A bee hummingbird beside a flowerThe smallest bird in the world, native to Cuba. A male is about 5.5 cm long.
A Cuban crocodile, jaws shutOnce spread across the Caribbean, it now lives only in the Zapata Swamp.
A Cuban parrotThe Cuban amazon is a mainly green parrot, first described as the white-headed parrot.
A Cuban rock iguana on a rockAmong West Indian rock iguanas, only one is larger. A heavy body, a crest of spines down the back.
A Cuban solenodon with its long snout downA rare burrowing mammal that comes out at night, and one of the few venomous mammals.
A Cuban todyA bird 11 cm long with a big head and a thin, flat bill: green back, red throat, pink flanks.
A flock of flamingos wadingThe American flamingo lives in Cuba and across the West Indies. Repeat one S-shaped neck at different angles.
A frog the size of a fingernailThe Monte Iberia eleuth of eastern Cuba is about 10 mm long, the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere.
A hutia on a branchDesmarest's hutia is the largest living hutia, one of a group of Caribbean rodents.
A march of land crabs heading for the shoreAfter mating, female land crabs travel to the sea in a mass migration to release their eggs.
A mariposa flowerThe white ginger lily is Cuba's national flower, known there as mariposa, the butterfly.
A painted snail on a leafPolymita picta lives only in eastern Cuba. Its shiny shell is often bright yellow with a white stripe.
A palma barrigona with its swollen trunkColpothrinax wrightii grows only in Cuba. The swollen middle of its trunk reaches up to 50 cm across.
A tocororo on a branchThe Cuban trogon, the national bird, lives only in Cuba. Its blue, white and red feathers match the flag.
The crown of a royal palm from belowThe national tree of Cuba. A smooth gray-white trunk with a slight bulge, under a green crown shaft.
Places and buildings 15
A bronze lion on the Paseo del PradoThe tree-lined walk has bronze sculptures of lions, added in 1928, and marble benches.
A cobbled street in TrinidadA World Heritage Site since 1988, known for cobblestone streets and colonial houses.
A map of Cuba and the Isla de la JuventudIsla de la Juventud is Cuba's second-biggest island. The main island is long, narrow and curved.
A street in the old center of CienfuegosThe city is called the Pearl of the South. Its historic center joined the World Heritage List in 2005.
A tinajón in a courtyardThe tinajón, a clay jar used to catch rainwater and keep it fresh, is the symbol of the city of Camagüey.
An arcaded street in Old HavanaOld Havana has been on the World Heritage List since 1982 for its Baroque and neoclassical buildings.
Bacunayagua Bridge across its canyonThe highest bridge in Cuba, 110 m above the valley floor, opened in 1959.
The beach at VaraderoA resort town on the narrow Hicacos Peninsula, about 140 km east of Havana.
El Yunque, the anvil mountainA table mountain near Baracoa whose shape resembles an anvil, which is what yunque means.
The front of Havana CathedralA Baroque front between two bell towers that do not match. Draw the wavy edge of the stonework first.
The lighthouse at Morro CastleA fortress beside the mouth of Havana's harbor. Its lighthouse was added in 1846.
Mangroves in the Zapata SwampPart of a biosphere reserve of over 6,000 square km, the largest protected area in the Caribbean.
The mogotes of ViñalesSteep limestone hills that rise like islands from the valley floor, some up to 300 m tall.
Pico Turquino from the seaThe highest point in Cuba, in the Sierra Maestra range in the southeast of the island.
Waves breaking over the MalecónA sea wall, road and promenade that runs for 8 km along the coast of Havana.
Food 15
A batido with a strawA Cuban milkshake, made in fruit flavors such as guanabana.
A bowl of ajiacoCuba's ajiaco is a filling stew of beef, pork, chicken and vegetables.
A cucurucho from BaracoaA cone of palm leaf filled with a mix of coconut, sugar and other things: a specialty of Baracoa.
A flan with caramel running downA custard with clear caramel sauce on top.
A glass of guarapoGuarapo is sugarcane juice. Draw a cut length of cane beside the glass.
A guava pastryA puff pastry filled with guava, called a pastelito de guayaba.
A mamey cut openA fruit 10 to 25 cm long with rough brown skin and flesh from pink to orange to red.
