AREQUIPA, Peru – Amid stalls, street vendors and a large crowd, everyday life takes place at La Cuevita, a popular market In the Habana for having everything, or almost everything.
Located in the municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, La Cuevita is home to dozens of Cuban vendors offering a wide variety of products that are generally in short supply in government-run stores.
From plastic items such as plates, toys, funnels and basins, to kitchen products made of aluminum or other materials, including pans, pots, jugs. In the huge havana bazaar There are also toiletries and cleaning supplies, clothing, footwear, plumbing and electrical parts, jewelry and packaging.
As one of the epicenters of informal trade in Cuba, La Cuevita and its street vendors are a highly popular destination for Cubans, especially in moments of scarcity and widespread shortages. Merchants manage to keep supply in the face of demand, even becoming a place to buy medicines when the shelves of state pharmacies are empty.
However, activities at the Cuevita are not far from official interference or irregularities. Over the years, due to its illegal nature, the market has been the target of police raids and temporary closures. On the other hand, while the vendors are wary of the authorities, customers are also careful not to fall victim to scams or buy adulterated products, most of which are without guarantee.
If you don’t have it, it doesn’t exist! La Cuevita continues to this day as a mecca of trade, barter and a pillar for subsistence in the Cuban capital, immersed, like the Island, in a panorama of economic difficulties.
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