Cuba: Soroa's Orchid Garden

During International Expeditions' people-to-people Cubajourney, guests join experts from a local university to to learn about orchid species. Through our interaction with the garden’s keepers, guests not only learn about endemic species, but more importantly, the relationship between Cubans and land. The most interesting story of course, involved the story of how Cuban women once used the national flower – mariposa – to relay secret messages. During the Cuban fight to overthrow the Spanish, Cuban women would wear the mariposa in their hair. It was a sign of solidarity with their countrymen, but they were also able to hide messages on tiny strips of paper within the flower. They could freely walk the streets to deliver the message, and the Spanish never caught on!