Publication Date: February 25, 2022
Journey Back into the Vault: In Search of My Faded Cuban Childhood Footprints invites you to travel with me back to the land of my birth for the first time in fifty-six years in order to reclaim my forgotten Cuban childhood memories, original identity, and once-promised destiny. Come with me as I search for the now faded footprints I once left behind in the homes, school, and playgrounds of the first nine years of my life; help me honor the grandparents, uncles, and aunts I never saw again at their final resting place; and meet family members I never knew I had. Laugh, sigh, and cry with me during the many unforeseen experiences, astonishing events, and serendipitous moments that would forever change my life. Enjoy the improbable story of a courageous journey aimed at breaching the subconscious vault I once built to store the difficult memories of a childhood usurped, destiny denied, and loving family forever separated by geopolitical events. This is the story of those psychological forces that help define us, the power of enduring hope, and how by achieving purity of heart, reconciliation, and a soul at rest, we can evolve into better versions of ourselves-a universal message of love and enlightenment that can only begin with each individual’s search for self-actualization and inner peace.
For the first nine years of his life, young Mario Cartaya lived amongst his extended family in Cuba, enjoying all the typical delights of childhood.
However, an encounter with Castro’s military authority leaves the family no choice but to seek exile in the United States. Mario’s memoir, Journey Back into the Vault, details his efforts as an adult to recapture the threads of his culture.
56 years after leaving Cuba, he returns in search of his long-forgotten childhood memories. It’s a poignant story, not only because of the two previous failed attempts, but through the eyes of someone seeking closure.
Divided into seven days, the story is full of Mario’s rediscovery of people, places, and things that helped shape his early years. The photos add depth, illustrating both his childhood and new memories.
Journey Back into the Vault enables a Cuban-born American to rediscover his heritage while gaining an understanding of a country seemingly frozen in Time.
Mario Cartaya was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1951. Eight years later, the turbulent winds of political change swept over the land of his birth, leaving his family with little choice but to immigrate toward the United States in search of a new life lived in freedom. There, he realized his earliest Cuban childhood dreams of becoming an architect and started an enduring and highly acclaimed architectural firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His life’s story and award-winning architectural designs were entered into the United States Congressional Record of the House of Representatives in 2019, forever enshrined into the US Library of Congress. An American flag was flown over the US Capitol to celebrate his legacy in 2022. Mario now has turned his attention to writing books with the same dedication and love that made him an architectural success and iconic designer. His fresh voice, creative expression, and humanist values will enrich your mind and refresh your soul. This is his first book. You will dream, laugh, sigh, and cry with him in a roller coaster of emotions that will make you glad to have joined him on this most incredible journey.
