The Cuban Guayabera Thing

A few years ago I was going on vacation down to Cancun, Mexico and I needed some tropical wear for the trip.  So I went to the mall to see what I could find.  Like most men, I hate shopping.  If I can’t be in and out of a store in twenty minutes its not worth my time.  To my surprise I found these really cool shirts made by a company called Cubavera.   They were short sleeved shirts with four pockets and had these very distinctive designs on the front panels.  They were called Guayaberas.

I was totally taken aback by my discovery.  Now I’m not much into fashion.  I’m more of a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy and I don’t follow the trends in fashion.  Apparently several fashion companies had started manufacturing these shirts in various designs and had become very popular especially in places like Florida and California.

The reason for my surprise was that I remember the Guayabera from my visits to Cuba as a little kid.  These shirts, however, were different from what I remember.  The Guayaberas that I remember were these long sleeved white starched shirts that old men wore.  It was a very distinctive shirt and was only worn for special occasions.

I found out that there was a great controversy  about the shirt’s origins.  It seems that the Guayabera is very popular in many Spanish speaking countries and each of these countries have claimed the shirt as their own.  Well let me say this about that.  The Guayabera is a Cuban Thing.

That’s right you read right.  It’s Cuban.  The history of the shirt can be traced back to over 200 years ago.   Its original design was taken from a Spanish shirt.  Pockets were added to its front to fit the necessities of Cuban guava growers in the province of Las Villas.  You don’t have to take my word for it.  You can learn more about the shirts history and other interesting facts  by visiting Cuban Guayabera Shirts.

Anyway after several hours of shopping arrived back home with about a half dozen Guayabera shirts.  I must say that their new designs made me look and feel great.  When I arrived in Mexico many people thought that I had bought the shirt there.  It seems that in Mexico they are known as Mexican wedding shirts.  I immediately notified anyone who was interested in listening that the Guayabera shirt was a Cuban Thing.

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