Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Caridad "Pitucha" Vega papers
Date(s)
- 1960s-1970s (Creation)
Extent
1 box
Name of creator
Biographical history
Caridad “Pitucha” Vega was a Cuban rumba dancer from Havana who was one of the first to bring Afro-Cuban music and dance to the popular stage in the United States. The “Tropicana Nightclub” in Havana was a famous tourist spot that showcased Rumba, becoming an icon of the post-1959 Cuban cultural scene. Vega was part of Tampa billionaire Leon Claxon’s “Harlem in Havana” revue, where she and her dancing partner Mario Valdes were recruited from the Tropicana and became showrunners in the 1957 and 1959 seasons of “Harlem in Havana.” She and dozens of other cast members of the revue are said to have performed more than a dozen shows per day, depending on the size of the audience. Vega reportedly said of her performances in the U.S. that “I love the evening shows because then you get the feel.” After the Cuban Revolution of 1959 when Cuban artists were no longer free to travel between the U.S. and Cuba and visas were restricted, the revue never recovered to its heyday when Vega, “The Cuban Dancing Dolls,” Mercedes Valdes, the Rodríguez Brothers, and others were top performers. Many of the artists, like Vega, decided to remain in the United States after Castro took power.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The collection contains correspondence, photos, performance fliers, a plaque, and posters of dancer Caridad "Pitucha" Vega.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Requests to publish or display materials from this collection require written permission from the rights owner. Please contact chc@miami.edu for more information.
Preferred citation: Caridad "Pitucha" Vega papers, Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida.
Languages of the material
- Spanish
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Gift of Caridad "Pitucha" Vega, 2017.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Collection level record by Amanda Moreno, February 2024.