Market Plaza

We Güineros were proud of the container and its contents. I am referring to our old and beloved Market Plaza. Proud of the building and of the marvelous things that regarding food items, clothes, shoes, hats and miscellaneous items and services, were located within and around it. Its architectural construction was nothing extraordinary. It was a Colonial era building, made out of boulders, built within the entire block comprised by San Julián, Clemente Fernández, Almohalla and Valdés Streets. It was not an architectural jewel, but it had nobility and when every 2 or 3 years, the Town Hall would paint and refurbish it, it looked even beautiful to us.

Market Plaza Ink sketch by © Alejandro Asís, Hialeah, Florida - 2003

More than 200 boulder square columns comprised its outer area (we never counted them). One great outside aisle about 3 meters wide allowed the comfortable walking throughout the building. And thereafter, the premises for Cuban fruits stands, were built. Between the before mentioned stands and the meat and fish stands, there was another wide aisle and in the shape of a cross, other two wide aisles for ingress and egress. A truly functional building.

At the four corners there were four very popular establishments. In the corner of Clemente Fernández and San Julián Streets, El Iris (The Iris) restaurant of Gume Díaz, Isidro López and Rafael Cardo, famous for its beef ground steaks with abundant portions of fried plantains, both green and ripe, together with tremendous avocado salads. Very close, the coffee-stand of Guango González and Sons and the little stand of Navarro. El Gato Negro (The Black Cat) of Pedro Lamelas (Senior) which had everything: Cutlery, crockery, hardware, stationery, writing supplies, in short, whatever you may need, everything very clean, in great order and with good courtesy. In the same corner the cigar-cigarette stand of Manuel Almeida and Sons. On Almohalla Street, Chicho de Armas and Honorio’s Grocery Store, Brothers Víctor and Renán García who opened first a clothing store and later on converted it into a grocery store. On the same border, Julio The Mulatto had his fish frying stand and Oscar Simón his clothing stand, continuing on, Julio Ahumada was there offering his clientele delicious fried fish. El Siboney Grocery Store of Amadeo Pardo, the cigar-cigarette kiosk and stand of the Sanabria Brothers and Marante the watch repairman.

Los Parados (The Standing Ones), famous for its natural ice creams and refreshments with all kinds of Cuban fruits and in the same corner Pedro Lobo, the unforgettable Lobito and Capio the shoeshine boy. La Defensa (The Defense) Cafeteria, which belonged to Félix Martell, later on to Luis Pérez The Chinaman, and later on, it had two other owners, for those customers with a “limited pocket” where you could eat to satisfaction with little money.

And Fraguita’s Grocery Store, La Mía (Mine) wholesalers belonging to brothers Ernesto and Juan Acosta. And a separate mention for the very famous Raúl’s Cafeteria belonging to Pedreguera and his twin nephews Alberto and Ataúlfo Pedreguera, located in one of the middle corners, facing San Julián Street, the “kings” of “stacked croquettes,” Cuban tamales, sandwiches and sweets in syrup, “home made” in the presence of the public, Delicious custards, papaya and orange sweet preserves, rice puddings, all cooked in those big copper pails in front of the public, without equal in any other part of the world. To ask in Raúl’s Cafeteria, for a Cuban sandwich or the famous “stacked croquettes” prepared with cheese, ham, roasted pig leg and dill pickles, a beer and a rice pudding for dessert, was like purchasing a ticket to Paradise.

And those vegetable stands, Los Isleñitos, Chicho and Maximino de Armas, Domingo Pérez, The Peasant from the Hill, the Bárcenas, the Cruzes, the Miliáns, the Artiles, etc., all of them placing big baskets of vegetables on the outside, on top of wood stands or barrels, filled to capacity, barely allowing two people to go by. Holy Lord, what a spectacle! And above the counters, big horizontal rods suspended from the ceiling, where all kinds and varieties of plantains and banana clusters were hung, rocking softly.

In the ample interior square, the meat, fish and poultry stands where Luis Lobo, Marcial Pazos and his sons, Domingo The Galician, Eladio Fernández, Raimundo Rosas, the Quintero Brothers, Tata Mirabal and his nephews, Manolo’s Butcher Shop across Valdivia’s and that of Rosas the Chinaman, Guillermo Rodríguez, Mariano Alonso, Pato Valdivia, famous for his sausages and because he was the first one in Güines to make hard frozen fruit slices and many more, competed to hang the best beef quarters from our area and those from the plains of Camagüey.

The Plaza had three poultry stores: One belonging to Avelino Quiñones, across El Cable (The Cable) Store, another one belonging to Mario Acanda inside the Market and the one belonging to Vicente Nieves on Almohalla Street, across the ice warehouse.

And, if this is not enough, the popular Ceberio family, the “seafood kings,” with control of this business for more than 60 years, beginning with the famous Pepe Ceberio, where we could find anything edible produced by the sea. And Pepe’s sons named Oscar, Adolfito, Yayo and Alfredo that continued the business. And the grandchildren thereafter, also named Ceberio such as Gerardito and the great-grandchildren, like another Gerardito and his brothers. Other two seafood stores were those of Luncho Barranco and the one belonging to Emilio The Chinaman.

