Teaching history through the visual arts is one way of bringing the past into the present. In Cuba, the visual arts and architecture have reflected the country's "flowering of identity" through time, as a multi-ethnic population has grown to recognize its own distinct history, values and attributes, and Cuban artists have portrayed the island's unique geography, flora and fauna. The arts have been a mirror reflecting Cuba's history from earliest times to the present, and they now speak to its future. In this article, the author shows how art can be used as a window into the history of the country. He highlights the way in which teachers can view Cuba's historical, social and political development through art, and calls attention to the role of artists during the Castro era, when they have both enjoyed government sponsorship and carved out a role as a possible vehicle for change. (Contains 4 notes, 6 resources and 5 online resources.)