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  • On the Trail of the Maya Explorer: Tracing the Epic Journey of John Lloyd Stephens
  • John M. Kirk
On the Trail of the Maya Explorer: Tracing the Epic Journey of John Lloyd Stephens. By Steve Glassman. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2003. Pp. xii, 283. Illustrations. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $29.95 cloth.

Despite the odd title, this travelogue is an informative, extremely readable, and consistently thought-provoking contribution to the study of contemporary Cuba. It [End Page 100] offers valuable insights into an enormous variety of facets of this complex society, and often does so in a humorous, well- researched fashion. The folksy, self-deprecating tone and dependence on popular history are deceiving, however, for there is a treasure trove of historical data buried within. The dozens of fascinating photographs are an added bonus, particularly useful in getting a solid "feel" for pre-revolutionary Cuba.

The basic strategy for this thought-provoking book is to use the author's many travels through Cuba as a means of reflecting upon a variety of questions. History, geography, social problems, racial identity, politics and indeed cars all come under Schweid's thoughtful gaze. The core issue of transportation is thus the catalyst for his reflections, the vehicle (no pun intended) for his exceptionally thoughtful comments. We see the traditional U.S. political influence mirrored in the dependence (until 1959) upon U.S. automobiles, to be usurped subsequently by vehicles from the Soviet bloc. Chevrolets and Oldsmobiles give way to Ladas and Volgas.

Schweid's analysis of pre-revolutionary conditions is helpful in emphasizing the "two Cubas" that existed in 1958: the number of cars on the island had risen from 70,000 to 167,000 in just eight years, illustrating the growing riches of the urban middle class. Meanwhile, 30% of adults were illiterate, a third of the labor force was unemployed, some 5,000 beggars worked the streets of Havana, and only 3% of the rural population had indoor plumbing. Of particular value are his observations of Cuba's struggle for survival, and subsequently for development, during the "Special Period" following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He does not skirt around the many problems facing Cuban society, and his comments are refreshing. There are frequent musings on the complex, and contradictory, relationship between the United States and Cuba. The love-hate relationship is almost an omnipresent theme, and the history of motor vehicles—especially until 1959—is indeed a microcosm of bilateral relations. Two points of trivia illustrate this dependency: Some 90% of cars imported into Cuba in the early 1920s were American, while in 1958 more Cadillacs per capita were sold in Havana than in any other city in the world. Perhaps more pertinent to the current context is Schweid's analysis of Washington's political bullying for decades in pre-revolutionary times.

There are minor quibbles: Spanish accents are occasionally missed, there is a useful bibliography (although largely focused on transportation material), and footnotes—even for quotations—are non-existent. A traditional textbook, then, it is not. But as background reading to understand the ebb and flow of Cuban history and, in particular, Cuban-U.S. relations, and as a source of solid personal reflections on Cuba, it is first-rate.

John M. Kirk
Dalhousie University
Halifax, Canada
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