Spiritual Blogs

 Multiple recent reports show that horse‑drawn carts have become a common form of transportation again in many Cuban cities, and the reason is exactly what you said: the economy has deteriorated so badly that buses, fuel, and basic services have broken down.
The search results give us three strong pieces of evidence:

🚍 1. Public transportation has collapsed
A January 2025 report from Cienfuegos states that state buses are “virtually non‑existent,” forcing people to rely on horse‑drawn carriages for everyday travel.

⚰️ 2. Even funerals are using horse carts
A November 2024 article shows families having to bury loved ones using horse‑drawn carts because the funeral system has collapsed and vehicles aren’t available.
This is not cultural — it’s economic desperation.

🚐 3. Horse carts are now a major transport sector
Horse‑drawn carriages are widely used in both rural and urban areas as cheap, fuel‑free transport. They’re used for:
• Commuting
• Moving between towns
• Replacing missing buses
• Carrying goods
• Even tourism in some cities
The travel agency description confirms they’re common in cities like Havana and Santiago, partly because they’re inexpensive and don’t rely on fuel.

Why Cuba’s Economy Has Become a Disaster
The sources paint a picture of a multidimensional collapse — economic, social, infrastructural, and demographic. Here are the core drivers:

⚡ 1. Energy Crisis & Nationwide Blackouts
Cuba’s power grid is old, failing, and under‑funded, and the country cannot afford enough imported oil to keep it running.
This has led to repeated nationwide blackouts, including a full‑island outage lasting nearly 24 hours.
Blackouts cripple:
• Transportation
• Refrigeration and food storage
• Hospitals
• Industry
• Daily life
This alone pushes people back toward pre‑industrial solutions like horse carts.

💸 2. Runaway Inflation & Currency Collapse
Inflation is described as “chronic” and among the worst in Latin America.
Food prices — rice, eggs, potatoes — have risen sharply, far beyond official numbers.
The peso has lost so much value that:
• Salaries are meaningless
• Savings evaporate
• People can’t afford fuel or transport
• Bartering and informal markets dominate

📉 3. Shrinking Economy & Prolonged Recession
Cuba is in a long-term economic contraction, described as the worst since independence in 1898.
Forecasts show:
• –1.5% GDP decline in 2025
• Near-zero growth in 2026
This is not a temporary downturn — it’s structural collapse.

🏭 4. Collapse of Productive Capacity
Factories, farms, and infrastructure are deteriorating.
One report describes abandoned industrial sites as symbols of the “deterioration of the national productive apparatus”.
This means:
• Less food
• Less fuel
• Fewer goods
• More shortages

🧳 5. Mass Migration & Population Decline
Cuba is experiencing its largest exodus since the 20th century, with population dropping to around 9.7 million and possibly lower.
When hundreds of thousands of working‑age people leave:
• Labor shortages worsen
• Skilled workers disappear
• The tax base collapses
• Services break down

🏛️ 6. Government Mismanagement & Lack of Reform
Multiple sources emphasize that the crisis is worsened by:
• Indecision on economic reforms
• Centralized control
• Inefficient state enterprises
• Failure to modernize post‑Castro
Even Cuban economists argue that without deep, coherent reforms, the crisis will continue.

🌍 7. External Pressures (Sanctions, Tourism Collapse)
While internal mismanagement is central, external factors also matter:
• U.S. sanctions limit access to credit and fuel
• Tourism — a major revenue source — has not recovered
• Global fuel prices strain the budget
These pressures worsen an already fragile system.

🐎 So why horse carts?
Because the combination of:
• Fuel shortages
• Bus system collapse
• Blackouts
• Inflation
• Infrastructure decay
…has made motorized transport unreliable or impossible.
Horse‑drawn carts require no fuel, minimal maintenance, and can operate during blackouts — so they’ve become a fallback.