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All the United States Florida Tampa Parque Amigos de Jose Marti

Parque Amigos de Jose Marti

A tiny, unassuming park in Tampa that belongs to the Republic of Cuba.

Tampa, Florida

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zlombardo
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The entrance to the park   zlombardo / Atlas Obscura User
Statue of Marti   zlombardo / Atlas Obscura User
Historical Marker Sign   zlombardo / Atlas Obscura User
Bust of Cuban Liberation Army Lieutenant General, left of central statue   pjjolly1 / Atlas Obscura User
Poem by Marti in Spanish on a metal plaque at the rear of the park   pjjolly1 / Atlas Obscura User
Chicks on patrol   ttmurphytt / Atlas Obscura User
Parque Amigos de Jose Marti   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  planan / Atlas Obscura User
  planan / Atlas Obscura User
  imklay / Atlas Obscura User
  arc459 / Atlas Obscura User
Approaching the park from the west, across N 13th St. Note the free-range chickens along the wall.   pjjolly1 / Atlas Obscura User
Caption under bust   pjjolly1 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This tiny park in Tampa, Florida is about as close as you can get to Cuba without leaving the U.S. When you cross through the archway to enter Parque Amigos de Jose Marti (Friends of Jose Marti Park), you're crossing into Cuban property.

This small bit of American land was donated to the Estado Cubano (Republic of Cuba) in 1956, three years before the communist revolution. The Batista administration officially accepted the property, and the American consul in Havana certified the transaction.

Predictably, the communist revolution and the rise of Fidel Castro complicated the situation. Nevertheless, despite high political tensions, the land remains property of the Republic Cuba. The land title to the park is owned by the Cuban government, and the park contains soil from each of Cuba's provinces. You'll also find memorial statutes to two heroes of the Cuban independence: the park's namesake, Jose Julian Marti Perez, and Jose Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales.

Early on, the City of Tampa decided to maintain the park but leave management of the park in the hands of the Tampa Cuban-American community. In the early 1960s the area was a hub for clashes between pro-Castro and anti-Castro Cubans. In 1990, former Mayor Sandy Freedman entrusted the park management to an anti-Castro activist group called the Cuban Historical and Cultural Center which still maintains the grounds. 

The park was donated to the communist island by Paulina Pedroso, a prominent female leader of the Cuban revolution and close companion of Marti. It's located at the site of Pedroso's boarding house, where Marti stayed during his various visits to Tampa and where Pedroso helped Marti recover from an assassination attempt in 1892. 

Related Tags

Parks Politics Pocket Parks

Know Before You Go

The park is only open Monday to Friday from 8:00am-1:30pm, but due to the small size of the park, all of the park can be seen from behind the gates.

Community Contributors

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zlombardo

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, arc459, ttmurphytt, imklay...

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • arc459
  • ttmurphytt
  • imklay
  • planan
  • pjjolly1
  • blimpcaptain

Published

July 7, 2016

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Sources
  • http://www.sptimes.com/2006/11/06/Hillsborough/Politics_in_Ybor_City.shtml
  • http://gis.hcpafl.org/PropertySearch/#/parcel/basic/19291850N000029000050A
Parque Amigos de Jose Marti
1303 E 8th Ave
Tampa, Florida
United States
27.960762, -82.445283
Get Directions

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