Mirta Díaz-Balart
Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez (born 30 September 1928) was the first wife of Fidel Castro. They married in 1948, had one son together, and divorced in 1955.
Mirta Díaz-Balart | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez 30 September 1928 Cuba |
| Spouse(s) | Emilio Núñez Blanco
(m. 1956; died 2006) |
| Children | 3, including Fidel Ángel Castro Diaz-Balart |
| Parents | Rafael José Díaz-Balart (father) América Gutiérrez (mother) |
| Relatives | Rafael Díaz-Balart (brother) Waldo Díaz-Balart (brother) |
Biography
She was the daughter of América Gutiérrez and Rafael José Díaz-Balart, a prominent Cuban politician and mayor of the town of Banes, Cuba. She was a philosophy student at the University of Havana, when she met and married Fidel.[1][2]
Castro and Diaz-Balart married on 11 October 1948, honeymooned in New York City, and divorced seven years later in 1955 (while Castro was in prison following a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks).[3][4] They had one child, a son, Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart (1949–2018). After the divorce, Castro was not granted custody of their son. Instead, Fidel Jr. was estranged from his father until he stayed with him after a visit in Mexico, prior to his father's return to lead the Cuban Revolution.
In 1956, Díaz-Balart married Emilio Núñez Blanco (1925–2006), the son of a former Cuban Ambassador to the UN, Emilio Núñez Portuondo. The couple lived with her children at Havana's Tarará beach resort.[5]
Díaz-Balart lived in Madrid, Spain with her family after 1959, the year in which Castro's revolution succeeded. She was deprived of the company of her son for many years as he studied in Cuba and the Soviet Union.[6] The Miami Herald claimed in 2000 that she was still living in Spain, and that occasional visits to Cuba were arranged by Raúl Castro, her former brother-in-law.[7] By 2018, the year in which her son Fidelito committed suicide, she was reportedly once again living in Cuba at age 90.[5][8]
Díaz-Balart is the aunt of anti-Castro Republican Party U.S. Representative Mario Díaz-Balart (Florida's 25th congressional district) and his brother, former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart, and TV anchor José Díaz-Balart. She is the sister of the painter Waldo Díaz-Balart and Rafael Díaz-Balart.
References
- Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro, Georgie Anne Geyer, 2011. "Fidel's courting of Mirta Díaz-Balart, the lovely green-eyed girl with the dark blond hair and the wistful smile, from one of Cuba's wealthiest families, marked the period in his life that was closest to ..."
- The Secret Fidel Castro: Deconstructing the Symbol - page 227, Servando González, 2001. "For example, author Georgie Anne Geyer, who studied Castro for many years, noted that most women with whom Castro has been romantically involved, including his first wife Mirtha Díaz- Balart, the daughter of a lawyer who ..."
- On Becoming Cuban: Identity, Nationality, and Culture, page 434, Louis A. Pérez, Jr. "The twenty-two-year-old Fidel Castro and his bride Mirta Díaz Balart were among the many thousands of Cuban newlyweds to honeymoon in New York city. Cuban travel was both cause and effect of changes overtaking the Florida tourist industry. "
- Frank País: Architect of Cuba's Betrayed Revolution, page 322, José Alvarez, 2009. "Fidel Castro and Mirta Díaz-Balart, members of families who were political enemies, married on 10 October 1948. They were divorced while Castro was in prison. At first, they alleged that Mirta was receiving a check from the ..."
- Martínez Barraqué, Carlos (2 February 2018). "Former correspondent remembers Fidel Castro's son as a 'virtual prisoner' in Cuba". Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Ann Louise Bardach : Cuba Confidential. p.67. "One knowledgeable source claims that Mirta returned to Cuba in early 2002 and is now living with Fidelito and his family".
- Fidel Castro's Family
- Gámez Torres, Nora (2 February 2018). "Fidel Castro's firstborn joined a long list of suicides in Cuba". Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Castro, Juanita; as told to María Antonieta Collins (2009). Fidel y Raul - Mis Hermanos, La Historia Secreta. Santillana USA Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60396-701-3.