Even after sugar production declined the coastal communities continued to grow and homes were upgraded with money from agricultural trade activity.īecause of the weight and fragile nature of cement tiles (before installation) it only made sense to set up regional tile making workshops around Cuba because the demand was great and roadways were primitive (and still are to some degree)! Tile presses are ship-able and the skills are not too difficult to teach. Later during the uncertain years of WWI the well-to-do invested in the relatively safe category of real estate and homes were updated and embellished. This facilitated the installation of the new cement tiles into the current construction. When the first cement tiles arrived from Spain in the late 1800's there was a building boom from the export of sugar. Between the years 1890's to about the 1960's the Cuban mortar tiles, as they were sometimes called, became the preferred flooring of Cubans all over the island. For a short time in history in both Europe and Latin America there was an explosion of interest in hydraulic cement tiles (Mosaicos Hidraulicos).Ĭuba is a country enthusiastic about decoration and color so it is no wonder that cement tiles (also called Cuban tiles), once introduced, became very popular here. The earliest presses were hand or donkey powered but the industrial revolution made available the hydraulic press that could apply consistent pressure and the hydraulic systems could provide the necessary pressure to operate multiple presses at once.

The Escofet tile factory produced wondrously colored illustrated tile catalogs from which many tile patterns were either ordered or copied.Īt the time, this invention of artistic patterned cement tile floors seemed the perfect marriage of art and industry. Also prominent was 'Butsems and Sola & Cia' factory (1856), 'Orsola Sola' and 'Salvador Bulet y Cia'. See our 'How Cement Tiles are Made' page to understand more about the process.Ĭuban Mortar Tiles, as they are sometimes called, were originally imported into Cuba from Spain, many from the Barcelona area where the famous 'Escofet y Cia', in Barcelona was established 1886.

They are not fired in a kiln like ceramic tiles. Cement tile are hardened through curing with adequate water for the Portland cement to undergo its chemical change and become strong. Some say it is from the water necessary to the process. The Spanish term 'Mosaicos Hidraulicos' comes from the intricate mosaic-like patterns and the hydraulic presses used to make these tile.

The process of making pressed multi-layer cementous tile was invented in Europe around the mid 1800's and traveled to Cuba with the many émigrés from Spain. Taste in Cuba runs more toward the floral and foliage patterns than in other parts of the world where cement tile exist, and we are happy about that. The island of Cuba once produced some of the most colorful and stunning patterned cement tiles in the world and they can be seen not only in the capitol city of Havana but also in the coastal colonial towns in Cuba. Cuba is a showcase for fabulous encaustic cement tile from both Spain and from local factories. We are fascinated by Cuba and her robust, beautiful, much loved, colorful, well-preserved cement tiles !!! (ABOVE) TANGO PATTERN CEMENT TILE IN A CUBAN FOYER

Spanish concrete tiles