Cuban humility
Roosters are held in the same regard in Cuba as bald eagles are in America. Jose Marti, one of the world’s most prolific writers and one of Cuba’s favorite sons, secured the legacy of the rooster as a symbol of strength in humility within Cuban society. According to Marti, roosters are a subtle reminder not to seek acceptance by following the latest trends. Just as a rooster succeeds by strutting around with his chest puffed out, you must forge ahead and create your own unique path to fulfillment.
The symbol of the rooster rose to prominence in 16th-century Seville, Spain, centuries before Marti became a national hero. In the small municipality of Moron de la Frontera, there lived a local governor who had claimed he was the “only rooster in Moron.” According to him, there was nobody cockier. “Where this rooster crows,” he said, “no other dares.” The people of Moron de la Frontera took revenge on their oppressor and lynched him, cementing the legend of Moron’s Rooster: Keep pushing your luck / you’ll be featherless with one cluck / like the rooster of Moron / when finally comes the dawn. Today, in Moron, Cuba, a large rooster statue sits in the city square, plucked and humbled.
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Address Scattered along Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33135), with notable statues in front of El Pub (1548 SW 8th St) and Goodwill (982 SW 8th St) | Tip The Goodwill on Calle Ocho at the intersection of SW 10th Ave and SW 8th St is one of the more impressive Goodwills in the country. The split-level mega-discount store features a huge and always-changing selection of cheap outfits and used knickknacks.
Chickens are commonly seen wandering around the front lawns of homes in Miami’s Little Havana. Los Gallos de la Calle Ocho – six-foot multicolored rooster statues found perched outside establishments, from a local pub to a day-care center – are enshrined along the sidewalks of Little Havana’s main thoroughfare. Although many of Los Gallos have been vandalized, the markings only add depth to the allegory. The statues themselves encapsulate both Marti and Moron’s interpretations. Their brilliant exteriors display Cuba’s pride and bravado, but beneath their illustrious feathers, while bearing the scars of vandals, a vitiated, flightless bird stands alone, humbled yet independent.
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