The Americans Are Coming: One night at an outdoor restaurant a waiter opened a new bottle of rum and immediately spilled a splash of it to the sidewalk. It was an offering to the Gods of Santeria, the religion African slaves brought to Cuba hundreds of years ago. The Spanish missionaries and lords largely converted the locals to Christianity, but the slaves held on to their Santeria. They’d go to a Catholic Mass and a Santeria ceremony in the same day. Our guide said, “People believe in whatever they think will help them.” Now about 80 percent of Cubans practice Santeria. Occasionally you see a sacrificed chicken on the sidewalk.

Old Havana has a Santeria museum where you can see statues of the gods and they have a lot of them. There is Oricha, the god of chastity and virginity; Oko, “He who has the force of life;” Chango, “He who cuts the violence.”

Cuba has always mixed the old and the new and more of the new is coming. Some large old Spanish colonial buildings are being torn down for luxury hotels and others are being gutted for re-building from the inside.

There’s evidence that Havana is becoming the new Prague or Majorca with young internationals carrying backpacks and wearing hipster fedoras. They hang out in the squares, and bars along Obisbo Street between Havana Bay and Parque Central. A restaurant just off the park even offers “glutten free” menu items. The end is near.

Cubans know change is coming, and they hope for good. But Americans tend to have the belief that Cubans want to get the hell out of here, and it doesn’t appear to be so. Some tell you there’s no freedom and it’s hard, but many say they love America. They do want things to get better and they look to America for that. They wear t-shirts with American flags and sometimes you’ll see a woman wearing stretch pants with stars and long stripes down the legs.

American corporations are waiting in the wings. Martha Teichner of CBS News has reported that, “It’s never stopped being legal for US companies to register their trademarks in Cuba so no one will steal their name and just in case the embargo is lifted one day.

Four thousand companies have done that, 1000 of those only in the last year. Here are some of the names; Hard Rock Café, Ralph Lauren, Fruit of the Loom, Brillo pads, coke, Pepsi, and Visa.”

The Havana fine arts museum has a famous picture of an Indian rebel about to be burned at the stake by the Spanish Conquistadors. The priest at his side is said to be offering the man a chance to accept Jesus and go to Heaven. According to legend the Indian asked whether the priests and soldiers about to torture him to death would also one day go to Heaven and he was told “Yes, they will.” The Indian said, “I don’t want to be with them. Just burn me.”

It’s an important story in Cuba’s quest for self-determination. We’ll see in the coming years whether Cuba agrees to join America’s capitalistic heaven.

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