains clippings related to Cuba from the late 1950s-1960s and files, materials and reports related to Mallin's work as a journalist in Cuba. Series 2, Radio Martí contains documents, clippings and correspondence related to Radio Martí in Washington, D.C. from 1985-1990. Series 3, T.V. Martí, contains memos, news releases, bulletins, correspondence, telegrams and transcripts related to T.V. Martí in Miami, Florida from 1986-1990.

A PDF Container List is available for this collection at the end of this finding aid.

The collection consists largely of handwritten and typed correspondence dating from the 1960s to the 1980s between Carlos Márquez-Sterling and family, friends, and exiled Cuban political figures. The collection also contains postcards; unedited book manuscripts; event invitations, announcements and programs; audiovisual materials; photographs and clippings.

Notable correspondents include past Latin American presidents José López Portillo (Mexico), Joaquín Balaguer (Dominican Republic) and Otilio Ulate (Costa Rica), as well as Cuban political personalities like Carlos Prío Socarrás, Fulgencio Batista Zaldívar, Rafael Guas Inclán and José Miró Cardona. Márquez-Sterling also corresponded with such distinguished journalists and literary figures as José Ignacio Rivero, Arturo Alfonso Roselló, Horacio Aguirre, Gastón Baquero and Octavio R. Costa.

The collection also highlights important correspondence and documents from Márquez-Sterling’s involvement in Cuban exile organizations such as the Movimiento Patriótico Cuba Libre, of which he was delegate general, and these groups’ interaction with international and American political figures, to wit, Ronald Reagan, former US ambassadors to Cuba Spruille Braden and Earl E.T. Smith, and Nicaraguan ambassador to the United States Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa.

The papers document professional and personal activities of José Martín in capacity of a commercial artist and professor in Cuba and Miami.  Martín was a Professor Founder of the Koubek Memorial Center at the University of Miami where he taught for 10 years.  He also founded and headed Martín Technical College until 1979, and his commercial firm, "Martín-Studio Advertising," and founded APLA (Asociación de Publicitarios Latinoamericanos).  Martín's art expresses pain, suffering and joy of people searching for freedom.

The materials consist of autographed letter of Generalísimo Máximo  Gómez, Chief of the Cuban Army during the Cuban Independence War to Victoria Pedraza, dated September 22, 1898, postmarked envelopes with stamp of winning design featuring José Martí and Antonio Maceo by José Martín, postmarked envelopes with stamps of winning design featuring José Martí by Isidro Martín and stamps of first place awards granted to José Martín in a Postage Stamp Contest held in Cuba in 1948 and 1953.  The materials also include correspondence, clippings, post cards with award winning photographs by José Martín, drawings by Martín, photographs, awards, certificates, drawings showing various stages of advertisement, documents related to Commercial Art and Advertising College, information about programs offered in Koubek Memorial Center at the University of Miami, scrap book and DVD with Martín's art.

The Augustus C. Mayhew, Jr. Photograph Collection consists of black and white photographs of the Mayhew and McAbee families during their time living in the American colony of La Gloria in the province of Camagüey, Cuba. The photographs include views of La Gloria from 1901 to 1952, the Mayhew family and neighbors, and the Mayhew apiary "Bee Ranch" and orange groves.

NOTE: Two postcards were transfered from this collection to CHC0359: Cuban Postcard Collection.

The César A. Mena Collection contains the documentation and research notes used by Dr. César A. Mena Serra to write his work Historia de la medicina en Cuba (History of Medicine in Cuba), which was published in two volumes by Ediciones Universal in Miami, Florida. The first volume, Hospitales y centros benéficos en Cuba colonial (Hospitals and charity centers in colonial Cuba), was published in 1992, and the second volume, Ejercicios y enseñanzas de las ciencias médicas en la época colonial (Exercises and teachings of the medical sciences in colonial Cuba), was published in 1993. Dr. Armando F. Cobelo was co-author of these works.

This collection also contains the galley proofs and illustrations of volumes one and two; the original manuscript of volume two; and an invitation to the presentation of the volume one in March 1992.

The papers document activities of José Morell Romero.  They illustrate his entry into the fight against Machado as one of the leaders of the Directorio Estudiantil Universitario of 1930, his service as general counsel to the University of Havana and his service in the Grau administration as president of the Retiro Azucarero.  The materials also document Morell Romero's service in the Prío administration as president of the Retiro, administrator of the railroads, administrator of the bus lines and Secretary of Labor, as well as his service as a justice of the Cuban Supreme Court during the period 1950-1960.  Finally, the documents depict Morell Romero's  service as  a leader or member of various exile groups seeking to achieve the liberation of Cuba from 1960s until his death, and his service as provisional president of Cuba in exile under the 1940 Constitution.  The papers contribute to the documentation of the efforts of the Cuban exile community to regain the homeland.  Of particular interest in this regard are those documents that detail efforts that took place in the early 1960s and are being made available to the public perhaps for the first time. One can discern from these documents that the exiles were closer than most may have imagined to securing a post-Bay of Pigs action against the Communist regime.