And many other miscellaneous businesses such as Mario Duque’s Fried Food Stand, Charlo’s Eatery, Cafeteria No. 1 of Manolo Gómez, barbers Antonio and José. In the corner of Valdés and San Julián Streets, the kiosk El Gato Blanco (The White Cat) of Ulpiano Menéndez who was for many years, a Director at the Spanish Society Social Club. Another two shoeshine boys, Talúa on Valdés Street and Julián The Blackman. On San Julián Street we find Cheo Calcamán an importer of plantains from Oriente Province. We look in another direction and see Marrero’s Shoe Store, builders of the best shoes for the area peasants. In front of Marrero's, Pendás and Conrado Marrero cigar and cigarette stand and the shoeshine stand of Cebollino who liked to be called The King of Shine. Sandalio’s Hat Store was located thereafter and in that same area Jacinto’s Kiosk, Oscar González Lottery Tickets Store and Teófilo Echenique, El Cerrajero del Rey (The King’s Locksmith) Locksmith Store.

Now, let’s remember the businesses located around the Plaza, on San Julián, Valdés, Clemente Fernández and Almohalla Streets, because they were considered by all Güineros, as belonging to the Plaza itself. In the corner of San Julián and Valdés Streets, Alvarado Brothers Grocery Store was located, in front of it, El Palacio Sirio (The Syrian Palace) one of the oldest clothing stores in Güines of Manuel Méndez and Juanita Milián. Then it came, Julio The Chinaman delighting everybody with his delicious fried food, seeing also the men’s shoe factory of José The Italian, converted later on into the great Martínez Brothers Grocery Store, next to it Alberto Miralla’s Barbershop and Bargain Store, Manolo García’s Grocery Store and Samuel Szmukler’s Clothing Store, the father of that great Güinero doctor, Dr. Abraham Szmukler.

We reach Clemente Fernández and San Julián Streets corner, looking at La Teresita (The Little Theresa) Grocery Store of Joaquín Lee and family, in whose portals, Machado stayed for over 40 years sharpening scissors. Across La Teresita, another of Güines oldest stores, we are referring to El Cable (The Cable) of Herminio López looked after by his son Tony and across it, the barbershop so courteously attended by the good friend Esterberto Torres Pardal.

Going on Clemente Fernández Street, we find El Gallo de Oro (The Golden Rooster), another of the oldest and most luxurious stores and next to it Romo de Oca or Santa Eulalia’s Pharmacy of Dr. Manuel Planas and across La Isla de Cuba (The Island of Cuba) Restaurant and Cafeteria with its delicious ice-creams and magnificent Cuban sandwiches, having in its interior the lottery tickets stand belonging to Emilio Loynaz, attended by cordial Emilito and his wife Estrella.

On Almohalla Street there was La Universal (The Universal) Clothing Store owned by Naftel Gurinsky who attended its numerous clientele, together with his wife Sara Pinto. Several steps away, La Época (The Season), a store meticulously attended by Sierra and Lorenzo and Casa Cernuda (Cernuda’s House), the oldest hat store in our Villa, attended by José Cernuda and his son Emilio. We then continue with La Dichosa (The Fortunate One) Clothing Store, the ice warehouse belonging to the Fraga Brothers, Rafael Quintero’s Barbershop and in the very corner of Almohalla and Valdés Streets, El Fuego (The Fire) Clothing Store of Armando and Mariano Méndez, across it, the great store La Victoria (The Victory) of Tobías Pinto, better known as Pase y Vea (Enter and See), because its main business was selling yardages at popular prices. Across Pase y Vea, Juan Pardo’s big Grocery Store established in that location for more than 30 years.

On Valdés Street there was a business selling fabrics, owned by Cuca Marrero the wife of Juan Pardo. To finalize, on Valdés and San Julián Streets, corner where we started to go around the block, there was a Chinese eatery.

Marvelous and famous Güines Market Plaza where you could buy and find everything. It was said in the Villa that the stranger who drank Mayabeque’s water and went inside our Market Plaza, would never leave our homeland…

And inasmuch as the Communist Government in our country does not need Market Plazas or markets, because there is nothing to sell, nor there is anything to eat, besides eliminating the free enterprise and private property systems, well… they also finished with the building so not even stone upon stone would remain, as a silent and accusing witness, empty and sad, of the Red’s mismanagement and ineptitude. And the building was demolished and that marvelous gastronomic temple, completely disappeared and today it is a square of sad and flat gravel, leveled and ugly, scorched by the sun. Oh, Communists! Specialists in demolishing markets, and with them lives, honest work, achievements and hopes, so upon its stones and its rubble, under the insidious mirage of a square or a children’s little park, people will sink in hunger and misery,causing to go backwards all progress already obtained…

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