A plate of congríWhen rice and black beans are cooked together the dish is called congrí or moros y cristianos.
A pot of black beans with a ladleFrijoles negros, black beans, are part of a typical Cuban meal. A dark pot, a pale ladle.
A pressed Cuban sandwich, cut on the slantIt most likely began in cafes for Cuban workers in Tampa or Key West, Florida. It is sometimes called a mixto.
A round of casabeA flatbread made of cassava, eaten in the Caribbean since before Columbus by the Taíno and others.
A small cup of Cuban coffeeAn espresso sweetened as it is made: sugar is whipped with the first, strongest drops.
A stack of tostonesSlices of plantain fried, flattened, then fried a second time until crisp and golden.
Ropa vieja with riceShredded beef stewed with tomatoes, a national dish of Cuba.
Yuca con mojoCassava marinated in garlic, lime and olive oil: a traditional Cuban side dish. Pale chunks, glossy on top.
Music, crafts and things 15
A 1950s car parked at a curbAmerican cars of the 1950s are still driven in Cuba, where one is called an almendrón, a big almond.
A coco taxiA taxi on three wheels with a fiberglass body, used in Havana since the end of the 1990s.
A conga drumThe conga, or tumbadora, is a tall, narrow drum from Cuba with one head, built of staves like a barrel.
A corneta chinaDespite the name it is a kind of oboe that came from China. It is part of the carnival bands of Santiago.
A festival structure of lights in RemediosAt the parrandas of Remedios, structures of lights and fireworks stand in the plaza, and floats are shown.
A game of dominoes on a street tableA double-nine set has 55 tiles. Draw the line of play bending around the table.
A guayabera on a hangerA summer shirt with two columns of fine pleats down the front and back and two or four patch pockets.
A güiro and its stickA hollow gourd with notches cut in one side, scraped with a stick. Common in Cuban music.
A marímbulaA plucked box instrument of the Caribbean, heard in Cuba in changüí and the old styles of son.
A pair of clavesTwo short wooden sticks, 20 to 25 cm long, struck together. They are central to Afro-Cuban music.
A pair of timbalesShallow drums with one head each and a metal shell.
A street game of four cornersCuatro esquinas is a street form of baseball, the most popular sport in Cuba.
A tresA guitar-like instrument of Cuban origin with three courses of strings, six strings in all.
The flag's lone star in its red triangleThree blue and two white stripes, and a red triangle at the pole with one white star. Designed in 1849.
Two hands playing the bongosTwo small open-bottomed drums joined by a wooden bridge, struck at the edge of each head with fingers and palms.
How it works
A bird no longer than a thumb, hills that rise like islands from a valley floor, a pair of drums joined by a wooden bridge. Each of these Cuba drawing ideas names a real thing and gives one checked detail.
Read the full guide
What is on the list
The Topic list sorts the page four ways. Animals and plants starts with the national bird, flower and tree and goes on to animals found nowhere else. Places and buildings covers Havana, three more old towns and the hills of Viñales. Food is home cooking. Music, crafts and things is mostly instruments.
Drawing an old street
Start with the arcade: a row of arches of one size, each column casting a shadow. Then add what stands in front, a parked 1950s car or a street table. Fill the walls with flat, strong shades and leave the trim white.
The flag has five stripes: three blue, two white. The red triangle sits at the pole.
Draw a drum as a cylinder first. Its head is an ellipse, never a straight line.
Questions and answers
What is the national bird of Cuba?
The Cuban trogon, called the tocororo, which lives only in Cuba. Its blue, white and red feathers match the flag. The national flower is the white mariposa and the national tree is the royal palm.
What is the smallest bird in the world?
The bee hummingbird, which is native to Cuba. A male is about 5.5 cm long and weighs about 2 grams; the female is slightly larger.
Which instruments come from Cuba?
Bongos, the conga drum and the tres all began in Cuba. Claves, the güiro, timbales and the marímbula are part of Cuban music too, and each one is on the list.
Which places in Cuba are World Heritage Sites?
Old Havana joined the list in 1982, Trinidad in 1988, the Viñales Valley in 1999, Cienfuegos in 2005 and the old town of Camagüey in 2008. All five are in the Places and buildings group.