The materials include documents, photographs, correspondence, meetings minutes, anti-Castro articles, notes, essays and course outlines.  From the Cuba period, the papers contain documents and newspaper clippings that were brought by José Morell Romero from Cuba.  Included in this group is his "Algunos Votos Particulares," a monograph of his dissenting votes during the Batista administration, as well as, dissenting opinions and newspaper clippings from the time period right before and immediately after his resignation from the Cuban Supreme Court in November of 1960.  These documents reflect the deterioration and ultimate destruction of an independent judiciary.

The Mirta Ojito papers contain a collection of clippings, press releases, and government documents relating to the Mariel boatlift, and photographs, clippings, and excerpts documenting Cuban history. Ojito used the files for writing the memoir of her exile in the United States, El Mañana (Finding Tomorrow), published in 2005.

The materials found in the collection create a context from which the social and economic cost of the Mariel boatlift, for both Cuba and the United States, can be understood. Various prominent (and at times notorious) figures within the Cuban exile movement are examined.

The records reflect business activities of Orquesta Típica Cubanakán founded in 1968 and dedicated to performing Cuban Folklore Music.  The band was formed in order to commemorate the Centennial of el "danzon".  The orchestra consisted of nine members: conductor: Simon Hernandez Padrino; pianist: Raquel Valladares; bassist: Juan T. Sanchez; cymbals and saxophone: L. Borrel; drums: M. Socarras; "guiro": M. Garcia de la Vega; vocalists: Marta Escaoriz and Guillermo Ramos.  The materials document the group's mandate of preserving the cultural music traditions of Cuba and also its involvement in social, festive, religious, and cultural events.

The bulk of materials consists of manuscripts of music scores and published music scores.  The majority of scores are those of "Danzon."  The materials also include four scrapbooks containing the history of the Orquesta Típica Cubanakán.  The history is illustrated through photographs, clippings, correspondence and business cards.  In addition, the materials include programs, proclamations, a book with annotations and diplomas.

The papers document Carmen Puig's family ties to Jennings Cox, Puig's step-grandfather and the American credited with inventing the daiquiri cocktail.  Cox was an engineer with Bethlehem Iron Works in charge of mines in Daiquirí, a town in Cuba's southeast region.  Cox reportedly invented the famous daiquiri cocktail in 1898 by mixing together white Bacardi rum, mineral water, sugar, lemon juice, and crushed ice.

The Carmen Puig Papers include an original recipe for the daiquiri, while the bulk of the materials consist of family photographs.  The papers also include some correspondence, clippings, and memorabilia; and materials related to Puig's career with the Bacardi company from 1965 to 1986.

Marco Rizo was a renowned pianist, arranger and composer born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba in 1920. Rizo was musically trained first by his father, Sebastian Rizo, and later continued his formal studies at the Conservatorio de Música in Havana. In 1940 he migrated to New York City after being accepted with a scholarship at Julliard School of Music. During the 1950s he was recruited by his childhood friend Desi Arnaz to be the pianist and orchestrator of the TV show I Love Lucy. After the show ended he became the pianist-arranger for The Bob Hope Radio Show and organized his own group.  Rizo returned to academia, attending UCLA under the tutelage of Igor Stravinsky and Mario Castelnouvo-Tedesco.  During the 1980s he founded the non-profit organization, The Marco Rizo Latin American Music Project (better known as SAMPI), whose mission was to disseminate the appreciation of Latin music and culture,  targeting students attending higher education institutions and public schools.

The Marco Rizo Papers contains materials related to his latter years as a musician and founder of SAMPI, and his role as a composer and arranger of Cuban rhythms. A small of selection of audiovisual materials are also part of the papers.

The Antonio Orlando Rodríguez Papers consist of original manuscripts, notes, and literary annotations related to Rodríguez's works; editorial contracts; prizes and awards; videos of interviews; publicity materials for the novels Aprendices de brujo (2005) and Chiquita (2007); and press releases.

This collection provides insight into the writing process of Rodríguez, giving the researcher access to the manuscripts, research materials and notes he compiled while writing four of his books: Abuelita Milagro (1977), Romerillo en la cabeza (2006), Aprendices de brujo (2005) and Chiquita (2008). Rodríguez also collected playbills, photographs and catalogs for theater and art exhibitions in the United States and Cuba.

This collection documents the activities of Teresa María Rojas in her capacity as a theater actress, theater professor at Miami-Dade College (MDC, also formerly known as Miami-Dade Community College) for more than 30 years and the founder of the Prometeo Student Theater Group.

