Parked in front of Cuba’s historic (and still not entirely renovated) Presidential Palace, these cars reflect the grindingly slow pace of change that has characterized Cuba’s one-party state since Fidel Castro’s movement took power in 1959. Unable to import new models nor build any on its own, Cuba’s communist government finally refreshed its supply of automobiles in the 1970s and 1980s when aid and trade flourished with the Soviet Union. Flanked by a yellow Russian Lada and a 1950s family sedan—both of which have seen better days—this modest Toyota and Peugeot—reflect their drivers’ high degree of privilege in a society where even owning a bicycle has become increasingly rare. Museum of the Revolution (former Presidential Palace), Havana, 2016.
