TRINIDAD, Cuba – Whether it is through the art of making a living or through paint, creativity flows in the streets of Trinidad, a town known as the museum of the Caribbean and the colonial pearl of Cuba.
Among the estimated 80,000 people who live in the colonial town, are some colorful characters. Nena Box is one of the many retirees who struggle to make a living without the help of their family. The 75-year-old lives near the Plaza Mayor.
"I have been living here for 57 years ... I sit here and talk to my neighbors," she said.
She gets a pension of about $10 a month, and to make a little money, she said, she cleans homes and runs errands. Taking care of retirees remains a challenge in the extremely poor country, where there will likely be more pensioners than workers in 2025, according to Cuban government statistics.
Box said she is able to cover the cost of electricity and water. House repairs, such as building a closet or renovating the bathroom and kitchen, are out of the question. She has a small refrigerator and hangs the little clothing she owns from a wooden stick.
The majority of retirees reported experiencing hardship. Access to disposable income to buy electronics, go out to restaurants or travel is not even a distant dream for Cubans struggling with the rising cost of food.
The situation is not likely to change for the upcoming generation of retirees. The United Nations ranks Cuba's economy as 69th in the world, and the World Bank reports Cuba as having one of the lowest investment rates in the globe.
This is why Cuban migrants arriving to South Florida are arriving at the age of 60 or older in growing numbers.
Upon arrival to the United States the refugee status allows them to qualify for food stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing and supplemental social security income.
Traveling to the U.S. is not an option for Box, who doesn't have any relatives left.
Box remains positive. After listing all of the tourist attractions available for tourists in Sancti Spiritus, she said, "we have it all."
Box is not on denial or delusional. It's just not a popular move to be critical of the Cuban government.
RESOURCEFULNESS
Mateo Chaviano, 71, is a poet who is always ready to improvise. Musicians and poets like him meet at la Casa de la Trova, a colonial home at Calle Alameda and Calle Cristo, where there is usually live music and old romantic beats.
Walk over to Studio Galeria Pincelada Colonial, between Callejon del Olvido and Calle Desengano at Calle Jesus Maria, to meet artists. Yudit Vidal Faife, 38, opened it in 2014. She has showcased her sharp brushwork in Luxembourg, Holland and Ecuador.
Men with roosters like Jose, who poses for tourists with his rooster, Luis are not an uncommon sight. Jose is not the most photographed man in Trinidad. The title does not belong to a public official, a beauty queen or a musician. It goes to a mysterious senior who spends his days at Plaza Mayor walking with a "burro-taxi" -- a donkey that he walks with to make some money.
INTERACTIVE: Most photographed man in Trinidad