The majority of the materials document Rojas' role as artistic director of the Prometeo Theater and the success of the students who performed in it.  Portfolios and reviews contain information regarding her teaching at MDC, in the capacity of the director of the Prometeo Theater and an instructor.  The papers contain scrapbooks chronicling her work as the director of the Prometeo Theater from 1985.  The collection also documents her professsional work as an actress in Miami, Cuba and other Latin American countries. Her performances in various acclaimed productions are documented by clippings and photographs.  Rojas measured her own success as a professor and artistic director of Prometeo by the success of her students.  She played the engaging and lighthearted role of Ofelia in "Ana in the Tropics".  As Ofelia, Rojas took on a similar matronly role as the one she had among her students at MDC.

Selected photographs, playbills, programs, letters, and clippings from the collection are available on the University of Miami Digital Collections portal under the CHC Theater Collections tab.

The Ruston Academy Records contain materials related to the Ruston Academy, a bilingual American school founded in Havana, Cuba, in 1920. It also contains the administrative files of the Ruston-Baker Educational Institution, Inc., a group of alumni and friends organized to plan for a possible re-opening of the school in a post-Revolutionary Cuba. Other materials include photographs, programs, directories and correspondence documenting the history of Ruston Academy alumni reunions held in the United States from 1975 to 2012.

The Ruston Academy records are arranged into three series. Series 1, Ruston Academy, contains ephemera, publications, correspondence and alumni directories; Series 2, Ruston-Baker Educational Institution, Inc. administrative files documents the administrative history of the organization with correspondence, meeting minutes and subject files related to RBEI, Inc. projects; and Series 3, James and Sibyl Baker papers, contain personal papers related to Ruston Academy directors, James and Sibyl Baker, including anniversary and memorial tributes and the manuscripts for James Baker's book on the history of Ruston Academy, Ruston: From Dreams to Reality (2007).

The papers document professional and personal activities of Inés Segura Bustamante in her capacity as clinical psychologist, composer, lyric writer and a member of Directorio Estudiantil. Segura Bustamante worked as a Professor of Psychology at the University of Havana, and as a psychologist with a private practice in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  She also wrote books about child's psychology.  Segura Bustamante also studied Music and Piano at Orbon Academy and graduated in Theory of Music and Solfeo. In addition, she attended the School of Painting and Sculpture "San Alejandro" in Havana.  Her paintings are held in the Lowe Art Museum in Miami.

The bulk of the papers consists of manuscripts of musical scores and lyrics, and psychological development of children writings. The materials also include clippings, typescripts and photographs of  the "Directorio Estudiantil Universitario 1930," clippings and reports of "Junta Patriótica Cubana," correspondence, clippings of articles on Cuba and Cuban exiles, articles by Segura Bustamante and about her, manuscripts of her poems, a copy of "Bohemia,"  annotated books by Segura Bustamante, a manuscript of "Cuba Siglo XX y la generación de 1930" and a manuscript of a book on child's psychology.

The Truth About Cuba Committee, Inc. Records consist of the official organizational records of the Truth About Cuba Committee, Inc. (TACC) from 1961 to 1975, its years of operation, including publications, membership records, radio program transcripts and audio recordings, and photographs. The bulk of the materials consist of correspondence to and from Luis V. Manrara, TACC president, membership records, and TACC publications. Folder headings retain the original titles assigned by TACC to their materials.

Of special interest are 233 audiotapes, transcriptions, films, and slides, the majority of which are of debates and interviews of Luis V. Manrara with prominent international political figures as well as exiled Cuban political figures. These materials are described in Appendix I of the original finding aid. Also of note is Series IV. Reports and Publications – TACC, 1961-1973, which contains the various publications of the Committee, from single sheet circulars to brochures and pamphlets.

The original finding aid is accompanied by a personal names index and a corporate name index. Finding aid appendices and indexes are not published online.

The Asela Torres Photography Collection contains digitized photographs and published materials featuring the photographs of Cuban-born theater photographer, Asela Torres.

This collection is divided into two series. Series I contains digitized photographs taken by Asela Torres at various theater events and performances. These digitized photographs are accesible through the University of Miami Digital Collections website. Series II contains original theater programs, pamphlets, and ephemera featuring photography by Torres.

The Andrés Vargas Gómez Papers are comprised of material provided by A. Vargas Gómez which includes manuscripts, correspondence, transcripts of conferences and radio commentaries, photographs, and publications. This collection also contains material on human rights, various associations and institutions, and on Generalísimo Máximo Gómez.

These papers were given to the Otto G. Richter Library in 1989 by Vargas Gómez. The Library will continue to receive material from Mr. Vargas Gómez.

The papers document activities of Raquel La Villa. The papers consist of correspondence, documents, scrapbooks documenting visits to Poland where she met with Lech Walesa and Hungary, clippings, publications of IFEDEC and PDC, memorabilia and pamphlets published by Partido Demócrata Cristiano.

Those documents provide information about the history of the organizations who fought to rescue Cuba from the communist government.